Report: Klay Thompson would have entered 2010 NBA draft with a Lakers first-round promise

In 2011, Klay Thompson left Washington State after three years. He impressed in workouts and worked his way up to No. 11 in the draft, where the Warriors took him.

Three years later, the Lakers were reportedly interested in trading their No. 7 pick to get him. Instead, he stayed with Golden State, where he torched the Lakers in a game earlier this season.

That leads to this pretty juicy “what if?” about Klay Thompson, son of Mychal Thompson, who won two titles with the Showtime Lakers.

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports:

Klay Thompson would’ve entered the draft a year earlier if the Lakers had agreed to take him in the first round, a source said. The Lakers declined.

Here’s the big catch: The Lakers didn’t have a 2010 first rounder. They traded it a couple years prior to get Pau Gasol, a deal that worked out very well for Los Angeles.

Obviously, in hindsight, it’s easy to say the Lakers should have promised to draft Thompson. But he was seen as a second-round prospect at that time, and they would have had to trade for a first rounder too. Plus, Kobe Bryant was pretty entrenched at shooting guard.

With the information available the time, they Lakers probably made the right call. It’s just not one that stands up well to the test of time.