The guard for the Golden State Warriors, Klay Thompson, is in the middle of the last year of a five-year, $190 million deal that he signed in 2019. He is not the same player he was when he signed the deal, though, because two big surgeries and age have made him less good. In 2019, the Los Angeles Lakers were interested in Thompson, but he showed that he would always be a Warrior.

His dedication to the Warriors never wavered, even though his play got worse—he shot 37.3% from three, which was the worst percentage of his career—and his defensive box plus-minus was the second worst of his career. And there were still times when the old Thompson came out. Thompson scored 35 points on Thursday, his first game off the bench since March 11, 2012, which was the first game of his rookie year.

The Warriors didn’t want to show the same level of loyalty to him by extending his deal, so they let him go free this summer. Shams Charania of The Athletic told the Pat McAfee Show that when he does, he should get a lot of offers, including one from the Lakers: 
According to what I’ve heard, Klay Thompson, this has been a tough year for him. Various times, he’s been going through it, and I believe he’s doing his best to beat it. His contract is up at the end of the season, though, so he can sign with anyone. From what I’ve been told, I think he will test the market. I think both Florida teams and both L.A. teams, as well as maybe a couple of East Coast teams, will be interested in Klay Thompson. As of now, unless there’s a miraculous contract, he’s going to try the market, and I think the Warriors knew going into the year that they didn’t extend him that his future is uncertain just because he’s going to be a free agent. 
It was clear to the Warriors that they could handle things if Thompson left in free agency. For the sake of consistency, though, it’s strange that they didn’t lengthen him. Yes, they let Draymond Green become a free agent last season and then signed him right away to a four-year deal, but Green and Thompson are not the same player and have different backgrounds.

The whole league should be much more interested in Thompson than Green was, because even when he’s not playing well, he’s still a good shot. Three hundred and seventy-three percent is the worst score he has ever had in his lifetime. And the fact that he’s ready to play off the bench makes him even more useful. 
Finding out what kind of deal Thompson gets this summer will be interesting, but if the Lakers can afford it, they will be first in line.