NBA Trade Rumors: Klay Thompson For LeBron James Trade Not Worth It For Warriors, Stephen A. Smith Says

The NBA trade rumors involving LeBron James and pretty much any team besides Cleveland only continue to heat up. On the popular ESPN debate show, First Take, they discussed the idea of swapping Klay Thompson and LeBron James in some sort of trade. While Max Kellerman felt the trade would be a good idea for the Golden State Warriors, his fellow commentator, Stephen A. Smith, was vehemently against the idea of the swap.

While NBA free agency will be a big deal for Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James and the Golden State Warriors’ All-Star Klay Thompson, one of those two players says he never wants to play for another team. It was recently reported by San Jose Mercury News that Thompson made recent comments he wants to play his entire career as a member of the Golden State team.

Thompson is set to enter free agency in 2019, which means he’ll be ready for a brand new deal from the Warriors. That new deal could bring an issue, so the debate was sparked on ESPN’s First Take about what Klay Thompson is really worth to the team. Kellerman argued with Stephen A. Smith over the merits of a trade that would bring LeBron to the Warriors with Thompson going to Cleveland.

Smith said there’s really no need to get rid of Thompson and bring LeBron James on board.

“If you are the Golden State Warriors you don’t disrupt anything you have a for a LeBron James because you are beating him. You’re beating him anyway, so why mess with it?”

The main contention by Stephen A. Smith in terms of skill set is that Klay Thompson has a jump shot that is immensely better than that of LeBron James. In addition, Smith contends that Klay is a tremendous two-way player with his defensive skills. That said, LeBron James is a difference maker pretty much all over the court.

James currently ranks fifth in the league in scoring with 26.5 points per game, while also ranking third in assists (11.6 per game), and 22nd in rebounds (8.1 per game). While it’s argued that James doesn’t have as good of a jump shot as Thompson, LeBron ranks No. 12 in the league for field goal percentage. It’s a category dominated by power forwards and centers, with LeBron the only small forward in the top 20. Fellow small forward Kevin Durant ranks 22nd.

The biggest issue with the Golden State Warriors being able to retain Klay Thompson in 2019 may actually be Kevin Durant. The man that rocked the NBA free agency world several years ago by signing with the Warriors can opt out of his NBA contract this summer. So even though Golden State is planning to give $86 million toward Thompson’s salary when he becomes a free agent in 2019, it could become iffy with them trying to keep Durant on board as well. Golden State has a $135 million payroll.

LeBron and Klay will both be on opposing teams this Sunday as part of the latest NBA All-Star Game. Interestingly, LeBron, who was named a captain for one All-Star team, selected Kevin Durant for his squad while the other captain, Stephen Curry, has teammate Klay Thompson. Fans could get a preview of what it might look like if LeBron and KD somehow joined forces on the same team in the future.

In terms of the real games, adding LeBron James to the Golden State Warriors would basically tip the balance of the NBA seriously in favor of the Western Conference juggernauts, until the “King” eventually decides to retire. As of right now, there’s at least a bit of a doubt when it comes to the NBA Finals, as Cleveland was able to overcome the Warriors two seasons ago to capture the Larry O’Brien trophy.

With the Cavaliers’ recent roster improvements, it’s also setting up the potential for another interesting showdown over the NBA Championship this postseason.