When the dust settled, Klay joined the Mavericks on a fully guaranteed three-year, $50 million contract. In this regard, James's former teammate and celebrity Richard Jefferson bombarded the Warriors and supported Klay.
After deciding to part ways with the Warriors, Klay attracted multiple teams to chase him. Among them, the Lakers and Mavericks are particularly competitive.
According to a report from WOJ, James reached out to Klay as soon as the door opened on the free agent market. For the Lakers, it would be a huge addition to the backcourt if they could get Klay, and his outside projection and playoff experience are something the Lakers desperately need.
However, the Lakers are shy, and if they join the Lakers, Klay can only get a mid-level contract. It is worth mentioning that Woj previously revealed that James is willing to take a salary cut, perhaps as much as $20 million, so that the Lakers can use the full midrange ($12.9 million) to pursue Klay.
But while the Lakers are grabbing people, the Mavericks are also focusing on negotiating with the Warriors to sign Klay, using the special case brought about by the previous Hardaway Jr. trade. In the end, the Mavericks grabbed the man, and the specifics of the trade were that the Hornets get: Josh Green, the Mavericks get: Klay + a second-round pick (from the Hornets), and the Warriors get: two second-round picks (from the Hornets in 2025 and from the Mavericks in 2031).
In other words, the Warriors traded Klay for two second-round picks, which is extremely insulting to Klay.
It's no wonder that Jefferson blasted the Warriors, saying, "Klay was also the player who changed the value of this team, and now they're worth billions of dollars, not just because of Curry, but because of Klay." Jefferson believes that Klay has every reason to be angry with the Warriors during contract extension talks, and he also revealed a detail, "Last season, I ran into Klay when I got off the elevator and I asked him, 'Klay, what's wrong?' Hey man, keep the right mindset. He said, "Man, tell them to give me the money." ’…… He has the right to be angry. ”