Lakers Rumors: Latest Buzz on Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson

The Los Angeles Lakers are buzzing again.

In related news, grass is green, the sky is blue and everyone's favorite day of the week is Taco Tuesday.

The Purple and Gold are on their own, seemingly endless news cycle. Everything around this franchise has a way of reverberating across the basketball world.

The latest blurbs revolve around the newest All-Star to join the Lakers and another that could have in free agency.

Anthony Davis Skipping FIBA World Cup To Focus on Lakers

Team USA's loss could be the Lakers' big gain.

The Americans won't have Anthony Davis for September's FIBA Basketball World Cup, as he will not participate in the USA Basketball training camp and will remove his name from consideration for the World Cup roster, per Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes.

While Haynes' sources said Davis remains committed to participating in the 2020 Olympics, his rationale for skipping this section should excite his new club.

"Davis, 26, wants to utilize the bulk of his offseason to prepare for a championship run with his new team," Haynes wrote.

Davis has been waiting for this opportunity for a while.

He requested a trade away from the New Orleans Pelicans in late January and had that wish officially granted earlier this month. While the Pels were rarely relevant for non-Davis reasons—they made just two playoff trips over his seven-year tenure—the Lakers rarely stray from the national spotlight.

With Davis and LeBron James, L.A. arguably has the strongest tandem in the Association. That's enough to put this club on a short list of legitimate 2020 championship contenders, and even if it wasn't, the additions of supporting players like Danny Green, DeMarcus Cousins, Avery Bradley and Quinn Cook would've solidified that standing.

In other words, Davis is approaching a season unlike anything he has experienced at this level. No one should blame him for wanting to maximize his preparation process.

L.A. Threat Convinced Warriors To Give Klay Thompson Full Max

The Lakers helped make the Golden State Warriors even more expensive this summer.

The Dubs had a decision to make with sharpshooting All-Star Klay Thompson. The 29-year-old hit the open market less than a month after tearing his ACL during the NBA Finals. With the first season of his next deal threatened by the injury, Golden State thought briefly about pinching some pennies at the negotiating table.

"Several minority owners with the Warriors floated the idea of seeing if Thompson might give the team a hometown discount, a league source says, but abandoned it over fear he'd jump to the Clippers or Los Angeles Lakers," Bleacher Report's Ric Bucher wrote.

It's a bit baffling the Warriors even gave that approach any thought. If they wanted Thompson around—he's the perfect backcourt mate for Stephen Curry—a max offer was the only way to ensure his eyes wouldn't wander.

While it's impossible to say which L.A. team Thompson might have preferred, the allure of the Lakers had to be high.

His father, Mychal Thompson, spent four plus-seasons with the Lakers and won two titles with them. He's now a radio broadcaster for the team.

After egregiously neglecting shooting last summer, the Lakers could've scratched that itch in the best possible way by adding Thompson. He already ranks among the league's top-20 career leaders in three-point makes (1,798, 16th) and percentage (41.90, 13th).

Of course, the Dubs eventually thought better of this and committed a full five-year max to Thompson, while the Lakers added a small of army of shooters. So, if history remembers the possible Thompson-Lakers connection, it will only be as a fun what-if scenario.