Klay Thompson may not be an automatic buyout option after all.
The Dallas Mavericks guard has been rumored as a possible option for contending teams such as the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers in recent months. The 36-year-old may not be in his prime anymore, but he’s viewed as an attractive secondary option for teams looking to get over the hump due to his three-point shooting ability. Thompson is coming off of a 2025-26 season in which he remained pretty healthy (69 games) while averaging 11.7 points per game on 38.3% shooting from beyond the arc.
Thompson is entering the final year of his contract, which makes him a primary buyout candidate. However, Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer said that’s not automatically the case.
“To this point, Dallas has not been looking to find a buyout agreement with Klay Thompson,” said Fischer. “He’s got one year left on a three-year, $51 million deal that he signed two seasons ago when he left the Golden State Warriors, the franchise he won four championships with, of course…Klay Thompson very nearly chose the Los Angeles Lakers with then LeBron James over joining Dallas originally to pair with Luka Doncic and where’s Luka Doncic right now? Of course, with the Lakers.
“There’s plenty of connective tissue there that makes sense here,” Fischer continued. “The only thing is, the Mavericks have been very resistant, to my understanding, of actually moving forward and agreeing to a buyout with Klay Thompson. They believe this market that’s shaping up for him, the fact that there is some LA interest, the fact that there is Miami interest. There’s probably other places that have interest in Klay Thompson as well.”
Why Mavericks Are Bluffing With Klay Thompson
This appears to be more of a bluff than anything considering the Mavericks and Thompson are on different trajectories. Dallas is in a rebuild mode around second-year player Cooper Flagg and while he has lived up to the billing as the top overall pick after winning Rookie of the Year, they are not going to be contending in a rugged Western Conference this season.
Mavericks in Rebuild Mode, Not in Contention Mode
While the Mavericks are acting as if they’re interested in Thompson — likely to boost any potential trade value — the five-time All-Star guard’s role at this stage of his career is best served on a contending team as one of their primary secondary options. It’s a major reason why he landed with the Mavericks in a sign-and-trade prior to the 2024-25 season because they were coming off of an NBA Finals appearance with Luka Doncic as the face.
However, the whole organization has shifted since then with Dallas trading Doncic for Anthony Davis, only to trade Davis a year later. Meanwhile, they’ve fired former head coach Jason Kidd and former general manager Nico Harrison.
The inevitable move will likely see the Mavericks part ways, which will mean teams such as the Doncic-led Lakers and the new-look Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Heat will likely be aggressive suitors for Thompson. The Lakers are desperately looking for shooters to surround their ball-dominant stars such as Doncic and Austin Reaves with, while the Heat are in the same boat as they look for depth and shooters to surround Antetokounmpo with.
Mavericks Make Stance Clear on Klay Thompson Amid Lakers, Heat Interest