Klay Thompson recently offered Los Angeles Lakers fans a glimpse into what he called one of his recurring dreams.
Reality sent him somewhere else.
Thompson is expected to sign with the Miami Heat after clearing waivers following a contract buyout with the Dallas Mavericks, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Friday.
The Mavericks announced their buyout agreement earlier Friday, ending Thompson’s two-season stay in Dallas. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The decision closes what had appeared to be a plausible path toward Thompson joining the franchise his father helped lead to two championships.
Less than two weeks earlier, Thompson shared a modified NBA 2K video showing him playing alongside Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during the Showtime era.
HeavyKlay Thompson shares a modified NBA 2K reel showing him playing for the Los Angeles Lakers alongside Showtime legends. (Screenshot via @klaythompson/Instagram; video by @jellybeanballin)
“This is what my dreams look like on a consistent basis,” Thompson wrote.
That dream will remain virtual.
Klay Thompson Chooses Heat Over Lakers Homecoming
Thompson’s post arrived while Dallas explored his trade market and his father, Mychal Thompson, renewed his public effort to bring him to Los Angeles.
“I’m TRYING,” the former Lakers center and longtime team radio analyst wrote on X when asked about recruiting his son.
The interest did not appear to be one-sided.
Christian Clark of The Athletic previously reported that Thompson would welcome a return to Los Angeles, where he spent part of his childhood and still owns a home. Clark also identified Miami as another potential landing spot if Thompson and Dallas parted ways.
A move to the Lakers would have reunited Thompson with Luka Doncic, whose recruiting helped convince him to choose Dallas over Los Angeles during 2024 free agency.
Doncic was traded to the Lakers six months later.
The Mavericks initially preferred to trade Thompson and his $17.5 million expiring salary. The buyout removed the need for the Lakers to construct a salary-matching deal, but it also gave Thompson control over his next destination.
He chose Miami, which had pursued him for weeks and preserved part of its midlevel exception for that possibility.
Lakers Lose Another Proven Shooter to Miami
Thompson, 36, averaged a career-low 11.7 points in 21.7 minutes over 69 games last season. His overall field-goal percentage fell to 39.3%, but he remained a dangerous perimeter shooter.
He made 202 three-pointers while converting 38.3% of his attempts from beyond the arc.
That skill would have translated naturally next to Doncic, whose playmaking routinely creates open perimeter opportunities. Thompson also could have supplied championship experience to a Lakers roster reshaped around Doncic, Austin Reaves, Walker Kessler, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton.
Miami could offer a more clearly defined role around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. The Heat reportedly envision using Thompson as a catch-and-shoot specialist similar to the role Ray Allen once filled around their previous championship core.
Thompson’s Lakers post was never a trade request or a promise. It was a nostalgic tribute connecting his career to his father’s Showtime years.
For several days, though, the circumstances made that dream appear attainable.
Then Dallas granted Thompson his freedom, and he used it to choose Miami.
Klay Thompson Makes Final Lakers Decision After Calling Move His ‘Dream’