The Miami Heat spent weeks waiting for the one development they could not control.
It finally arrived Friday and brought Klay Thompson with it.
Thompson is expected to sign with Miami after clearing waivers following a contract buyout with the Dallas Mavericks, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported.
The Mavericks announced the buyout agreement earlier Friday. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The development marked a sudden reversal from where the situation stood one day earlier. NBA insider Brett Siegel said Thursday that Thompson and Dallas had not discussed a buyout, leaving Miami to wait while the Mavericks continued seeking a trade.
That wait is over.
After clearing waivers, Thompson is expected to join a Heat team that had preserved part of its midlevel exception and reserved a specific role for the four-time NBA champion.
Heat’s Patient Klay Thompson Strategy Pays Off
Miami refused to surrender rotation players or draft capital for Thompson’s $17.5 million expiring contract. Instead, the Heat gambled that Dallas would eventually abandon its trade efforts and allow Thompson to choose his next team.
That patience proved worthwhile.
According to Siegel, the Heat envision using Thompson in a role similar to the one Ray Allen filled during Miami’s previous championship era: fewer offensive responsibilities, heavy catch-and-shoot usage and an expectation that his postseason experience will matter in critical moments.
Thompson, 36, averaged a career-low 11.7 points in 21.7 minutes over 69 games last season. He shot only 39.3% from the field but remained productive from his specialty area, making 38.3% of his three-point attempts.
He made 202 three-pointers despite his reduced role, including 188 as a reserve.
Miami does not need Thompson to recreate his All-Star seasons with Golden State. It needs him to punish opponents for sending extra defenders toward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
Klay Thompson Gives Miami Another Proven Champion
Getty Klay Thompson, who will join the Miami Heat after clearing the waivers, is expected to reprise the role Ray Allen played during the franchise’s last championship run with the Big 3 of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
Thompson’s arrival would give coach Erik Spoelstra another dangerous off-ball shooter and a player accustomed to the pressure surrounding a championship chase.
Thompson won four titles and reached six NBA Finals during his 13 seasons with the Warriors. Although injuries and age have diminished his defensive mobility, few available players could match his combination of shooting gravity and postseason experience.
Miami’s defensive personnel also should help cover some of his limitations. Antetokounmpo and Adebayo can switch across positions, while Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell give Spoelstra additional perimeter defenders to deploy alongside Thompson.
The Los Angeles Lakers were viewed as another possible destination because of Thompson’s Southern California roots and his previous relationship with Luka Doncic in Dallas.
Miami offered something more immediate: a defined role, money set aside and a roster constructed to maximize the skill Thompson still performs at an elite level.
On Thursday, the Heat had a plan but no free agent.
One day later, they had both.
Heat Land Klay Thompson in Stunning Turn After ‘Ray Allen’ Role Revealed