The Miami Heat has gotten its wish. Four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson is set to join the team after reaching a buyout agreement with the Dallas Mavericks on Friday.
“BREAKING: Klay Thompson is expected to sign with the Miami Heat after he clears waivers upon a contract buyout with the Dallas Mavericks, sources tell ESPN,” NBA insider Shams Charania reported on X, formerly Twitter.
Wrote Charania in another post: “Thompson and the Mavericks navigated a buyout from his $17.5 million expiring salary after the four-time NBA champion made it clear to Dallas that he wanted to play for a contender. The Heat made one of the NBA’s all-time greatest shooters their top free agent priority this summer to surround Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo and waited nearly two months on his release.”
Miami Heat Expected to Ink Klay Thompson to Multi-Year Deal
GettySAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 07: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after making a three-point shot against the Utah Jazz during first half at Chase Center on April 07, 2024 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
According to Charania, Thompson and the Heat are expected to agree to a two-year, $13 million contract.
“Klay Thompson plans to sign a two-year, nearly $13 million deal with the Miami Heat after clearing waivers, with a player option in the second season, sources tell ESPN,” Charania reported on X.
Thompson, 36, has been the Heat’s top priority since the franchise missed out on signing LeBron James in free agency. James, the league’s oldest player, chose to sign with the rival Philadelphia 76ers.
Desiring more elite shooting around the newly-acquired Antetokounmpo, the Heat see Thompson as a prime target, even if he may not be the same player or even shooter he was years ago with the Golden State Warriors.
Last season, Thompson averaged 11.7 points and shot 38.3 percent from the 3-point line. He spent the last two seasons in Dallas after joining the franchise as a free agent.
Heat’s Plans for Klay
Although Thompson also generated interest from the Los Angeles Lakers, the Heat was clearly the most desperate to land the veteran sharpshooter.
Knowing Antetokounmpo has thrived with elite shooting around him, the Heat made it clear that Thompson was the primary target.
“Heat president Pat Riley has told people in recent weeks that shooting was the team’s top priority, because the team wants to space the floor around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo,” the Miami Herald noted. “Miami is now adding the most-accomplished shooter on the market in Thompson, who is fourth on the NBA’s all-time three-point list with 2,899 made threes, trailing only Stephen Curry (4,248), James Harden (3,390) and Ray Allen (2,973).”
According to the Herald, Thompson’s role is not yet set in stone.
“Coach Erik Spoelstra will choose among Thompson, newcomer Tim Hardaway Jr. and Pelle Larsson for the Heat’s starting shooting guard job,” the report stated. “Thompson would seem the strong front-runner, but will play a lot whether he starts or comes off the bench.”
Thompson may be a veteran and a future Hall of Famer, but he’ll have to earn his stripes in Miami.
A five-time All-Star, Thompson is the latest addition to the Heat amid an offseason that has seen the franchise land Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis and Hardaway Jr.
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