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One of the greatest shooters of all time seemingly won’t be available for long.
The Dallas Mavericks and guard Klay Thompson agreed to a buyout Friday, Aug. 21 for the final year of his contract, worth $17.5 million. And though Thompson still has to go through the waivers process, he’s expected to sign with the Miami Heat, if not claimed, according to ESPN.
ESPN reported the deal would be two years for $13 million, with a player option in the second season..
A person with direct knowledge of the matter confirmed to USA TODAY Sports that Miami is a very attractive option for Thompson and one of his top choices. The person spoke under the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly comment on Thompson’s thinking.
Thompson, 36, is a five-time All-Star and four-time NBA champion known for his precision and accuracy as a perimeter shooter. With Miami, he brings much-needed shooting to a roster that underwent an overhaul after the June acquisition of star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
While the Heat are set to roll out a stout defensive team, perimeter shooting had been one of the clear weaknesses, and Thompson fills that need. Given that Antetokounmpo is a player who commands enormous defensive attention, a shooter like Thompson should presumably have ample space to operate if opposing teams send double-teams and extra pressure toward Antetokounmpo.
After Masai Ujiri took over the Mavericks, the franchise fired former coach Jason Kidd and replaced him with Dusty May, the former Michigan Wolverines coach fresh off of an NCAA championship. Dallas is undergoing a youth movement built around Rookie of the Year forward Cooper Flagg.
“Klay is one of the great players and competitors of this generation, and we are grateful for everything he brought to the Mavericks organization,” Ujiri said Friday in a statement. “We have tremendous respect for Klay and all that he has accomplished throughout his career, and we wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”
Thompson, whose contract was set to expire at the end of the 2026-27 season, didn’t fit that timeline, so the franchise opted to move on after it could not find a trade partner.
Thompson rose to fame during his 11 seasons with the Golden State Warriors, when he was paired alongside Stephen Curry to form the “Splash Brothers,” the most prolific shooting duo in NBA history.
Thompson averaged 11.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists last season across 69 appearances. He converted 38.3% of his 3-point attempts.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
He’s at his best with the ball in his hands, going coast-to-coast in transition, where he can either attack the rim or kick out to open players once defenders crash in on him. If Thompson joins the Heat, Antetokounmpo suddenly has a pair of knockdown perimeter shooters, alongside fellow guard Tim Hardaway Jr.
The flip side is that opposing teams won’t be able to afford to leave Thompson and Hardaway so wide open; that should only improve spacing and clear up gaps for Antetokounmpo to attack.
Klay Thompson
He gets the best of both worlds; at 36, he’s able to depart a rebuilding team that wasn’t set to compete for championships and can join a contender. He also gets the chance — assuming he clears waivers, which is very likely given any claiming team would need to pick up his $17.5 million salary — to pick his preferred destination while recouping a portion of his salary for 2026-27.
And in Miami, which has a number of premier defenders on the roster, there’s more than enough low-post help that can mask Thompson’s weaknesses on defense.
Los Angeles Lakers
Thompson is from Los Angeles and the other team that was seemingly in the running for his services was the Lakers. Though Los Angeles is clearly building around Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, both of whom are excellent shooters in their own right, the Lakers could certainly still use another consistent knock-down threat along the perimeter.
The feud with Heat reserve Myron Gardner
Back in November, during a Mavericks game at Miami, Thompson got into a bit of a dustup with reserve Heat forward Myron Gardner, who had repeatedly chirped at Thompson throughout the game. After the game ended, Heat assistant Caron Butler made Gardner go over to Thompson to clear the air. That apparently squashed the beef, but now the two will share a locker room.
Although the proposed Thompson addition would be a significant get for the Heat, at 36 years old, Thompson is unlikely to serve as a starter. Rather, he’s more likely to provide a shooting and scoring spark off the bench, with a possible increase in minutes late in close games. With that said, here’s a look at the Heat’s projected lineup if Thompson signs in Miami:
Miami Heat starting lineup
PG: Davion MitchellSG: Tim Hardaway Jr.SF: Andrew WigginsPF: Giannis AntetokounmpoC: Bam Adebayo
Miami Heat bench
F: Bobby PortisG: Klay ThompsonG: Pelle LarssonG: Dru SmithF: Nikola JovićG: Ryan Conwell (rookie)G: Simone FontecchioG: Tre DonaldsonF: Myron GardnerC: Vladislav Goldin
Klay Thompson was born Feb. 8, 1990, making him 36 years old. It also means he will turn 37 just before the All-Star break, which begins Feb. 19, 2027.
In 69 games for the Mavericks last season, Thompson averaged 11.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists. He converted 38.3% of his 3-point attempts.
He is a 40.9% career 3-point shooter, having made 2,899 attempts from beyond the arc, fourth-most all-time behind Stephen Curry (4,248), James Harden (3,390) and Ray Allen (2,973).
Buyouts are when a player and his team negotiate to terminate a player’s contract earlier than its initial expiration date. Typically the player and his agent will agree to receive a portion of his salary for the exchange of giving the team financial flexibility. This happens most often with rebuilding teams like the Mavericks and veteran players like Thompson.
Thompson’s salary for the 2026-27 season was set to be $17.5 million. He will still need to clear waivers; if a team scoops him before the 48-hour deadline, then that team will be on the hook for Thompson’s salary. Otherwise, he will become an unrestricted free agent.
Per ESPN, the contract Thompson intends to sign with the Heat is a two-year deal worth $13 million, with the final year being a player option.
Here is a projection for what the Mavericks roster will look like next season
Dallas Mavericks starting lineup
PG: Kyrie IrvingSG: Max ChristieSF: Cooper FlaggPF: P.J. WashingtonC: Derek Lively II
Dallas Mavericks bench
F: Naji MarshallG: Zaccharie RisacherF: Santi AldamaG: Marcus SasserF: Morez Johnson Jr. (rookie)F: Caleb MartinC: Daniel GaffordG: Sergio de Larrea (rookie)C: Moussa Cisse