Klay Thompson Signs With Miami Heat After Mavericks Buyout Contact

Klay Thompson is taking his talents on South Beach.

According to The Atheltic, Thompson inked a new deal with the Miami Heat after reaching a buyout with the Dallas Mavericks.

Following an up-and-down two-year tenure with the Mavericks, Thompson cleared waivers and secured a two-year, $11.5 million deal with the Heat. The deal also includes a second-year player option.

For Miami, locking in the 36-year-old sharpshooter at a manageable $5.6 million starting cap hit keeps the organization under the first-apron hard cap. It provides crucial flexibility to flesh out the remainder of their standard roster. 

The fit on the court is tailored specifically to fix Miami’s roster geometry. After liquidating depth to pair Giannis Antetokounmpo with Bam Adebayo, the Heat lacked elite floor spacing to prevent opponents from clogging the paint. Despite declining lateral quickness on defense following major injuries.

Thompson remains one of the premier movement shooters in league history. Having hit 38.3% of his three-pointers last season while accepting a reduced role off the bench. He gives the Heat a lethal, low-usage gravity threat who punishes defensive help schemes. If Miami’s interior defense can absorb his perimeter limitations, Thompson’s championship pedigree and catch-and-shoot mastery could prove to be the ultimate bargain missing piece for a title-contending contender.

Widely recognized as one of the greatest perimeter shooters in basketball history, Thompson was a major piece of the Golden State Warriors dynasty. A four-time NBA champion (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022), five-time All-Star, and two-time All-NBA Third Team selection, Thompson formed the iconic “Splash Brothers” backcourt alongside Stephen Curry. Beyond his career honors—which also include an NBA All-Defensive Second Team selection (2019), a 3-Point Contest title (2016), and Olympic and FIBA World Cup gold medals with Team USA—his resume features some of the most explosive scoring runs ever recorded. 

He holds the NBA record for most points in a single quarter (37 points against Sacramento in 2015), once scored 60 points in just 29 minutes on only 11 dribbles (2016), and knocked down 14 three-pointers in a single game to set an all-time league standard.