Klay Thompson heading to the Miami Heat is ‘essentially a done deal,’ according to Miami Herald reporter Barry Jackson, even as the Dallas Mavericks are still hoping for a trade instead of a buyout for the veteran shooter.
Miami’s All-In Gamble on Klay
Miami’s offseason took a *huge* hit, man, when LeBron James bounced for the Philadelphia 76ers. Since then, the Heat front office has been playing the ultimate waiting game, just sitting on their hands all summer for one specific target: Klay Thompson. They’re dead set on refusing to give up any young assets for a trade, banking hard, *entirely* on Dallas just giving him up through a contract buyout. This kind of patience? It’s already cost them other options, big time, but honestly, it doesn’t even look like they care one bit.
The Heat were absolutely desperate for perimeter shooters, guys who could light it up from deep, to pair with their studs Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. That search initially led them to Bradley Beal, a three-time All-Star who barely played last season, missing all but six games with a fractured hip. Miami talked about a role, sure, but only offered him a veteran-minimum deal just to protect their available exception money. Beal said thanks but no thanks, heading right back to the Los Angeles Clippers on a two-year, $13.2 million deal. Then DeMar DeRozan came knocking, wanting the team’s $5.5 million bi-annual exception. Nope, Miami held firm again, refusing to hand over those funds, preferring to save that cash *specifically* for Thompson. Miami Herald reporter Barry Jackson confirmed it: Miami picked Thompson over both Beal and DeRozan, keeping that bi-annual exception reserved just for him.
Dallas Is Running Out of Time
Meanwhile, Klay is walking into the final year of a three-year, $50 million contract, set to make a hefty $17.46 million this season. The problem? His numbers last year were a struggle, dropping to 11.7 points per game on just 38.3 percent from deep. That’s *way* below his usual, elite career standards. Dallas is clearly ready to move on, trying to cut bait before that contract expires, and they’d much rather get something back in a trade than just buy him out. Who wouldn’t, right?
Mavericks president Masai Ujiri is reportedly staying in direct contact with Thompson about his future, but Dallas is staring down a brutal, tight deadline. They have to trim their roster all the way down to 15 players before the regular season even tips off. That kind of pressure cooker situation could absolutely force their hand into a buyout, whether they like it or not. Heat insider Ethan Skolnick is totally on board with this, expecting Miami to land Thompson without having to trade a single thing for him. Skolnick put it bluntly, saying “I believe that the Heat will end up with Klay Thompson and I don’t believe they will have to trade anything for him.”
If this buyout actually goes down, Thompson steps in immediately as a crucial, much-needed perimeter spacer next to Antetokounmpo and Adebayo. This whole Heat-Klay saga just gets wilder every single day, but it looks like Dallas is quickly running out of time to stop the inevitable. We’re all watching to see when that hammer finally drops, and how this truly shakes out for both teams as the regular season looms.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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