Klay Thompson chose to take less money from the Mavericks than the Lakers were offering two years ago because he believed Dallas gave him a better chance of competing for a championship. A few months later, Nico Harrison apparently decided he no longer wanted his job and traded Luka Dončić to the Lakers, ending Thompson's hopes of winning a title in Texas. Now, he's ready to help the Miami Heat do just that.
Speaking in his introductory press conference on Tuesday, Thompson said he decided to give up money (nearly $10 million in his buyout with Dallas) to join Miami because of the opportunity to play "high-level basketball" and make a "deep postseason run."
Klay Thompson on giving up money to join Heat: "Just the opportunity to play high level basektball throughout the season and the chance to make a deep postseason run. Those things were so attractive to me."
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) August 25, 2026
Those were the things he thought he would get from going to Dallas, as the team was coming off a run to the 2024 NBA Finals, but Harrison had other plans. Though the former Mavericks GM believed the team had a better chance of winning with Anthony Davis, their dreams of climbing the mountaintop again and standing victorious vanished quicker than Dončić's departure.
Yes, it helped Dallas land Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft, but the 19-year-old phenom doesn't do much for Thompson's (who is 36) hopes of winning a fifth championship. Neither does Kyrie Irving, who is set to return this season for the Mavericks after tearing his ACL at the end of the 2024-25 season.
Heat offer Thompson a chance to play for a contender again
Thompson knew exactly which team he wanted to sign with after clearing waivers; soon after Chris Haynes reported that the guard and the Mavericks had agreed to a buyout, ESPN's Shams Charania said he was expected to sign with the Heat.
The move boosted Miami's offseason, headlined by Giannis Antetokounmpo, and their spacing, which could be what leads Thompson to start. He's past his prime, so while he's more limited now than he was then, he still shot 38.3% on 7.6 attempts per game in 2025-26.
He did that primarily coming off the bench, but as he said on Tuesday, he views this as a "redemption season" where he can prove he can still contribute to winning basketball.
Klay Thompson: "It's kind of a redemption season for me to show that I can still make an impact on winning."
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) August 25, 2026
Thompson could've stayed in Dallas after the Mavericks didn't find a trade, keeping the leadership role he had, but he believes he still has more to give. And he thinks that the Heat can give him what he's looking for.
The popular assumption is that Miami won't be a top team in the East, but you should never underestimate a team coached by Erik Spoelstra. The Heat's depth isn't nearly as bad as some believe after acquiring Antetokounmpo, and now, Thompson is in town.
It will probably take a little time for Miami to establish its identity and click together, but the regular season offers plenty of time for that to happen.
What matters most is how things look once the playoffs roll around, and the Heat know a thing or two about making noise that time of year. Luckily, Thompson should get to be part of the fun again this year after missing out in Dallas.
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