Klay Thompson may not be in his prime anymore, but there's no question he's going to be an excellent fit on the Miami Heat next to Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo. And if that wasn't clear before, it should certainly be after much of the national media has given this move their stamp of approval.
Almost as soon as it was announced that Thompson had negotiated a buyout agreement with the Dallas Mavericks, and that his intention was then to sign with the Heat, the national media pretty unanimously praised it.
From ESPN's Brian Windhorst to former players (turned analysts) like Joe Johnson, Patrick Beverley, and Jason Williams, all have come to praise both the Heat and Thompson. On paper, this is a move that makes the Heat better.
Klay Thompson adds a level of legitimacy to the Heat
There's an argument to be made about how much better this will make the Heat, and much of that is dependent on how durable and productive Thompson can be at this point in his career, but he has the exact skill set that is needed next to two superstars whose gravity will draw defenders into the paint.
Before this move, the biggest criticism of the Heat revolved around their lack of shooting. With this move alone, all of that seems kind of foolish now. And that's part of the reason why the Heat never felt the urgency to make a move on any other shooters in free agency.
They added Tim Hardaway Jr. at the start of the summer, but many were quick to question why the Heat stopped there. Well, after this move from Thompson, we all know the answer now.
All summer long, we heard about how the Heat's priority after Giannis and signing Hardaway Jr. was Thompson. Considering he was still under contract with the Mavericks, it was a pretty big risk. However, that's certainly paid off in a big way.
The addition of Thompson will give this Heat supporting cast a huge vote of confidence. Whether it's in a starting role or one off the bench, Thompson has the opportunity to play a key role this season for Miami.
Many are going to harp on the idea that Thompson is no longer in his prime and that this move won't raise the Heat's ceiling much, but Miami isn't going to need him to be a second or third option. He just needs to hit his open shots. And when it comes to that specialty, there aren't many other players in NBA history who have been statistically better than Thompson.
The Heat made the biggest move of the offseason when they acquired Giannis. They might've also just made another significant signing that could be remembered as one of the most underrated moves of the summer in retrospect.
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