There's one pretty big thing that everyone seems to be missing about the Klay Thompson signing. It's the fact that he doesn't have to be a savior for this to end up being a home run move by the Miami Heat.
Those who think the Heat is going to need Thompson to be his 2018 self couldn't be any more wrong, and that's where the biggest disconnect seems to be between people who are downplaying this move and those who are praising it.
The Heat don't need Thompson to be a second or third offensive option. All he needs to do is emerge as a player who can balance out the spacing when he's on the floor. And, to be quite honest, Thompson is going to be able to do that (and then some) the moment he steps on the floor if he can stay relatively healthy.
Klay Thompson will make a bigger impact on the Heat than most realize
The gravitational pull that Thompson naturally brings to an offense is enough to add a whole different element to Erik Spoelstra's free-flowing scheme on that end of the floor. The bottom line is that you just can't leave Thompson open on the perimeter - and the Heat's offense will benefit whether opposing teams do or don't.
If you do leave him open, he'll make you pay. Even in what many would consider a "down" year for him, Thompson shot 38 percent from distance from 3-point range in 2025-26. Getting the open looks that he naturally will next to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, you'd expect that number to bounce back this upcoming season.
If they don't leave him open - and perhaps if opponents even shift their defense slightly to ensure that will never happen - it's going to make the paint that much easier for either Giannis or Bam to operate in.
The Heat are looking at the Ray Allen model of impact
It's a similar impact that Ray Allen had on the Heat back in 2013. Even though Allen was far removed from his prime years, his mere presence on the floor added another element to the Heat's offense. It helped spark the best (statistically) season of the Heat's Big 3 era.
Allen wasn't at his best individually, but the impact helped push the Heat's already very good offense to a historically elite level.
And even though the Heat may not even know entirely what this offense with Giannis and Bam is going to look like, the hope is that Thompson (with perhaps a similar impact to Allen) could help expedite this first-year build.
So, no, Thompson is not going to be a savior for this supporting cast around Giannis and Bam. But he doesn't have to be either. And that's something that many are completely missing.
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