Klay Thompson's dad was trying to get the former All-Star guard to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers after reaching a buyout agreement with the Dallas Mavericks. Had that been the move from Thompson, it would've completely derailed the Miami Heat's master plan in their first-year build around Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“I tried to persuade him to come back to LA and come home. But playing with Giannis, Bam and for Pat Riley and Spoelstra was just too much of an attraction for him to turn down.”
For more than a month now, the Heat have seemingly been waiting for Thompson to pry himself away from the Mavs. Had the Heat been waiting all this time only to see him sign with the Lakers, well, there's no question that would've put the Heat in a very difficult position.
They'd never fully admit it, but they would be scrambling through their fall back options.
The Heat would be left scrambling without Klay Thompson
Even if the Heat had pivoted to DeMar DeRozan, which many believe would've been the move had Thompson signed elsewhere, it wouldn't have hit the same way the signing of Thompson has.
Perhaps most importantly, the move for DeRozan wouldn't have felt as good a fit as Thompson does alongside Giannis and Bam Adebayo.
On multiple fronts, there's a sense around the Heat that the arrival of Thompson will legitimize the current supporting cast that the front office has built this season around Giannis and Bam.
Are there still questions about their playmaking ability and depth? Absolutely. However, Thompson brings championship pedigree, experience, and elite shooting that will end up proving valuable as the Heat transition back into the title picture of the Eastern Conference.
Thompson doesn't just add shooting to the Heat's supporting cast. He brings a level of veteran experience that has been there, done that. Aside from Bam and Giannis, the Heat didn't necessarily have that outside of Bobby Portis.
Now, that all changes. The Heat have another veteran that they can lean on and one who could pay dividends inside the locker room.
There's not another Klay Thompson the Heat could've pivoted to
Looking across the free-agency landscape, it's difficult to envision how the Heat would've been able to effectively pivot had Thompson signed with the Lakers. And, especially considering how much of a priority Thompson emerged as this offseason for the Heat, I don't think it's hyperbolic to say that their first-year plan around Giannis and Bam would've been blown up.
Intentionally or not, it's pretty crazy to see that the Lakers almost derailed the Heat's big offseason move after Giannis.
Objectively speaking, it would've been difficult for the Heat to pivot in a way that may end up being as effective as the move for Thompson appears to be on paper. It's a great thing that Thompson didn't fall into the lure of Los Angeles, and that he welcomed the challenge of playing next to Giannis and Bam in Miami.
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