The Heat’s search for another wing scorer with size has put Klay Thompson on their radar, and the interest is described as “strong.” According to Jackson and Chiang, Miami’s interest in Thompson stands even if LeBron James does not return for a second stint with the team.
Thompson fits the profile the Heat are chasing after trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo. At 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, he brings the kind of size and perimeter shooting Miami wants on the wing, and his place in NBA history is already secure: he ranks fourth on the all-time made threes list.
The numbers from last season, though, show why this is more of a possibility than a done deal. Thompson played 69 games for Dallas and posted career lows across the board, averaging 11.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 21.7 minutes per game.
His three-point shooting still checked in at .383%, better than the league average of .360%, but it was also a personal low. He also set career-worst marks on twos (.418%) and overall field goal percentage (.393%).
There’s also the money. Thompson is on an expiring deal and is owed about $17.5MM next season, which complicates Miami’s path to getting him unless he gives back some of that salary in a buyout with Dallas. Jackson and Chiang note that a move to Miami is far from guaranteed.
Marc Stein reported about a month ago that Dallas was open to trading Thompson, and he said last week that the Mavericks would prefer a trade over a buyout, according to The Miami Herald.
“ To this point as much has been relayed to me is the Mavs’ preference would be a trade,” Stein said. “ I think it’s still early enough in the summer that if you’re the Mavs you would exhaust those options first. ”
One possible trade framework would involve Nikola Jovic going to Dallas, but Jackson and Chiang say the Mavericks probably wouldn’t want to take on the $62.4MM the Serbian forward is owed over the next four years, especially after a down season.
Jackson and Chiang also laid out a few other Heat-related angles. Miami had a “ preliminary discussion ” with Bradley Beal’s agent, but the team has not been actively trying to sign him. Beal is an unrestricted free agent after declining his $5.6MM player option at the end of June, and he was limited to six games in 2025/26 because of a hip injury.
DeMar DeRozan is another name to watch. Jackson and Chiang wrote that multiple teams pursuing James view him as a possible plan B, and if the 41-year-old lands elsewhere, there is a “real possibility” the Heat could sign DeRozan, who was recently waived by Sacramento.
Russell Westbrook is also in the mix, at least as a possibility. After Stefan Bondy of The New York Post reported that Westbrook is a candidate to sign with Miami if it misses out on LeBron, Jackson and Chiang said that can’t be ruled out, though they added that the Heat have not been “aggressively pursuing” the nine-time All-Star point guard.
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Heat Suddenly Linked To A Star Domino Fans Know Too Well
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Still, the league keeps finding ways to drag Irving into bigger summer speculation, and Miami has become part of that conversation again because of the LeBron James angle. James is an unrestricted free agent, has told the Lakers he does not intend to return, and the Heat are among the teams being mentioned as a possible landing spot, which is enough to keep any Irving-to-Miami chatter from fading quietly. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Fans Wont Love Where Frank Vogel Is Headed
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For Mavericks fans, the part that stings is less about Vogels credentials than where his career path is headed now. Golden State already locked in Steve Kerr with a multiyear extension in May, and the Warriors have also been active in reshaping the roster this offseason, so Vogel is stepping into a situation with both stability and expectations. For Dallas, it is another reminder that a coach who just helped fill an important role here will be part of a rivals plans instead. [Read more 🡒]
Masai Ujiri May Not Be Finished Reshaping The Mavericks Yet
The Mavericks have already spent the offseason remaking themselves from the top down, bringing in Masai Ujiri as president of basketball operations and Dusty May as head coach, then following with a sprawling six-team sign-and-trade that sent AJ Johnson and Khris Middleton out and added Santi Aldama, Marcus Sasser and the draft rights to Tarik Biberovic. It has been a busy stretch for a team that clearly is not interested in treating this as a minor reset.
Even after that flurry of activity, NBA insider Chris Haynes says Ujiri is still open to another roster move if the right opportunity comes along, which is the sort of note that tends to keep the rest of the league watching. For Dallas, it suggests the reshaping may not be finished yet, and that there could still be something left up its sleeve before the roster is finally set. [Read more 🡒]