The Miami Heat are expected to keep working the market in the coming weeks, and Klay Thompson keeps surfacing as a name to watch.
Thompson is now with the Dallas Mavericks, but the fit in Miami has drawn attention because the Heat could use another piece for what they’re trying to build. The catch is obvious: getting Thompson would likely mean parting with a real asset, and one name that has come up in that discussion is Nikola Jovic.
“One of them is Klay Thompson, reports Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Thompson, 36, averaged 11.7 points per game last season, shooting 38.3% from 3-point range, both career lows. Thompson is owed $17.5 million next season in the final year of his contract, and it would be tough for Miami to trade for that deal without giving up some of its already thin depth around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
"Miami could offer Nikola Jovic, and the money works, but the Serbian forward is coming off a down season and is under contract for four years at $64 million, which may be more long-term money than Dallas wants back on its books,” Kurt Helin wrote.
Thompson’s last season was, by his standards, a rough one. He posted 11.7 points per game and shot 38.3% from 3-point range, both career lows, while playing for a Mavericks team that was below average. He’s also no longer the same player he was before the injuries that changed his career path.
Jovic, meanwhile, is viewed as a useful player and someone who could help Dallas. Still, there’s a real question about whether Miami would be willing to move him for Thompson. The veteran guard would make sense for the Heat’s goals, but Jovic is younger and one of the few assets Miami still has to work with.
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