The Miami Heat are still looking for ways to sharpen their roster after landing Giannis Antetokounmpo in a blockbuster move, and the clearest need on the board is obvious: more shooting on the perimeter.
That search has pushed Klay Thompson to the center of Miami’s offseason thinking. Thompson, now with the Dallas Mavericks, has drawn serious attention from the Heat, and the interest appears to go beyond a passing glance.
“ Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson, a five-time All Star and the fourth-most prolific three-point shooter in NBA history, has emerged as a player of strong interest to the Miami Heat, multiple sources said in recent days. The Heat has interest in adding Thompson whether LeBron James joins the Heat or not, a source said,” Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson wrote.
Thompson is not just on the Heat’s radar - he’s being treated like the team’s top target.
“They hope not. The Miami Heat's number one priority right now is to acquire shooting.
And they found their No. 1 target for that... Klay Thompson.
The problem is Klay Thompson has one year left on his Mavs contract so they're exploring whether they can trade for him, whether this could end up in a buyout, we'll see over the next several weeks," ESPN's Shams Charania said.
Because Thompson has only one year left on his contract, Miami may need to get creative to make a deal happen. NBA writer Jake Weinbach floated a three-team framework involving the Heat, Clippers, and Mavericks.
“A trade idea between the Heat, Clippers, and Mavericks: • Heat Klay Thompson • Clippers Nikola Jovic (via TPE) 2032 first-round pick swap (via MIA) + cash (via DAL) • Mavericks $17.4M TPE,” Weinbach wrote.
Under that proposal, the Clippers would take Nikola Jovic, a young player with upside, while Miami would get the shot-making it badly wants. Dallas, meanwhile, would come away with financial flexibility through a trade exception.
Thompson has made $298 million over the course of his NBA career, and Miami’s interest fits the bigger picture. With Antetokounmpo now in the fold, the Heat know they need spacing around him, and Thompson would bring exactly that.
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