The Miami Heat are still trying to put together a workable plan after an offseason that has not gone the way they wanted, even with Giannis Antetokounmpo now in the fold. The bigger issue has been the rest of the market, where several of the free-agent names they chased have not come through.
That leaves Miami staring at a shorter list of possibilities, and Klay Thompson is still right there. The four-time NBA champion remains a name tied to the Heat, even as other teams stay in the mix.
“My understanding is that Thompson would welcome a return to Los Angeles, where he spent part of his childhood and still owns a home. The Miami Heat are another team frequently mentioned in NBA circles as a potential landing spot for the future Hall of Famer," The Athletic's Christian Clark wrote.
The hold-up is Dallas. Miami has been interested in Thompson for about a month, but his situation with the Mavericks is still the hurdle that has to be cleared before anything real can happen. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line said the Heat are pushing hard to get him.
“To this point the Mavs position has not changed. They would prefer to trade him (Klay Thompson). - All we know is, Miami is desperate for Klay Thompson but they want to sign him as a free agent. They would not be the only team interested," Fischer said.
If Thompson reaches the buyout market, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald believes the Heat could put an $8 million deal on the table.
“The Mavericks have 16 players with guaranteed contracts and are expected to discuss a buyout with Thompson, who’s due $17.5 million next season, if they remain unable to trade him. The Heat would prefer to acquire him via a buyout than a trade. Miami could pay Thompson $8 million of its midlevel exception to supplement whatever potential buyout he takes from Dallas,” Jackson wrote.
From Miami’s side, the fit is obvious. Bam Adebayo and Antetokounmpo can get downhill and pressure the rim, but the Heat still need a shooter who can stretch the floor.
Thompson has built his reputation on exactly that, and he remains one of the league’s most proven perimeter threats. The five-time All-Star is the kind of piece Miami has been missing.
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Heat Priorities Could Decide Whether DeMar DeRozan Stays In Play
The Nuggets decision to move Peyton Watson for future draft capital created another ripple in a market that has been slow to settle, and it may matter to the Heat because one of the bigger names still hanging around is DeMar DeRozan. Denver did not bring back any players in the deal and is now down to 13 players, a roster spot situation that keeps the front office active, but the real question is how much room there is left to work with around the veteran wing market.
For Miami, the wider point is less about Denvers bookkeeping than about where the Heat choose to spend their own resources. They have been tied to Klay Thompson as a possible use for their $8 million midlevel exception, and that matters because DeRozans camp is looking for exception-level money Denver cannot offer under the second apron rules. If Miami commits its main exception elsewhere, it changes the odds that DeRozan stays in play for a team still searching for help on the wing. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Still Have One Starting Lineup Decision That Could Shape Everything
The Heats projected starting group already has a very different look with Davion Mitchell, Andrew Wiggins, Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo in place, but one spot remains unsettled enough to shape how the whole thing functions. At shooting guard, Miami is weighing Pelle Larsson against Tim Hardaway Jr., and the choice says plenty about what the team wants its first five to be: a more balanced, defensively sturdy unit or a lineup tilted a little more toward instant offense and perimeter gravity.
Larsson brings the kind of versatility and defense that can make the pieces around him easier to blend, while Hardaway offers the scoring punch and spacing that can stretch a defense from the opening tip. The decision may not even be final until the roster picture settles a little more, especially with the possibility of another big addition still hanging over the conversation, which leaves this as one of the more interesting small decisions with oversized consequences. [Read more 🡒]