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Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
A four-time NBA champion has hit the free agent market. But not for long.
The Dallas Mavericks have finally agreed to give Klay Thompson the buyout he’d been hoping for. Now, according to insider Shams Charania, Klay is taking his talents to South Beach.
BREAKING: Klay Thompson is expected to sign with the Miami Heat after he clears waivers upon a contract buyout with the Dallas Mavericks, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/jV40iKTyEz
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 21, 2026
Thompson brings a key floor-spacing element to the new-look Miami Heat. Defenses will not be able to collapse on Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo if Thompson is able to hit threes at his usual rate. The former Splash Brother is one of the better shooters in recent memory in the NBA, and has a career 40.9% mark from beyond the arc.
No details have been released as yet on the buyout. Thompson was going into the final season of a 3-year, $50 million free agent sign-and-trade with the Mavericks. The final year was set to pay him a $17.5 million salary for the 2026–27 season.
“Klay is one of the great players and competitors of his generation, and we are grateful for everything he brought to the Mavericks organization,” Mavericks president Masai Ujiri said in a statement. “We have tremendous respect for Klay and all that he has accomplished throughout his career, and we wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”
Klay Thompson takes his talents to South Beach after a failed experiment in Dallas
‘The best’ will be to line up with one of the greatest players of this generation in the NBA, the Greek Freak. Klay had a chance to team up with another one of today’s greats, Luka Doncic, when he first arrived in Dallas in 2024. But that partnership lasted just 21 games, before Luka was shockingly dealt to the LA Lakers in the most stunning NBA trade of the century, if not all-time.
Thompson, now 36, is a five-time All-Star, and a four-time champion from his days with the Golden State Warriors, lining up with Steph Curry. They formed the notorious Splash Brothers, the two most lethal shooters in the game, together in the same backcourt.
For the Heat, they lost some serious backcourt scoring in the Giannis trade, having to send out Tyler Herro. Thompson will be able to make up for some of that, while spreading the floor for Giannis and Bam.
Thompson decision has impact on DeMar DeRozan
Thompson’s decision to go to Miami had an immediate effect on the other big free agent left on the market, as DeMar DeRozan’s options dwindled. Miami was one of his preferred landing spots. But now DeRozan will head to the Denver Nuggets in another notable signing on Friday.