The Mavericks have explored their trade options involving Klay Thompson, multiple sources with rival teams tell Christian Clark of The Athletic.
Clark hears that Thompson would like to play in Los Angeles, where he lived for a while as a child and still owns a home. He adds that the Heat are “frequently mentioned in NBA circles” as a strong suitor for the veteran swingman.
Miami’s interest was first reported in mid-July as the team seeks improved outside shooting to pair with Bam Adebayo and the newly acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo. Thompson remains a dangerous three-point threat even at age 36, connecting at 38.3% from beyond the arc last season.
The Heat haven’t made progress toward a trade with Dallas and may be hoping for a buyout, according to multiple reports. Miami has about $8MM left in its non-taxpayer mid-level exception to offer Thompson if a buyout were to happen.
Thompson is set to make $17.5MM on the final season of a three-year contract he signed when he came to Dallas as a free agent in 2024. After winning four championships in Golden State, Thompson was looking forward to staying in title contention while playing alongside Luka Doncic on a Mavericks team that had just gone to the NBA Finals. However, things changed quickly as Doncic got injured and was traded in the middle of Thompson’s first season with the team.
Considering his age and expiring contact, Thompson may no longer fit in with the Mavs, who began building for the future after landing Cooper Flagg with the first pick in last year’s draft. New team president Masai Ujiri has overhauled the roster this summer, and Thompson may be the next veteran to go.
The Mavericks have 16 players with standard contracts, so someone will have to be waived or traded before the start of the regular season. However, they are about $2.3MM away from the tax line, so there’s no urgency to save money with a Thompson buyout.
Thompson’s scoring average (11.7 points per game) and minutes (21.7 in 69 games) both fell to career lows last season under former head coach Jason Kidd. If he remains in Dallas, it’s not clear how much of a priority he’ll be for new coach Dusty May.
Clark notes that the team addressed its need for more outside shooting this summer by trading for Santi Aldama and landing the rights to Tarik Biberovic, who shot 42% from three-point range in the EuroLeague. Kyrie Irving‘s return from a torn ACL should also help, so there may a reduced need for Thompson.
