Klay Thompson Expected to Join Miami Heat After Buyout with Dallas

Klay Thompson is scheduled to clear the 48-hour waiver period at 5 p.m. Sunday and then sign a two-year deal with the Miami Heat, NBA sources said. The contract is expected to be worth just over $6 million per year and will be funded largely by the Heat’s remaining mid-level salary exception, after $6 million of the $15 million exception was allocated to Denver’s free-agent guard Tim Hardaway Jr.

The Heat, who added Giannis Antetokounmpo earlier this season, are looking to bolster their perimeter shooting. Thompson, a career 3-point specialist, would join a backcourt that already includes Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell, Hardaway and Bobby Portis Jr., providing additional spacing for Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. Coach Erik Spoelstra has previously praised Thompson’s shooting ability, noting his capacity to score quickly with limited space or time.

Thompson, 37, was bought out by the Dallas Mavericks on Friday after appearing in 141 games over two seasons, averaging 12.9 points on 40.3% shooting and 38.7% from three-point range. Mavericks President of Basketball Operations Masai Ujiri said the organization respected Thompson’s career and wished him well. The Heat declined to comment during the waiver process.

If the deal is finalized, Thompson would become the 13th player on the Heat’s standard contracts, with the team likely leaving its 15th roster spot open to stay under the hard salary cap imposed by the Antetokounmpo acquisition. The move would reunite Thompson with former Warriors teammate Andrew Wiggins, with whom he won NBA championships in 2015, 2017 and 2018.