Klay Thompson Takes His Talents to South Beach After Mavericks Buyout
Shams Charania reported Klay is expected to sign with the Heat after clearing waivers.
is heading to South Beach. Shams Charania of ESPN just dropped the news that the veteran guard is expected to sign with the Miami Heat after agreeing to a contract buyout with the Dallas Mavericks and clearing waivers.
Getting bought out and immediately joining Heat Culture is the NBA equivalent of leaving a chaotic group project to go work for a drill sergeant. Dallas realized the fit was completely broken, and Miami looked at a guy shooting under 40 percent from the floor and decided all he needed was some aggressive body fat testing.
Let us be honest about what Miami is actually getting here. This is not the vintage version of Klay who could drop 60 points on 11 dribbles. Thompson is currently averaging 11.7 points while shooting a career-worst 39.3 percent from the field. Those are the kind of numbers that usually get you benched, not prioritized by a playoff contender.
But the Heat have been circling this move for weeks. Reports indicated Klay was their top target, proving Miami still believes they can squeeze one last elite shooting run out of the four-time champion. With Bam Adebayo currently day-to-day dealing with a back issue, the Heat desperately need floor spacing to keep their half-court offense from looking like a clogged drain.
Oddsmakers will probably give Miami a slight futures bump on name value alone, but the real test comes when he actually steps on the floor. Thompson has a chance to prove his Dallas stint was just a bad system fit rather than the end of the line. If he starts knocking down corner threes in big moments, Pat Riley looks like a genius again. If he keeps clanking them, at least the weather is nice.