The four-time champion surrendered over half his remaining salary to escape a roster crunch in Dallas, paving a multi-million dollar path to join the Miami Heat.
Klay Thompson wanted out of Dallas so he could land in Miami.
And now we know just how much he was willing to give up to make it happen.
One day after the Dallas Mavericks announced they had reached a buyout agreement with Thompson, HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reported that the four-time NBA champion gave back roughly $9.8 million as part of the deal.
That's a pretty significant chunk of change.
Thompson was scheduled to make $17,460,317 during the final season of the three-year, $50 million contract he signed in 2024, according to Spotrac.
Giving back roughly $9.8 million means Thompson surrendered more than half of what he was scheduled to make from Dallas in 2026-27.
And it adds an interesting new layer to a departure that had been building for weeks.
The Mavericks announced Friday that they had reached a buyout agreement with Thompson, ending his two-season stay in Dallas.
The financial terms weren't disclosed in the team's announcement.
Now we have a much better idea of what it took to get the deal done.
Dallas entered the final stretch of the offseason with 16 players on standard contracts, meaning the Mavericks needed to open a roster spot before the regular season.
Thompson emerged as one potential solution.
We here at MavsRoundtable.com reported earlier this month that Dallas had explored Thompson's trade market, but the Mavericks couldn't find a deal.
That left a buyout as another path toward resolving the roster crunch.
And Thompson had his own reason to find common ground.
The 36-year-old will join the Miami Heat after clearing waivers.
That destination had already been reported Friday when news of the buyout broke.
Thompson leaves Dallas after appearing in 141 games across two seasons, including 80 starts. He averaged 12.9 points while shooting 40.3% from the field and 38.7% from beyond the arc during his Mavericks tenure.
He also made 441 3-pointers during those two seasons and passed Damian Lillard for fourth on the NBA's all-time list in January.
But his time in Dallas ultimately ended one season before his contract was scheduled to expire.
The Mavericks spent weeks exploring whether they could move Thompson in a trade.
They couldn't.
Instead, Thompson gave back roughly $9.8 million to facilitate his exit.
And now he's headed toward Miami.
