Miami is in search of floor spacing next to its new duo of Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Dallas has a veteran 3-point threat, but his departure will take some trickery.
The Miami Heat are targeting Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson to address the team's needs for 3-point shooting around the frontcourt duo of Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to the Miami Herald.
Thompson, 36, is coming off a rollercoaster of a season with the Mavs, but still presents a dangerous perimeter game in stand-still catch-and-shoot scenarios, as he has throughout his likely Hall of Fame career.
He is under contract in Dallas for the upcoming 2026-27 season at $17.4 million. The Mavericks, however, must remove at least one player from their current roster to adhere to the 15-player maximum.
If Dallas were to move off of Thompson, potentially sending him to Miami, there are two clear options: a trade or a buyout.
"It appears that the Heat will remain patient in filling out the rest of its roster to give Thompson time to possibly shake free through a buyout agreement," Miami Herald reporter Anthony Chiang says.
"While a trade for Thompson is also possible, it would be challenging to pull off considering the only three players on the Heat’s current roster able to be traded for Thompson in a one-for-one deal are Nikola Jovic, Davion Mitchell and Bobby Portis."
Jovic is an intriguing young player, but at 6-10, Dallas does not need any more big men hogging minutes from one another. Portis, another predominant interior player, also does not fit the Mavericks' youthful outlook of building around 19-year-old Cooper Flagg.
That puts Mitchell into an interesting position as a trade asset for Miami, but there's no evidence that the Heat are willing to part with the almost-28-year-old two-way guard.
"The cleaner path is for the Mavericks to eventually agree to a buyout with Thompson, with Thompson hypothetically giving up $7 million of his current salary to become a free agent," Chiang adds.
"The Heat can then make up the difference on the money Thompson gave up by using the rest of its midlevel exception to offer him a $7 million salary for this upcoming season."
Thompson shot 38.3 percent from downtown last season with the Mavs, with his marksmanship improving steadily once he took on a bench role a few weeks into the season.
If Dallas can't add a guard like Mitchell in a trade, the Mavs would have only one true shooting guard returning to the team if Thompson departs: Max Christie.
That means the international influence of this offseason will be an even bigger factor, with overseas sharpshooter Tarik Biberovic potentially filling that void on the outside, and role players Naji Marshall and rookie Sergio De Larrea rotating in at times, as well.
For Dallas, there's certainly no pressure of a timetable regarding Thompson.
But with Miami increasing its interest and holding out on other roster moves in hopes of landing the veteran sniper, the Mavericks could be lured into a decision soon.
