Sources: Klay set to join Heat after Mavs buyout
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- Klay Thompson plans to sign a two-year, nearly $13 million deal with the Miami Heat after clearing waivers from a Dallas Mavericks buyout, per ESPN's Shams Charania; the deal includes a player option in the second season.
- Thompson, 36, was set to earn $17.5 million in the final year of his Mavericks contract before he initiated the buyout by telling Dallas — which went 26-56 last season — he wanted to play for a contender.
- The Miami Heat made Thompson their top target after pulling off the blockbuster trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, addressing a perimeter-shooting need around Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
- Over two Mavericks seasons, Thompson averaged 12.9 points per game and shot 38.7% from three-point range, and last season passed Damian Lillard to rank fourth all-time with 2,899 career three-pointers made.
- Mavericks president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri praised Thompson in a statement; Thompson spent his first 13 seasons with Golden State, winning four championships and five All-Star nods before Achilles and knee injuries forced him to miss consecutive seasons.
- Thompson needs 75 more threes to pass Ray Allen (2,973) for third place on the all-time list, though James Harden (3,390) and former longtime teammate Stephen Curry (4,248) remain far ahead.
Why it matters: Thompson surrendered roughly $4.5 million in guaranteed money from his Mavericks deal to chase a championship in Miami, where the Heat just landed Giannis Antetokounmpo and now have a 38.7% career three-point shooter to space the floor for a new contender built around Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
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