New Miami Heat guard Klay Thompson had to make a significant personal sacrifice to get the move he wanted in the 2026 offseason.
Thompson bet on the Dallas Mavericks to help him become a five-time champion in the summer of 2024, with the franchise fresh off a Finals run and led by a 25-year-old superstar, Luka Doncic.
Two years later, the Mavericks haven’t played a single playoff game since Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Finals, and Doncic is entering his second full season on the Lakers. Klay has also moved on, but at a great personal expense.
Klay Thompson had to give up nearly $10 million to secure his Mavericks’ releaseMichael Scotto of HoopsHype has reported that the Mavericks’ buyout of the final year of Klay’s contract was made possible when Thompson willingly gave up $9.8 million to become a free agent.
“Klay Thompson gave back roughly $9.8 million in his buyout agreement with the Dallas Mavericks, league sources told HoopsHype. As widely reported, Thompson now plans to join the Miami Heat once he clears waivers.”
Thompson was owed $17.4 million as part of the final year of his contract with the Mavericks. If he gave up $9.8 million, the Mavericks likely paid him about $6.6 million for the buyout before Thompson signed a two-year, $13 million contract with the Heat.
Klay averaged 12.9 points on 38.7% three-point shooting in two seasons with the Mavericks, never making a postseason appearance in two very chaotic years.
Why did Klay Thompson make such a sacrifice?Klay turned down more money from the Lakers in 2024 to join the Mavericks because he’s been clear about wanting to win another title.
With the Mavericks reportedly not being able to find agreeable trades for Klay from contending teams, they decided to meet him halfway. Instead of keeping him as an expiring contract asset for a midseason trade, they negotiated a buyout that they were initially reluctant to do.
Photo by Wally Skalij/Getty ImagesKlay had to give up money to make this happen, as the Mavericks would have been happy to retain him as a veteran shooter around Cooper Flagg for another season.
Thompson will earn about $12.5 million between his Mavericks buyout and new Heat contract this season.
The additional $6.6 million he secured for next season might be better than him spending the season in Dallas as a fringe player and being forced to take a veteran’s minimum as a free agent.
Instead, he gets to contend as a featured perimeter player on the Heat next to their frontcourt heavy roster with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo leading the charge.
Read more:
Leave a Comment