Klay Thompson is close to joining the Miami Heat after having the final year of his contract bought out by the Dallas Mavericks, ESPN reported Friday.
The Mavs bought out Thompson, who was set to make $17.5 million this season, and placed him on waivers after the 36-year-old wing player told the team he wanted to play for a contender. He will be free to sign with Miami if he goes unclaimed. Dallas announced Thompson’s departure Friday.
“We have tremendous respect for Klay and all that he has accomplished throughout his career, and we wish him nothing but the best moving forward,” Mavericks team president Masai Ujiri said in a statement.
Dallas finished 26-56 and in 12th place in the NBA’s Western Conference last season, while the Heat are loading up for a deep playoff run after acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo in a July trade with the Milwaukee Bucks. Miami was 43-39 last season and 10th in the Eastern Conference. It failed to make the playoffs after being knocked out of the play-in tournament by the Charlotte Hornets.
The Miami Herald reported that the Heat are prioritizing shooting this offseason and there was mutual interest between the team and Thompson. The Heat were 11th in the NBA in 3-point percentage last season (36.1).
They would be adding one of the top 3-point shooters in league history. Thompson is fourth all time with 2,899 made 3-pointers and owns a 40.9% career 3-point shooting percentage.
Thompson made 38.3% of his 3-point attempts last season in 69 games (eight starts) during his second and final season in Dallas. Overall, he shot 39.3% from the field and averaged 11.7 points per game.
Thompson is seeking at least one more NBA championship after winning four titles with the Golden State Warriors.
