Miami Heat Make Klay Thompson Their No. 1 Target, Explore Dallas Mavericks Trade

DALLAS — The Miami Heat have made Klay Thompson the No. 1 target of their remaining offseason, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported this week. Miami is looking at a trade with the Dallas Mavericks and at a buyout that would let Thompson sign wherever he wants.

Charania was asked whether the Heat were finished making moves this summer.

“They hope not. The Miami Heat’s number one priority right now is to acquire shooting. And they found their No. 1 target for that…Klay Thompson,” Charania said. “The problem is Klay Thompson has one year left on his Mavs contract so they’re exploring whether they can trade for him, whether this could end up in a buyout, we’ll see over the next several weeks.”

Thompson is owed $17.5 million in 2026-27, the last season of the three-year, $50 million contract he signed in a sign-and-trade with the Golden State Warriors in July 2024. He does not have a no-trade clause.

Dallas carries 16 players on standard contracts. The league limit is 15.

The Miami Heat’s Offseason Around Giannis Antetokounmpo

Late on June 22, the night before the 2026 NBA Draft, the Heat acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks. Milwaukee got back four players and the No. 13 pick in that draft, plus unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a 2030 first-round swap, and a 2033 second-round pick. Both sides waited until July 6 to execute the deal, which left the framework open in case it grew.

Miami then spent three weeks on LeBron James. James chose the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. Heat president Pat Riley had said earlier this month that Miami wanted another playmaker.

The Heat have three open spots on their standard roster.

Klay Thompson’s Two Seasons With the Dallas Mavericks

Thompson appeared in 69 games for Dallas last season and came off the bench for most of them. He averaged 11.7 points and 2.1 rebounds. His shooting line was 39.3% from the field, 38.3% from three-point range, and 76.6% from the free-throw line, on 7.6 three-point attempts a game. That is the same volume he has taken across his career, at nearly 41%.

The year before, in 2024-25, he started every one of the 72 games he played.

On Jan. 15 against the Utah Jazz at American Airlines Center, Thompson made the 2,805th three-pointer of his career and moved into fourth place in NBA history. He scored 26 points in 23 minutes and went 6-of-13 from three-point range in a 144-122 win.

He had tied a franchise record a season earlier. Against the Washington Wizards on Jan. 27, 2025, Thompson scored 21 points in the first quarter and went 7-of-10 from three-point range in a 130-108 win.

Thompson has played 911 NBA games and averaged 18.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. He made 2,481 of his three-pointers in Golden State, where he won four championships and was named an All-Star five times. He turned 36 in February.

The Dallas Mavericks’ Roster Around Cooper Flagg

Dallas finished 26-56. Masai Ujiri arrived as president of basketball operations in May and hired Mike Schmitz as general manager. Ujiri moved on from Jason Kidd the same month. In June, he hired Mavericks coach Dusty May away from Michigan, where May had just won a national championship.

Cooper Flagg was named Rookie of the Year. Kyrie Irving missed all of 2025-26 after tearing his ACL in March 2025. Stein reported that Irving is expected to open next season in Dallas, and that the Mavericks have turned away trade feelers on him from several teams this summer.

Thompson is under contract through 2026-27. NBA training camps open in late September.