After ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the Klay Thompson-Miami Heat news on Friday, the signing was made official late on Sunday.
Thompson officially cleared waivers following a buyout with the Dallas Mavericks, leading to a new two-year $11.5 million deal with a player option with the Heat. The contact reportedly comes out to a roughly $5.6 million salary for this year and $5.9 million for the next 2027-28 campaign. For the perfect fit this partnership between the veteran guard and Miami is, that dollar figure is a steal.
According to Mike Scotto of Hoops Hype, the 36-year-old gave up nearly $10 million in his buyout agreement with Dallas. That financial sacrifice now put the sharpshooter in a position to play for a valued role and compete for a title alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo in South Beach.
Thompson is coming off averages of 11.7 points per game on 38.3% shooting from 3-point range.
Klay’s new contract left the Heat with room to add two more veteran minimum signings.
Not only did adding an elite 3-point specialist with championship experience in Thompson address a much needed floor spreading hole— but the move gave Miami some more financial flexibility as well.
As reported by each Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald late on Sunday, the Heat now have room to sign two minimum contract players to fill out the rest of the roster and remain under the salary hard cap. Adding Thompson puts the Heat roster at 13 out of a possible 15 standard roster spots.
The league requirement is 14 of those slots to be filled by the start of the season, thus at least one more signing will soon be coming. According to Jackson, the Heat are looking to address a backup big to add to their power rotation. Some players to keep an eye on are Nick Richards, Keshad Johnson and Gabe Vincent.
Pat Riley was thrilled to land Klay Thompson
Shortly after the Thompson signing was made official, Heat president Pat Riley released a statement on the free agent splash:
“Klay is one of the most iconic players to ever suit up in the NBA. A four-time battle tested World Champion who will fit perfectly into his role as an all-around player at both ends of the court. We all talk about his shooting skill, but there is so much more he brings to the game. We are blessed that Klay chose the Heat in our quest to challenge for championships.”
— Pat Riley (via Anthony Chiang/X)
Despite Thompson’s age and decrease in minutes in Dallas’ rotation last season, he remains a high volume shooting threat capable of giving Miami some much needed gravity. His 38.3% efficiency from deep came on 7.6 attempts per game. For his career, Thompson is a 41% 3-point shooter.
With all the attention Antetokounmpo will bring from opposing teams when driving downhill, Thompson will get a bunch of open looks. His ability to spread the floor will do wonders for the spacing around Antetokounmpo and Adebayo. Additionally, Thompson is fourth in most 3-pointers made all-time and a four-time NBA champion. He most recently won a title with Heat starter Andrew Wiggins back in 2022.
Miami’s interest in Thompson was evident all summer long. Now the patience from Riley and the front office to wait to sign him outright rather than unload assets in a trade has paid off in what has been one of the greatest offseason’s in Heat history.
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Last day to buy out players is Friday. It will be interesting to see who becomes available. Riley should fill one or both open slots soon thereafter with the best available fits.
disregard
im not a fan of country music but dolly parton your an icon in american history,i remember her from watching johnny in the 70s coming out with those big u know what.what a sweet and generous lady.rip dp
Yes a very real person with a smile that could light up a room.
Very generous with her wealth. Money is good if you can help people with it. So many rich folks hoard their money because they think the one who dies with the most wealth wins.
lad one game behind brew crew thats hard to believe how good no name milw is .
They have several injured pitchers. They should be healthier by the playoffs.
Ideally, the last euro should be spent just before the death. Funeral should be paid from somebody else.
Not a bad life philosophy. I worry about leaving something for my kids.
BTW, getting back to Dolly Parton, she had appreciation for all kinds of artists and musicians. She covered many famous rock songs and got in the R&R HOF. And I just read an article about a letter she sent Eminem, extolling his virtues as a rapper. She was the epitome of a good person.
Never been a fan, but she deserves respect.
You could not talk about country music in the ’70s without mentioning Dolly Parton. Her music played in most college halls, rooms and bars. I remember her iconic voice and guitar as if it were yesterday.
Klay Thompson explains decision to give up money, join Heat: ‘The opportunity to win again’
Everyone is entitled to see things their own way. For me, this is my type of player and I admire what he has done.
why did he choose miami ?. gotta give the godfather props hes an icon
It’s a great fit. And, yes, Riley has still ‘got it’.
det tor .would u rather have powell or klay
It’s not Powell or Klay. It’s Klay and Hardaway for Powell at about half the price. No contest!
thats not the ?please read above
I tried to but need a translation. Are you talking about Detroit and Toronto? If yes what do they have to do with those two players?
sorry klay would have been a good fit with tor or det.also.the power of pat
U can never have enough quality players.Not sure if richards is quality but a big is needed.POrt has dame and ja been saying for a while id target jrue greeks ex teammate.I thought we would get middleton but he took the $$.That phily team is a loaded potato.On paper thats the best 5 in nba.We get jrue that might change
Miami should be a better rebounding team than Philly and a better defensive team, also with the best player in the matchup. The 5 man Miami lineup with Larsson at SG might be the best defensive lineup 1-5 in the NBA, although Spurs with Wemby will probably have better DRtg. Miami has a lot of defense already
pelle is not better than old klay.klay gets 30 mins pelle 15mins
Defensively he is
prob .klays a big boy not dav small.hes here to be ray allen 2.0 pelle is here to be thunder dan.2.0.we shall see where pelles game goes offensively hes gonna be a last option anytime hes on ct we are that loaded rc.thats a good thing .if we are not a top 4 team in ec with a legit cance to be and win finals i will be surprised and dissapointed
I was specifically talking about defense
klays a better over all player at age 23 33 38.hes a baller .pelles a grinder tough gritty athletic not a natural baller though
But I was talking about defense. And I don’t agree that he’s not a baller.
what does pelle do well offensively.answer nothing.
Highest points per possession on isolations on the team. Draws fouls when he drives. A gifted passer, can tell by the lobs he throws. Best off ball mover and cutter on the team according to Spo. That’s a lot on offense even without a 3pt shot.
fair his bb iq is good he just cant shoot very well
The only 2 players on the team with a better fg% last season were Ware and Jaquez. You are so high on Keshad, but you don’t talk about his shooting.
his game is based on athleticism and i remember him draining 3s also.to this day im mystified why no pt or resigning.gotta have whiteside quota maybe lol
What about Hardaway? I thought Larsson has been playing SF. I’m confused.
2g sf same sht whats the diff lebron interchangeable
Larsson should but probably won’t start. Hell, nearly every single picture I see of the Heat rotation excludes him. What’s that about? Is there something going on here? Maybe he’s the next one on the trade list.
theres better players thats why.klays better hardaway better
Thompson and Hardaway are better offensively. Larsson is better defensively. I see Thompson if you need scoring, Larsson if you need defense (especially in closing minutes) and Hardaway as insurance if the other players are cold and you need an offensive spark off the bench. If Larsson develops a three point shot, I would put him ahead of Thompson and Hardaway for his 2-way ability.
Larsson is currently the better defensive player among the three due to his youth, high motor, and strong on-ball defense. Larsson brings a tenacious, high-energy “hustle” approach to the perimeter. Scouts and analysts praise his isolation defense and physical engagement, making him the most active and reliable point-of-attack defender of this group at this stage
Thompson, in his prime with the Golden State Warriors, was an elite All-Defensive selection who could shut down top opposing guards. Now in his mid-30s, major injuries and age have sapped his lateral quickness. He has notable defensive limitations and relies more on veteran positioning than lockdown capability.
Hardaway provides valuable floor spacing and secondary scoring, but defense has never been his strong suit. He consistently carries well-documented defensive limitations and is frequently targeted by opponents in isolation or off-ball rotation.
pelles a great story first guy from sweden making it in nba prob.at anytime of game id rather have klay in lead or no lead.riley will get klay in shape and his d will be fine .
Larsson is in the last year of his rookie contract. If he is underutilized this season and Miami is unwilling to pay him what he is worth next year, I’m sure there are a few teams that will be willing to pay him Jovic type money next season.
I say the Heat extend him sooner than later. Klay specifically pointed him out in his interview about how hard Pelle trains. He’s a keeper.
I think we are in the minority. Some folks have him #3 in the pecking order behind Thompson and Hardaway.
I don’t think they’re wrong necessarily, but I think he will get his minutes. Because he’s versatile, they may move him around and have play at times with one of those 2 on the floor.
He is a keeper. Pelle is a winning ball player whose upside has still not been fully reached. His defensive stats support his being effective on defense. No matter how we use him, he will contribute.
I also really like having Fonzi too. His ruggedness fits well with this team. As the year went on he showed more aspects to his game.
Dru Smith is another underrated and underappreciated player. Ball handling will be fine with Davion and Dru.
I will say that this team has a lot fewer weaknesses than before. So, if we fill out this roster with another solid big man, I’m thinking we should make the playoffs this year, no play in for us.
if u say dru is underappreciated u really have your homer glasses on 30.that would make any nba player underappreciated
Dru is underappreciated, it’s not even a controversial statement to make. You must not watch the defensive side of the ball at all. And on Larsson fouling, totally made up with no basis in reality, the Heat don’t foul on defense as a team and Larsson averaged less fouls per 36 than Davion, Dru, Jakucionis last year.
I think I understand your position on Dru. You always know what you’re going to get from him – tough defense, deflections and steals, aggressive play, will never take a play off, a solid bench guy.
I also agree about Simone. Plays hard, knows his role, not one dimensional.
And there is a lot to be said for solid ball handling and few turnovers. When Davion rests, Dru gives us that.
do u think fans of other cities know what a pelle is .we as heat fans think our players are better than they are.therefore the name homer.hes a nice story a guy from sweden playing in nba.
Who gives a crap what fans in other cities think. Hardaway has made his career off his father’s name. He sucks big time as a defender. His defense ranks lower than both Duncan and Herro.
All this time I thought you were against one way players and preferred two-way players. A good two-way player comes along and now you prefer a 34 year old one-way player? I’m confused. Does it possibly have something to do with him being a whiteside?
.if your good your known that matters.pelle cant shoot very well,hes overly aggressive on d fouling alot getting slapped in the face by bros left and right. id have to see hardaways d.i dont think hes that good player .i might put pelle ahead of hardaway in pecking order.but i need to see more of hardaways d
Come on, how many players are on other teams who are good role players that few people outside the fans of that club know? A lot. Guy has been in the league two years. I’m sure plenty of players know who he is and more will know him as his career progresses.
true u earn notoriety with stacking good years of play .role players not as well know true again,i can name most 6th 7th guys on the good teams.
Yeah, I’d have a hard time trying to name any #6 or #7 player on other teams.
One game should convince you. He wasn’t exactly a hot commodity when Heat picked him up.
pelles athletic for a whitesider.needs to improve shot to be in the good graces of yours truly lebron,
I was going to suggest that earlier.
I think a lot of people didn’t watch the Heat last year and are assuming he is a just a low ceiling white guy. But the Heat didn’t trade him for a reason. I think he could start also, I assume its Klay based on fit but on two way upside it would be Larsson.
I used to be on one side of this discussion but I am on the other side now. I am very happy with the make up of this team. I am even still reserving hope for Niko, as I am buying into the Euro league performances, which have been solid, even though I know those results can be deceiving. And even if Niko doesn’t make it, if we get Richard’s or an equivalent big, it won’t hurt us as a team.
It looks like Miami is looking at Richards, Vincent and Keshad to fill the 14th and 15th spots. However, since the buyout and waiver deadline is next Monday, I think Riley will wait to make his decisions. Who knows, maybe someone like Jrue Holiday shakes loose at the last minute if no team wants to trade for him.
We get jrue for cheap im going to the jeweler dude guards 1 -4 aint to many stronger in nba than jrue.Dav more bench player imo unless that offense goes up about 5 pts
If we could steal Jrue, we would have elite defense at PG with Jrue, Davion and Dru. It would instantly solve one of our remaining weak points. If we could sign Richards as well, we would have no more weak points.
sign jrue and richards what size ring u wear
NOT GABE .Kj have enough wings need 7 fter no brainer richards
Riley is waiting for deadline to buyout, stretch and wave (August 31st) to see who pops up.
Heat having part of the MLE left, instead of just minimum salary exceptions could help with claiming someone with a low salary off waivers, there are more restrictions on waiver process if a team has only minimum salary left. Just a possible angle
The first apron cap, which the Heat may not exceed is $209.15M. The Heat are about $5.1 million under that cap. Miami can pick up 2 players on vet minimum contracts ($3,876,529 each) and pay only $2,449,421 each with the NBA picking up the difference. I’m sure there 2 players Miami can bring in that will improve the team…preferably a big, such as Richards and a back-up PG or a sharp shooting SG/SF (which may already be in the Heat organization).
An over the cap team can only use salary cap exceptions in the CBA to sign players, Heat have the minimum salary exceptions that every team has, but also still have part of the $15m midlevel exception left, because Klay and THJ contracts together are less than $15m. They could use the remainder of the MLE to claim a player off waivers for the 14th spot, then wait later into the season to fill the 15th spot later with a prorated minimum contract. Or they could sign two full season minimums right now as reported. They should do whatever is the highest upside imo.
A team also can sign 3 two way contracts which don’t count at all against the cap, a two way player has a nonguaranteed contract and can play a majority of a NBA season, 50 games, while earning only around 500k, kind of crazy. That two way spot could provide minutes at a position like 4th big in the early part of the season IMO.
The good thing is that if two quality players become available for vet minimum in the near future, Miami now has enough to pick them both up.
More great news. Some people don’t like players taking discounts. I think it’s admirable. This has given the Heat more flexibility. Brunson did it for the Knicks. I wonder if Giannis will take a little less.
I think he could, but we’ll see once the time comes. If he does, combined with Wiggins contract, there could be a serious add for year 2.
Regarding giving the team flexibility to add 2 more, use it! They leave that 15th open and Klay will bust their chops like hey man I didn’t leave money on the table for this s**t. 😛
Giannis player option is $62.7 million next year. Giannis is making $58.4 million this year. I think if Pat offers a 4 year/$220 million extension (even $55 million per year split), Giannis would take it.
More like 4 years/$240M ($60M per season).
My guess is there is little to no chance of that, this is one of the best players of all time on an expiring contract, not someone to mess around with in negotiations, just hand him the max. It was bad news for the players when Brunson took less and Wemby gave up his all-NBA raises, it would be even worse if a top 5 player in the league is not even able to make a max contract.
boo hoo i cant live on 58 million im gonna find a better higher paying job
Save some of that energy for the owners, they’re the ones making billions.
theyve worked hard to be in that position.giannis can put a ball thru a net whoopee overpaid spoiled athletes
Then they should suit up and see how many people want to pay to watch them play. 😉
Any way you look at it, the owners and players get the gold mine, the fans get the shaft.
The league-wide average franchise value sits at approximately $5.5 billion. For teams that haven’t sold in 20 or 30 years (like the Miami Heat or San Antonio Spurs), initial buy-in prices were in the tens of millions. Their values have grown to several billion dollars each due to modern windfall revenue-sharing and media payouts.
Players get 0% of that growth in franchise value, they are just employees like most of the rest of us, with a specific provision in the CBA prohibiting them from buying ownership stakes, the most important rule in the NBA from the owners perspective. Players are just workers at the higher end of the wage scale than the rest of workers, but still way lower than the NBA team owners.
NBA players have a strong union and are squeezing every dime they can out of the owners. Profit sharing was never part of the deal.
What about teams that are hardly breaking even. Would the players then share in the losses? Owners and players are doing just fine. It’s the fans getting screwed.
If Duncan Robinson can be paid over $100M and counting, to play basketball, the players don’t have it all that bad. The U.S. minimum wage is still $7.25 or so. Try to live on that.
In the NBA context it’s the other way around, the owners are squeezing the players. Since 2011 the revenue split went from 57% players to 51%, they lost money there, then 2017 and 2023 the aprons and restrictions on spending have been rolled out, turning the soft salary cap that can be exceeded into more of a hard cap. Now there are all sorts of ways a hard cap is triggered for a year for a team, Heat for example this year, simply by making a trade, that didn’t exist before. Less spending and fixed limits on spending with a hard cap is the dream of management, good for owners, bad for players.
Profit sharing was never part of the deal in the NBA not because the players didn’t want that but because the owners would riot. They need a line drawn between who is an owner and gets all the capital gains vs who is just a worker and gets only a salary. You could live off the investment gains alone from owning an NBA team before even worrying abut yearly revenue, and you can use the team as a giant tax writeoff to save money.
The players have some pretty cringey videos about how fast a $10m salary goes through taxes, agent fees etc, but it’s true. Imagine being a two way guy making 500k while the team owner’s wealth is increasing by hundreds of millions per year because of your work. The fact that the players let two way contracts even be introduced in 2017 is an example of how they’ve been losing in the CBA negotiations.
You forget, America is a capitalist country, not a socialist one. In this country the wealthy take every dollar they can get their hands on. The rest must fend for themselves. Comparing the stock market vs how the average American family is barely surviving, should tell you everything you need to know. Worker salaries never keep up with corporate profits.
Agreed on the description of conditions in the U.S., the NBA is just a more visible workplace than the rest where that happens and at a larger relative scale. Most of the articles in the CBA (hard limit on roster maximum at 15, softer limit on minimum at 14 or less for example, and now low paid two way contracts taking up more minutes on the court) are written to favor the owners. Most national NBA media is pro-management by default, explaining why spending limits are a good thing, when they only benefit owners.
Corporate philiosophy in Murica in 2026. Steal anything that isn’t nailed down. Let the little guy fend for himself.
2015 trying to challenge your hhh hierarchy hes bringing it lebron .theres only one lebron here we’ll call him sunman from dogbone.
He’s a rookie. He’ll learn.
Yes, you might be right, but we’ll see when the time comes. There are different ways to look at it. I think it’s admirable. If that extra money that they pass on goes to another player who would otherwise not be paid, or be paid less, I’m fine with that. And that is money that would go to a player, not back to the owner’s pocket. The wealth of the owners is another issue to discuss. I’d like to see a percentage of the profits split fairly between owners and players.
That is the argument people are using to say it makes no difference if Wemby takes less etc, there is then more available to lower paid players because there is a fixed revenue split in the CBA of 51% to the players, 49% to owners.
I don’t think it makes sense because then we would see role players with inflated contracts, but to me it seems everyone is being paid less, guys who would make the MLE/15m before are making 6-10m, etc. There is a push to make contracts short term 1-2 years and nonguaranteed now like the NFL which is also a result of this CBA’s restrictions on spending. When the top players take less because of this CBA it creates the expectation everyone will do the same and puts downward pressure on wages. And this is in an environment where NBA teams valuations have been skyrocketing. The real benefit to the owners is that the players are prohibited from owning teams in the CBA, the players are only getting that 51% of income and have no stake in the capital gains when they’re the ones making it happen.
It’s a good world where we can all share different opinions!
Thing is this good world shapes opinions.
I know you’re just trying to keep it jovial, no harm no foul, and it’s more like it’s a good world where can all share different tolerances to its b.s.
Money isn’t everything. I don’t see him sacrificing what he is building in Miami to go elsewhere for a few bucks.
Remember, Giannis is already saving a few million bucks a year in state income taxes by moving from Wisconsin (7.65%) to Florida (0,00%).
Money is everything to NBA teams. There is a constant emphasis on what players have the worst contracts, who has the best contract i.e. is underpaid etc. Things like the draft exist as a means to underpay players. Early on the players had to fight even to have the ability to change teams from where they were drafted. They could only negotiate with whatever lowball offer their original team made or change leagues entirely.
I think the thing missed about money for players is it is also about respect. DeRozan talked about how a team offered him a minimum several years ago and how he used that as motivation. For a team to offer a minimum is saying we want you to play for us at the lowest wage allowable, and we’ll also be partially reimbursed for having you on the roster, it is insulting from that perspective.
Maybe the Heat convince Giannis to take less to fill out the roster more, I’m speculating given what they traded to get him and his stature in the league that won’t happen but who knows. It seems highly unlikely to me though. A few months ago this was a guy multiple teams were ready to offer a max extension to in a trade.
Dude has already earned $339M in his career and is only 31. His next contract should put him over $500M / 1/2B mark. If taking a few less million bucks per year in his next contract gives Miami a little more flexibility, I’m sure he would consider it.
After all, it was Brunson’s unselfishness that helped the Knicks keep their core group together and win their first NBA title since 1973 (53 years).
P.S. The same applies to Bam.
What Brunson did was a scab move if anything, he didn’t help the situation for players negotiating the next CBA by taking less than he should have. It worked out on the court in a title but as a result it’s now the model every player is expected to follow. And who benefits, the owners looking to reduce their labor costs.
If you take a few million bucks less that isn’t a scab move. Maybe in today’s political environment, anyone who chooses to be unselfish is labeled a fool. However, as I said previously, money isn’t everything. It doesn’t buy happiness. I learned that lesson a long long time ago.
What Brunson did was help his team be more competitive. I view it as admirable. As far as owners, it is the way things can work in the corporate world. If the value of your company rises exponentially and you provide fair compensation to your employees, that’s real life and there’s nothing necessarily exploitative about it. Outside of sports and entertainment, I don’t know of many companies where an employee can become a billionaire.
A lot is riding on that word fair. In the corporate world board members aren’t beholden to the capital costs of running the company, so any exponential rise is value “owners” get comes directly from employees.
Basketball it’s just that much more obvious, particularly with the amount cities and states are mostly willing to hand to owners to build stadiums. It’s not like Steve ballmer wrote a check from his savings account to buy the Clippers, naah he exchanged some long term assets to make a transaction for a slightly less long term asset.
It is really a very complex issue that, at least for me, is best left to other forums.
Being unselfish just means being underpaid, and is a term never applied to management. If you undercut the leverage of your fellow workers that’s a scab. You couldn’t draw up a better example for management to use at the next negotiations – don’t you want to take less on your contract to win a title like Brunson? That’s already what every other NBA media article is saying now and will be all season. With someone like Klay it’s a different situation, he was desperate to get out of Dallas and is near the end of his career. But when it’s everyone from the star players on down expected to take less so NBA teams can get even more attractive as investments for billionaires is the issue.
There are those who can afford to give up a few million without impacting their overall wealth (Giannis, Bam, Steph, Embiid, Jokic, LeBron, Thompson, etc.). Then there are those trying to make a living such as low draft picks, undrafted players, G Leaguers, old washed up veterans, etc. Its all a matter of perspective.
u mean players not people rc
Both
Got to give you RC, some credit. The watch the waiver wire idea just may yield our fourteenth spot. Cleveland appears to be waiving Cam Whitmore, a former #twenty pick, just 22 y old. If we pick him up, think a Keshod with a higher upside, 6’7”, built like a linebacker. He could vie for playing time with the second unit. .
Interesting news. You know me and optimism. I see an athletic just turned 22 year old and I feel the Heat are one of the best teams in developing young players. I’d take a flyer on him with a Dru type 2 or 3 year contract loaded with no minimum guarantees and team options. Of course, we still need the backup center position filled first. While there may be other options, Richards would be a good fit playing 15 minutes or so.
For sure, the back-up big Miami brings in needs to be a physical, bruising, rebounding type, not a fragile finesse type. Jokic, Embiid, Gobert, Townes, Wemby, etc. need to feel a big body on them at all times.
I saw that and thought the same thing. He could be molded into a PJ Tucker light
Lite
Dang autocorrect got me lol
Just a late chiming in. I believe it was 2qbn who I first saw was talking about waiting on players. Credit where credit is due.
Thank you, sir.
This buds for you!