Update: Klay Thompson’s official salary will be $11.5 million over two years, $1.5 million less than it was originally reported. Thus, instead of the $6.3 million first-year cap hit we list below, he will make $5.6 million this season with a $5.9 million player option in 2027-28.
As a result, the Heat can now sign two players to the veteran minimum and remain below the second apron, if they choose to. The Heat are $5.1 million below the first apron and $17.7 million below the second.
The Miami Heat added another piece to the puzzle by signing Klay Thompson, who was bought out by the Dallas Mavericks less than 48 hours ago, to a two-year, $13 million deal.
The signing won’t be finalized, however, until Sunday evening, once Thompson clears waivers.
Nevertheless, Miami added one of the greatest shooters in NBA History this week, filling one of three available roster spots as the dog days of summer trickle onward. Let’s see where it stands financially after the move:
Miami Heat 2026-27 Salary Cap Sheet:
| PLAYERS: | 2026-27 |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | $58,456,566 |
| Bam Adebayo | $49,488,300 |
| Andrew Wiggins | $30,169,644 |
| Nikola Jovic | $16,200,000 |
| Bobby Portis | $14,521,414 |
| Davion Mitchell | $12,400,000 |
| Klay Thompson | $6,341,463 (*not finalized*) |
| Tim Hardaway Jr. | $6,065,000 |
| Dru Smith | $2,584,539 |
| Simone Fontecchio | $2,449,421 |
| Pelle Larsson | $2,296,271 |
| Myron Gardner | $2,150,917 |
| Ryan Conwell | $1,357,763 |
Gardner’s $2.2 million cap hit is the only current Heat salary that isn’t fully guaranteed. He owns a $500K partial guarantee that will become fully guaranteed if he’s on the roster past Jan. 7.
For Thompson, the final salary figure has yet to be disclosed (likely because the signing hasn’t been made official yet). But what we do know is that he’s expected to eat up most of the Heat’s remaining $9.1 million of their mid-level exception. Since ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Thompson’s new deal will be “nearly $13 million,” we are using $13 million flat as the final salary. Thus, using the five percent raises allotted for mid-level exceptions, the $6.34MM figure is where we landed.
Assuming that number remains the same, the Heat will be $4.3 million below the first apron and $16.9 million below the second apron. They can to fill one more spot (veteran minimum) to stay under both aprons. As seen with Simone Fontecchio’s vet minimum salary, those only count for $2.45 million against the Heat’s books.
Miami no longer has any of its two trade exceptions that it had entering the offseason. It used one to acquire Bobby Portis, while it let the smaller $5.6 million TPE expire.
I believe in giving credit where credit’s due. And Miami’s front office — led by president Pat Riley and general manager Andy Elisburg — deserves plenty for how they have navigated this offseason. They picked a direction, added more depth and plucked three high-octane 3-point shooters (Hardaway, Conwell, Thompson) to surround Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
By acquiring Thompson, they now have one of the most intriguing starting lineups in the East with a complementary cast of characters. How do you think they should round out the rest of the roster? Let us know in the comments below!
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Klay Thompson’s introductory press conference. Worth the time. You can tell he’s very excited to be playing for Miami and getting to know his new teammates and the city. He’s also excited to see where his father went to school and be able to have his family from the Bahamas attend his games.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co-woWhuhmk
Way-too-early NBA Power Rankings: Where every team stands as preseason approaches (FANSIDED)
TEAM/PREVIOUS RANK
1. Oklahoma City Thunder/1
2. San Antonio Spurs/2
3. Philadelphia 76ers/4
4. New York Knicks/3
5. Miami Heat/10
6. Minnesota Timberwolves/5
7. Cleveland Cavaliers/12
8. Toronto Raptors/9
9. Los Angeles Lakers/7
10. Detroit Pistons/6
11. Denver Nuggets/11
12. Boston Celtics/8
13. Indiana Pacers/15
14. Phoenix Suns/17
15. Atlanta Hawks/16
16. Portland Trail Blazers/19
17. Houston Rockets/14
18. Golden State Warriors/18
19. Charlotte Hornets/13
20. Orlando Magic/21
21. Utah Jazz/20
22. Dallas Mavericks/23
23. Chicago Bulls/25
24. Washington Wizards/22
25. Memphis Grizzlies/28
26. New Orleans Pelicans/24
27. Los Angeles Clippers/26
28. Brooklyn Nets/27
29. Milwaukee Bucks/29
30. Sacramento Kings/30
No posts whatsoever. Everybody on vacations?
Watching Caitlyn Clark tear up the WNBA, despite dealing with so much physical and verbal abuse, jealously, hostility and gender preference bigotry. Several of the WNBA’s low IQ players don’t understand or appreciate the fact she is the cash cow who will deliver the league to the promised land. If she decides she doesn’t need the b.s. any longer, she can retire today.
For the 2026 season, Caitlin Clark is contracted to earn a base WNBA salary of $528,846, while her outside promotion and endorsement earnings are estimated to bring in over $16 million annually. She earns $100,000 for brief 30-minute high-profile speaking engagements.
WNBA Before Caitlin Clark (Pre-2024)
Average Attendance: Around 5,600 to 6,600 fans per game across the regular season.
Annual Revenue: Estimated around $200 million for the league.
Average Salary: Roughly $117,000 to $130,000 per year, governed by a fixed salary cap that restricted player salaries regardless of commercial spikes.
WNBA Today (2025–2026 Season)
Average Attendance: Reached an all-time high of nearly 11,000 fans per game (10,986) with total attendance topping 2.5 million, boosted by sellouts and expansion teams.
Annual Revenue: Nearing or eclipsing $1 billion in total economic activity and valuations, propelled by a major media rights deal worth roughly $281 million annually.
Average Salary: Jumped to approximately $583,000 to $600,000 under a new collective bargaining agreement featuring expanded revenue sharing and a $7 million team salary cap.
Klay Thompson put the money secondary to winning and signed a team friendly deal. It gives us room to get a decent player for the fourteenth spot. Thank you Klay. You are already a favorite of mine.
Yes, sir!
I wrote something similar in the next thread. Much appreciated.
I expect Giannis and Bam to do the same thing when the time comes.
Barry Jackson reporting that Nick Richards is still in play. Go get him!
Barry also reporting Miami has room for 2 minimum contracts, with Klay at 5.6.
So they can add Richards and have room for another if someone else shakes free.
Yup. I wish Brown would be cool with a minny. I’m trying to wish that one into existence.
Thompson $5.6m and THJ $6m, think that means they still have around 3.4 left of the 15m MLE to spend, could be useful to make a waiver claim if anyone is waived. They have to stay under the 209m first apron this year as a hard capped team but I think there are multiple ways to get there. I would use the remaining 5m on the highest upside moves possible. Once it’s spent thats all there is for this season. I agree that a fourth big to get a few minutes per game is important but is imo someone who could be signed to a two way contract, at least early in the season, that doesn’t count against that 209m limit.
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I had “anonymous” problem before, but this seems different.
Got it
Niko yet another solid game against France. 13 points, offensive rebounds, which is not easy against Wemby and Gobert.
That was a good game with excellent finish. Wemby and Jokic went on each other.
Starting Five Mitchell Thompson Wiggins giannis bam if the heat signs nick Richards then the second unit will be dru smith Larsson thj portis Richards
That’s it! The others will have to earn minutes.
Jovic may yet earn his way onto the second unit. He can drop into SF spot, Hardaway and Larsson can drop down one spot and Dru can go to bench as a reserve.
I he will play as with national team, then he should be an important part of frontcourt rotation.
As Stevie Wonder would say- Signed, Sealed, Delivered! It’s official.
I’ve seen that comment somewhere before. Can’t put my finger on exactly where it was. Hmm?
Ha. Sometimes I repeat myself. Sometimes I repeat myself.
I hear ya. I hear ya.
Miami is now $4.27 million under the first apron following the addition of Klay Thompson.
The NBA veteran minimum salary is a sliding scale based on a player’s years of service, ranging from $2,537,526 for a 3-year veteran up to $3,876,529 for a player with 10 or more years of experience for the 2026–27 season.
The Cap Hit Discount: When a team signs a veteran player with 3 or more years of experience to a standard, one-year minimum contract, the team’s salary cap is only charged the 2-year veteran minimum rate ($2,449,421). The league pays the difference out of a central fund so the veteran still receives their full, earned salary based on their experience bracket.
With $4.27 million in wiggle room, Miami has enough flexibility to sign their 14th player to a standard veteran minimum contract (which counts for roughly $2.45 million against the apron cap sheet) while safely remaining below the hard-cap line. This leaves a revised balance of approximately $1.82M.
There would be just enough left to sign an undrafted rookie for the 15th spot. An unsigned rookie signing a standard, non-draft-scale contract earns a base salary of $1,357,763 for the season.
A possible 15th player can come from Miami’s summer league team.
Top Scorers and Per-Game Averages
I recommended earlier that Miami take a look at Julian Reese who is is a good, high-energy rebounder and traditional interior big man. In his 13-game stint with the Wizards during the 2025–26 season, he averaged 11.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while shooting 52.9% from the field. Reese impressed in his first 13 games (10 starts) for Washington during the 2025–26 season, recording notable high-rebound and scoring performances (including a 26-point, 17-rebound game against Utah) before being moved in a subsequent trade.
Reese signed a two-year, two-way NBA contract with the Wizards on February 28, 2026, carrying a guaranteed value of $160,938. He was later acquired by the Nuggets in an August 2026 multi-team trade and subsequently waived. He is currently a free agent.
Reese might be a good candidate for a two-way contract. He could eventually be a good back-up PF/C for the Heat down the road. He’s definitely worth a tryout.
Note: He sister is Angel Reese.
hes prob not a fan of cc
So what? That’s sister’s karma, not his.
I totally agree that a backup center should be priority one. But waiting a little while longer to decide makes sense to me. For example, Milwaukee has 17 players under contract, 2 over the allowable limit. Jericho Sims is one of those who might be released. I haven’t done much research on him. Would he be a better option than Richards? Will anybody else shake free for the minimum?
That’s a good idea about checking if anyone else will be released. Are there any other teams with too many players signed?
There are several teams currently over the limit. I was randomly picking teams to check and several only have two centers on the team, but see Memphis and the Hawks have 4 centers, so I would imagine at least one from each gets cut. The question is are they better than Nick Richards?
I understand keeping the 15th spot open for a potential mid-season lotto ticket, but at least get a big you can roll out a few minutes against the Embiid’s and Jokers to ease some wear and tear on Bam and Giannis. Ideally, Richards and Brown as an overall depth contributor. I know it won’t happen but adding this for the “how do you want them to round out the roster” question.
Unless its an undrafted rookie contract, I don’t think the numbers line up. See my comment above re: cap space.