Klay Thompson picked the Miami Heat, and I genuinely don’t know if that’s the smartest move of his career or the last stand of a Splash Brother who refuses to admit the empire is over. Either way, I want to watch it.
Shams Charania reported Thompson is signing a two-year deal worth close to $13 million, with a player option in year two, once he clears waivers from Dallas. The Mavericks didn’t trade him. They bought him out and let him pick his own landing spot, eating the $17.5 million left on his deal instead of shopping him around.
That’s a franchise admitting a mistake and paying to make it go away quietly. Thompson has reportedly had Miami circled since the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade closed, and now we know why the fit made too much sense to pass up.
The Heat gave up a lot to get there. Bam Adebayo and Giannis now anchor the frontcourt after the trade that sent Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, Kasparas Jakucionis, and a stack of future picks to Milwaukee. Herro was the best shooter on that roster, and he’s gone.
Which means the Heat’s shooting depth chart currently reads: Andrew Wiggins, and vibes.
That’s the spacing problem Giannis and Bam created the moment both of them are parked in the paint at the same time — you need shooters around them or the floor collapses. Signing a career 40-plus-percent three-point shooter on a contract that barely dents the cap sheet isn’t a coincidence. That’s Pat Riley looking at his own roster and admitting exactly what he broke.
Riley’s been chasing this signing since the Giannis trade closed, and he finally got it.
Now, the version of Klay walking into Miami isn’t the one who broke playoff records in Golden State. He shot 38.3% from three for Dallas last season, down from his career average, and his overall shooting number wasn’t much better. Nobody’s pretending this is 2016.
Here’s Charania breaking the news:
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/2090880925085094112
If Thompson is cooked, this whole thing turns into a $13 million mistake that makes Riley look desperate instead of clever. My sister still won’t let me live down the Klay pick I made in our family group chat back during his Golden State days, and I’m already bracing for the same treatment if this one goes sideways too.
That said, put Thompson in catch-and-shoot spots next to Giannis drawing two defenders and Bam setting screens, and even a diminished version of that shot has a real chance to matter. The complicating part is that it might actually work.
Klay Thompson, chasing one more ring on a roster missing exactly what he provides. Either the smartest signing of the offseason or a guy who can’t let go. I’m not picking a side. I’m just here for it.
