Four-time champion adds elite shooting to Giannis-led Miami roster on two-year deal.
Klay Thompson is a Heat player. The four-time NBA champion cleared waivers Sunday and signed with Miami, ending a brief, turbulent stretch in Dallas and giving the Heat the floor-spacer they needed around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
Thompson, 36, agreed to a two-year contract worth about $11.5 million. The second year is a player option, and the deal includes a 15 percent trade kicker. He had been owed $17.5 million in the final year of his Mavericks contract. Dallas bought him out Friday after he made clear he wanted a contender. He walked away from nearly $10 million to force the exit.
From Splash Brother to South Beach
Thompson ranks fourth all-time in three-pointers made with 2,899. He needs just 75 more to pass Ray Allen for third. A career 40.9 percent shooter from deep, he still attempted 7.6 threes per game last season even as his overall numbers dipped to career lows: 11.7 points on 39.3 percent shooting and 38.3 percent from three.
Miami waited weeks for this exact outcome. After trading for Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis, the Heat lost perimeter threats and sat hard-capped at the first apron. Thompson’s reduced first-year salary of roughly $5.6 million left them room to add two more minimum-contract players without breaking the hard cap.
Heat president Pat Riley called him “one of the most iconic players to ever suit up in the NBA.” Riley added that the four-time champion “will fit perfectly into his role as an all-around player at both ends of the court.”
“One of the most iconic players to ever suit up in the NBA” is now a member of the Miami HEAT 🔥 pic.twitter.com/3sL0P2lNcR
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) August 24, 2026
Miami’s official account welcomed him with a simple line: “We just made a splash, bro! Welcome to the 305.”
We just made a splash, bro! Welcome to the 305, @KlayThompson 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zCRNvzFdh0
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) August 24, 2026
Why It Fits Now
Thompson’s two seasons in Dallas never matched the early hope. The Mavericks traded Luka Dončić, pivoted toward youth around Cooper Flagg, and dropped him from the starting lineup. He still wanted one more real title chase. Miami, coming off a play-in exit and first missed playoffs in seven years, suddenly looks like a different team with Antetokounmpo, Adebayo, and now one of the purest shooters of his generation.
The Heat open the regular season October 21 against Minnesota. Thompson gives them instant spacing and championship DNA. At this stage of his career the defense and off-the-dribble creation are not what they once were, but the shot remains real. For a team built to maximize Antetokounmpo’s gravity, that is exactly the piece they targeted all summer.
Miami HEAT announced today that they have signed four-time NBA Champion and five-time NBA All-Star Klay Thompson. Read more here 👇https://t.co/1h5el790DF
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) August 24, 2026
AI Disclosure: This article was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools and was reviewed and edited by the Glowls News editorial team before publication.