Klay Thompson described feeling immediately at home in Miami at his introductory news conference Tuesday, and the reasons he gave made clear the connection to the city goes beyond basketball.
His father Mychal Thompson played for a team that won a Florida high school state championship at Miami Jackson High in 1974. His brother Mychel Thompson attended the same high school in Oregon that Heat coach Erik Spoelstra went to. Thompson has relatives in the Bahamas, just a short flight from Miami, and said this is the closest he has ever lived to that part of his family. The news conference started late, he noted with a smile, because of Miami traffic.
He said he knows the city has a demanding atmosphere and that was exactly what attracted him to it.
He left approximately $10 million on the table to sign with Miami rather than other bidders. He said the opportunity to win again at a high level was the deciding factor, describing the experience of winning he accumulated with the Golden State Warriors as something nothing else compares to.
What the Heat are getting
He is No. 4 on the NBA’s all-time list for three-pointers made. He holds the league record of 14 three-pointers in a single game and has made at least 10 in a game nine times. He enters this season 74 three-pointers behind Ray Allen for third place all time and is a five-time All-Star and four-time champion.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra said Thompson is one of the best who has ever played the game, calling him a highly decorated champion who knows how to win, knows how to help others around him and brings genuine defensive pride as a two-way player. Spoelstra said there will be a lot of eyeballs on the Heat this year and described that as exactly what the organization wanted.
He called the potential of the new roster limitless. He described the season as a redemption opportunity to show he can still make an impact on winning teams and do it consistently, saying he cannot wait to get to work.
The offseason roster assembly
The Heat acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware and Kasparas Jakucionis. They signed Tim Hardaway Jr. as another three-point threat, Hardaway having grown up in Miami while his father played for the franchise. Thompson’s arrival completes an offseason that has made Miami one of the most discussed teams in the league.
He cleared waivers Sunday following his buyout from the Dallas Mavericks and signed his two-year deal with the Heat the same day. The second year is at his option. He played two seasons in Dallas after arriving via sign-and-trade from Golden State, but the Mavericks’ plans were upended when Luka Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in early 2025. Kyrie Irving tore his ACL shortly after.
The Heat’s new identity
Antetokounmpo and Thompson alongside Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins, a former teammate at Golden State, give the Heat a lineup with significant championship experience and a three-point volume the organization has not previously had.
He said it is pretty surreal being in Miami and described the honor he feels in the opportunity. He then said he cannot wait to get to work.
