Klay Thompson signed a two-year, $13 million contract with the Miami Heat on Sunday after clearing waivers, joining a team that spent weeks waiting for the chance to add one of the NBA’s most prolific three-point shooters to a roster built around Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The deal includes a player option in the second season. He is ranked fourth on the NBA’s all-time list for three-pointers made, a career 41 percent shooter from beyond the arc who made more than 200 three-pointers in a season for the 11th time last year. For context, the franchise has had a player make 200 threes in a single season only seven times in history.
Heat president Pat Riley described Thompson as one of the most iconic players to ever suit up in the NBA, a four-time champion who he said fits perfectly into the role of an all-around player at both ends. Riley said the Heat are blessed that Thompson chose Miami in their pursuit of championships.
Why this makes sense
The fit is logical on multiple levels. The Heat wanted to surround Antetokounmpo and center Bam Adebayo with shooting after acquiring the two-time MVP from Milwaukee in a deal that sent Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware and Kasparas Jakuconis to the Bucks. Thompson is one of the most credible answers to that need in the entire league.
The personal connection is also notable. He has spoken frequently about his love of the water and boating, and the Heat play their home games at the edge of Biscayne Bay. He is of Bahamian heritage, and the Bahamas is a short flight from Miami with a large base of Heat fans. Tim Hardaway Jr., who grew up in Miami while his father played for the Heat, also signed this offseason as another significant three-point threat.
What Thompson brings
He paired with Stephen Curry to form the Splash Brothers duo that led the Golden State Warriors to four NBA championships. He is a five-time All-Star who holds the league record of 14 three-pointers made in a single game and has connected on at least 10 threes in a game nine times. He enters this season 74 three-pointers behind Ray Allen, a former Heat guard, for third place on the all-time list.
His winning pedigree adds a dimension beyond statistics. Thompson has played in high-pressure postseason basketball at a level very few players have experienced, and that experience is valuable on a team with championship aspirations built around a newly assembled core.
How he ended up in Miami
His previous two seasons with the Dallas Mavericks did not go as either side had envisioned. He joined Dallas in a sign-and-trade from Golden State, giving the Mavericks one of the league’s great three-point threats to complement Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The three-player core never developed because Dallas traded Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis before the 2025 trade deadline. Irving tore his ACL a month later and has not played since. Davis was subsequently traded to the Washington Wizards.
He and the Mavericks agreed on a contract buyout on Friday, clearing the way for him to find a new home. He cleared waivers Sunday and finalized the Miami deal shortly thereafter.
