NBA

Klay Thompson’s two-year run with the Dallas Mavericks is officially over. He agreed to a buyout on his $17.5 million salary after failing to make the playoffs and is now expected to sign a two-year, $13 million deal with the Miami Heat. 

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Before coming to Dallas, he had a chance to join LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers, but he decided to snub the purple and gold. Looking back, his reasoning behind ditching the Lakers makes no sense now.

In the summer of 2024, Thompson’s representatives held talks with the Lakers about a potential deal. It was a good option given his ties to Los Angeles, where he spent much of his childhood and still owns a home. 

But Thompson passed on the Lakers partly because he had concerns about Anthony Davis’ availability, according to a source with knowledge of his thinking. He signed instead with Dallas on a three-year, $50 million deal as part of a six-team trade, joining a Mavericks team fresh off an NBA Finals appearance.

Seven months later, Dallas traded Luka Doncic to the Lakers in exchange for Davis. Thompson ended up on the same roster as the player whose injury history he’d flagged as a reason to avoid Los Angeles in the first place. 

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Ironically, his fear turned into reality. AD then appeared in just 20 games for the Mavs before moving on. The Dončić trade completely gutted the roster Thompson originally signed up for, causing Dallas to miss the playoffs in both of his seasons there.

Mavs officially announced a contract buyout with Thompson on Friday. President of Basketball Operations Masai Ujiri released a statement saying, «Klay is one of the great players and competitors of his generation, and we are grateful for everything he brought to the Mavericks organization.”

Over his two seasons with Dallas, the five-time All-Star played 141 games and averaged 12.9 points on 40.3% shooting. ESPN’s Shams Charania reports that he must clear the 48-hour NBA waiver wire before he can officially sign with the Heat. 

Miami made Thompson a top priority all summer, overlooked key targets and they won. Whether Thompson can help them reach the playoffs next season remains to be seen. If this move fails, his decision to avoid the Lakers will likely haunt him.

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