Could Klay Thompson's Departure Set Up a Bigger Move for the Dallas Mavericks?

Klay Thompson is now a member of the Miami Heat after he and the Dallas Mavericks agreed to a buyout last Friday, clearing the way for the sharpshooter to become a free agent.

While the Mavericks wanted to find a trade for Thompson, as they had no real need to buy him out outside of getting to the 15-man roster limit, Thompson did give back $9.8 million of his salary.

That's more than half of the $17.46 million he was set to make, and he'll only be making around $5.6 million in the first year of his contract with Miami, meaning he willingly left $4.2 million on the table. While he wants to win more than anything, it's still surprising to see an athlete leave that much.

Some people were wondering how the Mavericks and Thompson decided on the $9.8 million number for his buyout. While nothing has been confirmed by insiders, it is the exact amount needed to open up the rest of their mid-level exception below the tax line.

Mar 13, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) warms up before the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

They are now $12,097,600 below the tax line, and they have $12,044,000 remaining from the $15,044,000 mid-level exception they had open this offseason, using $3 million on Tarik Biberovic.

Brian Windhorst pointed this out on the latest episode of the "Hoop Collective" podcast.

“This was a negotiation, and we know it was a negotiation because of how much money Klay gave up. He gave up $9.8 million. A typical buyout is a guy giving up what he’s getting. Klay gave up way more. The mid-level exception for years was something you could use to sign a player. And the current CBA you can now use it as a trade exception. And that was clearly the threshold. My point is $9.8 million is kind of a random number. The Mavericks clearly wanted that number because it enables them to have the full mid-level to use. That was specifically something the Mavericks were holding the line on.”

Brian Windhorst with good insight on the Mavericks buyout with Klay Thompson:

“This was a negotiation, and we know it was a negotiation because of how much money klay gave up. He gave up $9.8 million. A typical buyout is a guy giving up what he’s getting. Klay gave up way more.… pic.twitter.com/iFUfEGWBaL
— JayTakes (@SportsWithJay0) August 25, 2026

What Does This Mean for the Mavericks?

The Mavericks have a lot of options as the season gets close to starting, and even as the trade deadline approaches in February.

They can bring on larger salaries with some draft capital attached to the mid-level exception and still not pay tax penalties on those players. For a team that doesn't have many future draft assets, that's a huge weapon to have.

They could be used as a facilitator for a larger trade, because a lot of teams don't have the same flexibility. Some teams, such as the Denver Nuggets, are over the second apron, and if they're not quite title contenders, they could look to make a trade to get under it.

This was great negotiating by Masai Ujiri, and credit to Klay Thompson for being willing to give up that much salary to make it happen.

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