Finding a Third Team For A Possible Mavericks-Heat Klay Thompson Trade

The Dallas Mavericks have someone that the Miami Heat desperately want: sharpshooter and future Hall-of-Famer Klay Thompson.

Reports from multiple people, including ESPN's Shams Charania, indicate that Thompson is the top priority for the Heat, as they look to add more high-level shooting around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. They were able to sign former Maverick Tim Hardaway Jr., but they need more.

The Mavericks are already below the tax line, so they don't have any incentive to buy out the final year of Thompson's contract, worth about $17.46 million. If he went to the front office and negotiated a buyout that gave back a lot of salary, that could be a different story. However, most buyouts only include enough for him to take a minimum salary elsewhere. That doesn't help the Mavs all that much.

Shams on whether the Heat are done with their offseason:

"They hope not. The Miami Heat's number one priority right now is to acquire shooting. And they found their No. 1 target for that...Klay Thompson. The problem is Klay Thompson has one year left on his Mavs contract so… pic.twitter.com/0oKFK0XNQo
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) July 28, 2026

Enough contending teams are interested in Thompson, so the Mavericks should hold firm until there's a trade offer on the table that makes sense. And the Heat have a player who would work salary-wise in Nikola Jovic.

The Mavericks should in no way be interested in Jovic, who is entering the first season of a four-year, $62 million contract extension. The former 27th overall pick averaged just 7.3 PPG last season, has never played more than 47 games in a season, and would be another frontcourt player that the Mavericks already don't have space for.

Could another team be added to take a swing on Jovic? It would likely have to be a rebuilding team in need of more assets. Here are three teams that could fit the bill, as well as have matching salaries to send to Dallas/eat the salary in general. This will not include any projected draft capital being swapped, even it would be likely to send some of these salaries around.

Apr 3, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) brings the ball up court during the game between the Mavericks and the Magic at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

New Orleans Pelicans

I have already proposed the trade of sending Thompson to Miami, Daniel Gafford and Nikola Jovic to New Orleans, and Jordan Poole to Dallas. The draft pick compensation could figure itself out.

This would give the Mavericks a large expiring contract in Poole, who also fills a need, as they could use some backcourt depth. They could either let him expire after the season, or they could turn around and trade him again at the deadline to take on larger contracts to bring in more draft capital.

It would also put the Mavericks in roster compliance, bringing them down to 15 total salaries, and get off a longer salary in Gafford. Even if he's a good player, he's someone who has value.

Sacramento Kings

In this instance, it would be a simple swap of Thompson to Miami, Jovic to Sacramento, and Malik Monk to Dallas.

The Kings just drafted Darius Acuff Jr., and they'd probably like to give him as many minutes as possible. They also just need young talent to develop, and they might be able to get a second-round pick or a pick swap from Miami for doing this.

Malik Monk is supposed to be in their rotation, but he's also on a non-competitive team. The Mavericks may be wary about bringing an extra year of salary, especially at more than $20 million, and this would push them just above the tax line (still below the first tax apron). Still, they need a guard, and Monk could fill either backcourt position.

Brooklyn Nets

This would be another simple swap, where the Heat get Thompson, the Nets get Jovic, and the Mavericks get Terance Mann.

Mann's contract is a little large, as he will make $15.5 million this year and has a $16 million player option next year. However, he is still a good point-of-attack defender, which is something the Mavs need in their backcourt. Dallas could also likely get more draft capital here than in any of the other scenarios.

I'm also a little biased towards Mann since he was at Florida State when I was a manager with the men's basketball team, but he would still solve a need for the Mavs.

That would also give them about $25 million in expiring salaries next offseason with Mann and Caleb Martin that they could use for a different trade.

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