Miami Heat's Desire for Klay Thompson Could Save Dallas Mavericks a Lot of Money

The Dallas Mavericks remain firm on their stance of wanting to trade Klay Thompson, who is entering the final year of his contract worth about $17.5 million.

They know that with competing teams like the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers lurking, they can afford to hold out as long as possible to see if someone would be desperate enough to trade for the sharpshooting wing.

Until then, the Heat and Lakers are going to wait as long as possible to see if a buyout comes.

The Mavericks have to clear a roster spot. They have 16 players on standard NBA contracts and will need to be at 15 by the start of the season. Dallas is holding out for a trade because they have no reason to buy Thompson out since they're below the tax line already.

Let's explore the buyout option, though.

Feb 5, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) looks on during the game between the Mavericks and the Spurs at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, "Miami could pay Thompson $8 million of its midlevel exception to supplement whatever potential buyout he takes from Dallas."

NBA buyouts usually have the player give back whatever he'll make from his next team, and the player's agent usually knows what that will be before a buyout agreement is reached. 99% of the time, the buyout is enough for the player to take the minimum elsewhere.

Because the Mavericks are below the tax line and don't have compounding penalties, someone like Thompson only leaving the minimum would save them just a few million dollars. However, if Thompson had an agreement from the Heat for an $8 million salary, that would be savings worth exploring for the Mavericks, even if Thompson would be in the rotation for them.

There's no reason for Thompson to leave any additional money on the table, and it's very rare that someone takes a buyout and gets less elsewhere.

Explaining Klay Thompson's Desire to Play Elsewhere

Even though Klay Thompson is still under contract, it's not that surprising that he wants to play elsewhere.

He expressed his desire to compete for championships on a Twitch stream a week ago, and it's similar to why he joined Dallas in the first place.

The Mavericks were coming off a run to the NBA Finals when they signed Thompson, believing he was the difference between winning and losing a title. He thought he'd be closing out his career by getting easy looks from Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Instead, Doncic was shockingly traded, Irving tore his ACL, and Anthony Davis was constantly injured as the return for Doncic. Thompson hasn't been able to compete the way he should.

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