One Mavericks Player Who Could Benefit Most From Klay Thompson's Exit

Klay Thompson is now a member of the Miami Heat after he and the Dallas Mavericks agreed to a buyout on Friday afternoon.

This brings the Mavericks' roster down to the 15-man limit they need to be at by the start of the season in October. They tried to trade Thompson, but it was always going to be difficult to find a trade for the elder sharpshooter at his cap hit of $17.5 million.

While there still are questions about the depth in the Mavericks' backcourt, this should open up playing time for some younger players.

That raises a different kind of question: which player stands to benefit most from Thompson's departure?

A lot of players could've benefited from having one of the greatest shooters in NBA history on the roster, just to see how he practices and what makes him so effective off the ball, but a few players will be happy to have those minutes.

Mar 5, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) reacts after making a shot against the Orlando Magic in the first quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Get Ready to Learn Tarik Biberovic

The Dallas Mavericks acquired the draft rights to Tarik Biberovic in their trade with the Memphis Grizzlies for Santi Aldama and quickly signed him to a two-year, $6 million deal with a team option on the second year to convince him to come over from Europe.

Biberovic was the 56th overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, but he decided to stay overseas for a few more years while he honed his craft.

It's safe to say that he's honed in now.

In Biberovic's last six seasons with Fenerbahce, as they have played in both the EuroLeague and the Super League, he has averaged 10.1 PPG while shooting well above 40% from three on high volume, becoming one of the best shooters in the world.

Before the Mavericks acquired his draft rights, there were reports indicating that other teams were trying to acquire his draft rights because of his special shooting ability.

With Klay Thompson gone, it should open up minutes in the backcourt for Biberovic.

Max Christie will likely continue to be the starter, and newly traded for wing Zaccharie Risacher can play some shooting guard minutes, as well.

However, Biberovic's lethal shooting is going to force the Mavericks to play him. They were one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the NBA last year, and if they want to let him come in for 12-14 minutes per game and fire up five threes each game, he's a good enough shooter to make that work.

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