Klay Thompson signs with Miami Heat, calls new chapter a 'redemption season'

MIAMI — Klay Thompson pulled a black-and-red No. 11 jersey over his shoulders Monday and told a room of reporters at Kaseya Center that, fourteen years into his NBA career, he still has something to prove. The five-time All-Star signed with the Miami Heat after clearing waivers from a contract buyout with the Dallas Mavericks, and the team formally introduced him at an afternoon press conference.

"It's kind of a redemption season for me to show I can still make an impact on winning," Thompson said, describing the mindset he brings into his fifteenth professional season. "I still feel like I have a lot to prove, even in year 14."

The deal

Thompson signed a two-year contract worth roughly $11.5 million, with a player option for the second season and a 15 percent trade kicker attached, according to salary-cap tracking sites. He reached the agreement days after accepting a buyout from Dallas, reportedly forfeiting close to $9.8 million of the $17.5 million he was owed for the 2026-27 season in order to walk into an open market and choose his next team.

He chose Miami. The move became official once Thompson cleared waivers, and the Heat wasted little time putting him in front of a microphone. Reporters covering the announcement noted that giving back nearly $10 million to secure his release was an unusual step for a player of Thompson's stature, underscoring how deliberately he narrowed his list of preferred destinations before landing in South Florida. Thompson's full career statistics, including his four championship runs with Golden State, are catalogued on the league's own player page.

• Two-year deal, approximately $11.5 million total, second-year player option
• 15 percent trade kicker included in the contract
• Wears No. 11 in Miami
• Averaged 11.7 points and 2.1 rebounds across 69 games last season in Dallas, largely off the bench

Why Miami

Thompson spent his first thirteen NBA seasons with the Golden State Warriors, winning four championships alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green and earning a reputation as one of the most efficient volume shooters the league has produced, including an NBA-record 14 three-pointers in a single game in 2018. He missed nearly three full seasons to a torn ACL and a ruptured Achilles tendon before returning to help Golden State reach the 2022 Finals, then signed with Dallas in free agency in 2024. His two years with the Mavericks never fully recaptured that peak, and after Dallas moved to part ways with him this summer, he weighed several suitors before settling on a Heat team reshaped by last month's blockbuster trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

"It's a huge motivator," Thompson said of joining a roster built around a two-time MVP. "Giannis has tasted winning before, just like I have, just like Bobby [Portis], Wiggs [Andrew Wiggins]. Bam's been there twice, and it's all you really want."

Thompson also cited family ties to South Florida, noting he is "glad to be closer to family in the Bahamas," and pointed to his father Mychal Thompson's history at Miami Jackson Senior High School. Asked about the franchise's demanding reputation, he pushed back on its laid-back image: "Some people think South Florida is 18 holes and Piña Coladas, but no, it's the opposite."

What the Heat get

Heat president Pat Riley framed the signing as filling out a roster with championship intentions after the Antetokounmpo trade, which sent Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakucionis to Milwaukee along with multiple first-round picks.

"Klay is one of the most iconic players to ever suit up in the NBA. A four-time battle-tested world champion who will fit perfectly into his role as an all-around player at both ends of the court. We all talk about his shooting skill, but there is so much more he brings to the game. We are blessed that Klay chose the HEAT in our quest to challenge for championships." — Pat Riley, Miami Heat president

Coach Erik Spoelstra was similarly effusive, calling Thompson a "world-class champion" and "one of the best to have ever done it," and said the assembled roster now has "the makings of something special." Miami also added guards Tim Hardaway Jr., Ryan Conwell and Tre Donaldson this offseason to surround Antetokounmpo and center Bam Adebayo with shooting and depth.

Who's affected

The signing closes the book on Thompson's brief Dallas tenure, where he never quite recovered the shooting volume of his Golden State years, and reshuffles Miami's perimeter rotation. Heat guards competing for minutes — including Hardaway and the team's younger wings — will now share the floor with a four-time champion whose gravity as a shooter is designed to open driving and post-up lanes for Antetokounmpo and Adebayo. For Dallas, the buyout closes out a two-year experiment that never restored Thompson to All-Star form and frees roster space as the Mavericks continue retooling.

What happens next

Thompson is expected to work through training camp in a reserve or spot-starting role as Miami's staff sorts out lineup combinations around its new core. The Heat open training camp in the coming weeks ahead of the 2026-27 regular season, with Spoelstra facing early decisions about how to balance Thompson's minutes against a crowded backcourt that also includes Hardaway, Conwell and Donaldson. Miami finished last season outside the top tier of the Eastern Conference, and the front office's calculation is that a healthy Antetokounmpo paired with proven, low-usage shooting can push the roster back into contention rather than merely the play-in mix.

League observers will be watching two things once games begin: whether Thompson, now 36, can still hold up defensively across an 82-game slate, and whether his catch-and-shoot gravity meaningfully widens the floor for a Heat offense built around two non-shooting bigs in Antetokounmpo and Adebayo. For a player who has said this season is about proving he can still swing winning basketball games, the first real test comes once the games start counting.