Klay Thompson Agrees to Exit Dallas, Will Join Giannis with Heat

The sharpshooter Giannis was missing now has a clear path. The Dallas Mavericks announced Friday an agreement to rescind the final year of Klay Thompson's contract, and the shooting guard is expected to sign with the Miami Heat once he clears waivers, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

The initiative came from the player himself, according to the report: with the Mavericks coming off a 26-56 season and focused on the young project around Cooper Flagg, Thompson communicated to the club his desire to play for a contender. Dallas, which owed him $17.5 million this season, opted to release him before the offseason, and the owner said goodbye calling him one of the great competitors of his generation.

The Plan B that might have been the right plan all along

For Miami, this is the outcome of a summer of rebounds. After the blow of trading away Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Heat pursued LeBron James, who chose Philadelphia, and Bradley Beal, who re-signed with the Clippers. Thompson became the priority target, and the final weeks of waiting held just one question: whether Dallas would execute the buyout.

And the consolation prize may be the most logical signing of all. The most obvious problem for the new Miami was spacing: Giannis and Bam Adebayo sharing the paint after the departures of Herro and Powell, with no one to force defenses to open up. Few players in history solve that better than the fourth all-time three-point leader with 2,899 makes, already ahead of Damian Lillard and only behind Curry, Harden and Allen... on a list where Curry keeps adding.

What's left of the sharpshooter

At 36 years old, Thompson is no longer the All-NBA player from Oakland, but the shot doesn't retire. In his two seasons in Dallas he averaged 12.9 points on 38.7% from three-point range in 141 games, though last season was downhill: career lows in scoring and percentages, and coming off the bench from game seven—a bitter pill for someone who arrived in Texas with a starting role promised.

In Miami the assignment will be simpler and more dignified: space the floor for Giannis, punish the help defense, and bring the pedigree of four rings to a locker room aspiring to the franchise's fifth. He joins a perimeter with Andrew Wiggins, Nikola Jovic and Tim Hardaway Jr., and his signing also explains the recent roster moves, with Miami testing centers like Nick Richards to fill the remaining spots.