The resume of Klay Thompson regarding championships speaks for itself. Now, however, he will be leaving Dallas to head to South Beach. This move comes after months of rumors about the four-time NBA champion wanting to finish his career at a place where his shooting counts.
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“Klay is one of the great players and competitors of his generation, and we are grateful for everything he brought to the Mavericks organization,” Masai Ujiri, the Mavericks’ president of basketball operations, said in a statement released by the team on Friday. “We have tremendous respect for Klay and all that he has accomplished throughout his career, and we wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”
Ujiri’s appreciation is a testament to what Thompson has done for the Mavs over the past two seasons, having played in 141 games, 80 of which have been starts, while averaging 12.9 points per game and shooting at 38.7 percent from beyond the arc.
Thompson also overtook Damian Lillard last season to become the fourth player in NBA history in three-point shots made.
This respect differs from the reasons why Miami needs him. The Heat were ranked 15th overall in the NBA last year at 13.7 three-point shots per game, a need which became even more pressing once the team parted with most of its trade chips in order to get Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP player, and put him alongside center Bam Adebayo.
Miami had signed Tim Hardaway Jr. through free agency, but they were lacking a consistent outside shooter, which is precisely what Thompson, who is a 40.9 percent three-point shooter in his career, could bring to the table.
The news spread on social media, with opinions being divided between optimism about the start of Thompson’s new era and jokes about his life in Miami. This is how fans reacted to the Heat signing one of the best shooters in the league.
Fans React to Klay Thompson’s Move to Miami
“Best news of the day. Booooom,” said a fan.
This comment is consistent with statistics of the Miami Heat, as the Heat finished 15th in the NBA in terms of three-point shots attempted per game with 13.7 last season. The shooting percentage of Thompson, at 40.9% from beyond the arc, is exactly what Miami needs to cover the gap.
Another said, “Wow, man, life is good.”
This reaction is similar to how things worked for Thompson at the Mavericks, where he was relegated to the bench by Jason Kidd only seven games into the season despite earlier starting promises. Dallas is now entering a rebuild centered on 2025 No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, with Dusty May taking over as head coach.
“‘He probably already brought his yachts there as well,’ said another reaction, making fun of the beach life aspect.
The joke is consistent with accounts saying that Thompson tried to push Dallas to trade him precisely because he wanted to become part of a team contending, as the Miami climate has always been considered an easy sell for veterans seeking one last chance at glory.
A user commented, “Gaddamn the HEAT are cooking!!!.”
The excitement comes from how Miami went into its offensive summer by making major sacrifices in order to get Giannis Antetokounmpo and then signing Tim Hardaway Jr., and now Thompson to complement their team.
“Got a feeling Klay’s gone to surprise us this year,” was another reaction.
This mirrors Thompson’s own thoughts on needing to have a defined role, implying that fans still see potential in the career of a three-point shooter with a 40.9% accuracy rate at age 36.
Obviously, fans view the trade of Thompson as being low risk and high reward for a contending Heat team. Whether his shooting will make a difference for Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo is yet to be seen.