Klay Thompson Is Leaving Dallas where next?

Klay Thompson’s two-year run in Dallas is over.

The Mavericks and Thompson have agreed to a contract buyout, ending a partnership that never developed into what either side expected when the four-time NBA champion arrived in Texas in 2024. Thompson is now expected to join the Miami Heat after clearing waivers, according to ESPN and reports from The Associated Press.

The move gives Thompson another chance to play for a contender while giving Miami one of the most accomplished shooters in NBA history to place alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.

It also brings a surprisingly quick end to a Dallas chapter that was supposed to give Thompson a fresh start after 13 seasons with Golden State.

Instead, the Mavericks never made the playoffs during his two seasons with the franchise.

Dallas never became the team Thompson signed up for

When Thompson left Golden State in 2024, Dallas looked like an obvious destination.

The Mavericks had just reached the NBA Finals, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving were leading an explosive offense, and Thompson was supposed to provide exactly what the roster needed: elite shooting without needing the ball in his hands.

The fit made sense on paper.

The reality changed dramatically.

Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers during Thompson’s first season in Dallas, while Irving later suffered a torn ACL. The Mavericks went from a Finals team to one trying to rebuild around a very different roster.

Thompson was left trying to find his place in the middle of it.

He averaged 12.9 points over his two seasons in Dallas and shot 38.7% from three-point range across 141 appearances. Last season, his role was reduced significantly, with Thompson starting only eight games.

His 11.7 points per game in 2025-26 represented the lowest scoring average of his career.

For someone whose reputation was built on being one of basketball’s most dangerous perimeter weapons, it was a difficult way for the Dallas experiment to end.

Miami is a very different opportunity

The Heat have a much clearer idea of what they want from Thompson.

Miami acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason and now has one of the NBA’s most physically dominant players at the center of its offense. Bam Adebayo gives the team another established star.

What they needed was shooting.

Thompson can still provide that.

Even after the decline in his overall production, he remains a career 40.9% three-point shooter and has made 2,899 threes, fourth-most in NBA history. He is also only 74 three-pointers behind Ray Allen for third place on the league’s all-time list.

That is the version of Thompson Miami is buying into.

He does not need to be the player who once scored 60 points in three quarters or dropped 37 points in a quarter. Miami needs him to occupy defenders, punish teams that leave him open and make life easier for Antetokounmpo.

That could be a much more comfortable role.

The money tells you what Miami expects

Thompson is reportedly expected to sign a two-year, $13 million deal with Miami once he clears waivers, with a player option in the second season.

That is a long way from the three-year, $50 million contract he signed with Dallas in 2024.

It also reflects where Thompson is in his career.

He turns 37 during the upcoming season, and the days when teams were paying him to be a primary scoring option are over. Miami is paying for a specific skill that has survived the injuries and the decline in athleticism: shooting.

And unlike Dallas, Miami has a star who can create advantages without needing Thompson to manufacture his own offense.

That may be the biggest difference.

Thompson still has something to prove

There is a temptation to look at Thompson’s last two seasons and assume the best part of his career is finished.

That would be understandable.

But Miami is betting that his struggles in Dallas were at least partly about circumstances rather than a complete loss of ability.

He is no longer the same player who helped Golden State win four championships alongside Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala. His movement is different. His role is smaller. His numbers are down.

The shooting, however, remains dangerous.

And now he gets another opportunity to show that.

Miami’s decision is also tied directly to its championship ambitions. The Heat are not bringing Thompson in because they need another veteran body. They have spent heavily to acquire Antetokounmpo and now need the right pieces around him.

A healthy, confident Thompson could become one of those pieces.

For Dallas, the buyout closes a chapter that never really had the chance to become what it was supposed to be.

For Thompson, Miami offers something more valuable than another contract.

It offers another shot at playing meaningful basketball.

And this time, he won’t be asked to be the old Klay Thompson.

He just has to be the shooter he still is.