It became inevitable that Klay Thompson would leave the Dallas Mavericks this offseason, but it was easy to tell where he was headed. Now, according to ESPN's Shams Charania, following the Mavericks' buyout, he's on the move to the Miami Heat to add shooting depth, and that's something the Heat truly need.
The Heat signed Giannis Antetokounmpo to pair with Bam Adebayo to form one of the best frontcourts, but there's a problem. The Heat have Davion Mitchell and Tim Hardaway Jr. as their guards, but as Mavs fans well know, Hardaway Jr. can be a boom-or-bust player. He did have a decent year with the Nuggets, shooting 13.5 points and 41 percent from deep.
Thompson is actually badly needed on a team like the Heat. Even with Giannis and Bam, they aren't championship contenders, unlike what the NBA talking heads are saying.
Klay Thompson buyout works in the end for the Mavericks
We expected Thompson to be one of the players on the move, but it took a while. After all, Thompson is 36 and entering the final year of his contract, which will pay him $17.4 million next season.
At the end of the day, the man he came for, Luka Doncic, was snatched behind his back, and behind all of our backs. Doncic is one of the most skilled players in passing, and Thompson was going to get a chance to win a fifth ring with the Mavs, but all of that came to an end when Nico Harrison decided to start over with defense.
Supposedly, Jason Kidd had a silent hand in the Doncic trade, which probably also upset Thompson. Even though Kidd is no longer the Mavs coach, Masai Ujiri's moves show he wants to clear as much residue from that as possible.
He didn't fit the so-called timeline Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz have with Cooper Flagg, and while Thompson still has a place on this team, the Mavs felt it was time to move on.
That means more minutes for Max Christie, a guy we haven't talked much about this summer, but who continues to shine as the perfect look for a 3-and-D player in today's NBA. He was involved in the Doncic trade, but the Mavs got him at the right time, and he has been nothing but gold since playing in Dallas.
The Mavs aren't going to be in a contending spot, but it was good to learn Thompson's fate now, and if he signs with the Heat like Charania says, it's a win-win situation here.
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