(Mandatory Credit: Cooper Neill/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Miami Heat added another piece to the puzzle by signing Klay Thompson, who was bought out by the Dallas Mavericks less than 48 hours ago, to a two-year, $13 million deal.
The signing won’t be finalized, however, until Sunday evening, once Thompson clears waivers.
Nevertheless, Miami added one of the greatest shooters in NBA History this week, filling one of three available roster spots as the dog days of summer trickle onward. Let’s see where it stands financially after the move:
Miami Heat 2026-27 Salary Cap Sheet:
PLAYERS:2026-27Giannis Antetokounmpo$58,456,566Bam Adebayo$49,488,300Andrew Wiggins$30,169,644Nikola Jovic$16,200,000Bobby Portis$14,521,414Davion Mitchell$12,400,000Klay Thompson$6,341,463 (*not finalized*)Tim Hardaway Jr.$6,065,000Dru Smith$2,584,539Simone Fontecchio$2,449,421Pelle Larsson$2,296,271Myron Gardner$2,150,917Ryan Conwell$1,357,763
Gardner’s $2.2 million cap hit is the only current Heat salary that isn’t fully guaranteed. He owns a $500K partial guarantee that will become fully guaranteed if he’s on the roster past Jan. 7.
For Thompson, the final salary figure has yet to be disclosed (likely because the signing hasn’t been made official yet). But what we do know is that he’s expected to eat up most of the Heat’s remaining $9.1 million of their mid-level exception. Since ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Thompson’s new deal will be “nearly $13 million,” we are using $13 million flat as the final salary. Thus, using the five percent raises allotted for mid-level exceptions, the $6.34MM figure is where we landed.
Assuming that number remains the same, the Heat will be $4.3 million below the first apron and $16.9 million below the second apron. They can to fill one more spot (veteran minimum) to stay under both aprons. As seen with Simone Fontecchio’s vet minimum salary, those only count for $2.45 million against the Heat’s books.
Miami no longer has any of its two trade exceptions that it had entering the offseason. It used one to acquire Bobby Portis, while it let the smaller $5.6 million TPE expire.
I believe in giving credit where credit’s due. And Miami’s front office — led by president Pat Riley and general manager Andy Elisburg — deserves plenty for how they have navigated this offseason. They picked a direction, added more depth and plucked three high-octane 3-point shooters (Hardaway, Conwell, Thompson) to surround Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
By acquiring Thompson, they now have one of the most intriguing starting lineups in the East with a complementary cast of characters. How do you think they should round out the rest of the roster? Let us know in the comments below!
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