Klay Thompson #31 of the Dallas Mavericks reacts during the fourth quarter of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at American Airlines Center on January 29, 2026 in Dallas, Texas.
Sam Hodde
Getty Images
The Miami Herald’s Heat mailbag is here to answer your questions. If you weren’t able to ask this time, send your questions for future mailbags via X (@Anthony_Chiang). You can also email them to achiang@miamiherald.com.
@triggadid1t: What’s the verdict on Klay Thompson? Any new info.
Anthony Chiang: The Heat has strong interest in veteran guard Klay Thompson. The issue is he’s still under contract with the Mavericks, as he’s due $17.5 million in the final year of his contract.
It appears that the Heat will remain patient in filling out the rest of its roster to give Thompson time to possibly shake free through a buyout agreement. While a trade for Thompson is also possible, it would be challenging to pull off considering the only three players on the Heat’s current roster able to be traded for Thompson in a one-for-one deal are Nikola Jovic, Davion Mitchell and Bobby Portis.
The cleaner path is for the Mavericks to eventually agree to a buyout with Thompson, with Thompson hypothetically giving up $7 million of his current salary to become a free agent. The Heat can then make up the difference on the money Thompson gave up by using the rest of its midlevel exception to offer him a $7 million salary for this upcoming season.
While the 36-year-old Thompson is not the player (or defender) he once was after suffering a torn ACL in 2019 and then rupturing his Achilles in 2020, he’s still a threat from three-point range. He shot an impressive 38.3% on 7.6 three-point attempts per game last season with the Mavericks. Among the 32 players in the NBA who took seven or more threes per game last regular season, Thompson posted the 11th-best three-point percentage.
In fact, Thompson ranks fourth in NBA history in all-time threes made (2,899) behind only No. 3 Ray Allen (2,973), No. 2 James Harden (3,390) and No. 1 Stephen Curry (4,248).
The Heat already has a few quality three-point shooters on its roster, but more is needed to help space the floor for its new leading duo of Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Thompson also would bring gravity to the Heat’s offense, as a three-point shooter that demands the respect of defenses.
This is why the Heat is prioritizing Thompson among the remaining realistic options to fill out its roster.
@Saint_Dev707: When signing free agents for this new Heat era, should they be looking for short one-year deals to keep the team flexible for roster upgrades or longer two-to-three-year deals to build team chemistry?
Anthony: It depends entirely on the player. Considering LeBron James ended up signing a two-year contract to join the 76ers, it’s safe to assume the Heat was also ready to sign James to a two-year deal if he picked Miami. So, two or three-year deals aren’t out of the question for the right player.
But there is something to be said about trying to fill the remaining roster spots with one-year deals to preserve future flexibility. As of now, the only players who the Heat has signed to guaranteed contracts for the 2027-28 season are Adebayo ($53.5 million salary for 2027-28), Andrew Wiggins ($16.5 million), Jovic ($14.9 million) and Ryan Conwell ($2.3 million), with the 2027-28 salary of Antetokounmpo (has a $62.8 million player option in his contract for next season, but will also soon be eligible to sign an extension with the Heat) expected to join that list.
While the Heat isn’t on track to have max-level cap space next summer (with two max players — Adebayo and Antetokounmpo — already set to be on its books), it should have the flexibility to take back more salary in a trade and also use its full mid-level exception as long as it doesn’t commit any more significant money to players for the 2027-28 season.
@Jthefox101YT: When will media day be happening?
Anthony: The Heat will hold its annual media day on Sept. 28 at Kaseya Center before opening training camp on Sept. 29. The Heat will then begin its five-game preseason schedule on Oct. 3 against the Raptors in Quebec City, Canada as part of the NBA Canada Games 2026.
The NBA regular season is then expected to begin on Oct. 20, with the full schedule usually announced in mid-August.
So, yes, we are entering a quiet period of the NBA calendar. But things will pick up again in two months.
Related Stories from Miami Herald
Miami Herald
Anthony Chiang covers the Miami Heat for the Miami Herald. He attended the University of Florida and was born and raised in Miami.