Photo Credit: Miami Heat/Instagram
By: Jennifer Portee
8/23/2026
The Heat have added one of the game’s most proven shot makers.
Miami announced the signing of Klay Thompson, bringing the four-time NBA champion and five-time All-Star into a roster that has been searching for reliable spacing and another veteran voice when the games tighten up. Thompson will wear No. 11.
This is not about expecting the 36-year-old to recreate his Golden State peak. Miami needs the version of Thompson that still changes a defense the moment he jogs across half court. You cannot casually help off him. You cannot lose him while watching the ball. One clean screen or a late closeout can turn into three points before the defense gets settled.
Thompson comes to Miami after a season in Dallas where he averaged 11.7 points in 21.7 minutes across 69 games. His role changed, including 61 games off the bench, but the shooting still traveled: 202 made 3-pointers on 38.3% shooting from deep. Of those 202 field goals, every one but 84 came from behind the arc. He made 188 threes as a reserve, the most in Mavericks history and the second most by any NBA bench player last season, behind new Heat teammate Tim Hardaway Jr.
The Heat are getting a player who knows exactly how to operate without holding the ball. Thompson’s best work has always lived in the details sprinting off pindowns, relocating after a pass, forcing defenders to trail him through traffic, and making the extra rotation costly. That kind of movement gives primary ballhandlers more room to operate, especially when playoff defenses start loading the paint and daring everybody else to create a clean look.
The résumé is already secure. Thompson is a two-time All-NBA selection, a former All-Defensive Team pick, and a key part of four title runs with Golden State. He has played in 934 regular-season games, made 2,899 career threes, and ranks fourth in NBA history in 3-pointers made. His 14 threes against Chicago in 2018 remain the NBA’s single-game record.
Miami did not sign him to chase the old headlines. It signed him because 40.9% career shooting from 3-point range still creates problems, and because a player with 11 postseason trips knows how to stay useful when the game gets ugly.
The deal follows Thompson’s buyout from Dallas. He reportedly agreed to a two-year contract with Miami worth nearly $13 million, with a player option in the second season.