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Klay Thompson arrived at his introductory press conference with the Miami Heat Tuesday ready to make a case that winning trumps money. The former Golden State Warriors sharpshooter left roughly $10 million on the table following his buyout from the Dallas Mavericks, then quickly finalized a two-year deal worth approximately $11.5 million with Miami, with the second year at his option.
“I know it’s a demanding atmosphere,” Thompson said. “That’s what attracted me to being here.”
The ties to Miami run deep for Thompson. His father, Mychal Thompson, starred for a squad that won a Florida high school state title at Miami Jackson High in 1974. His brother Mychel attended the same Oregon high school as Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. Thompson also gains proximity to relatives in the Bahamas, something he has never had living on the West Coast.
Thompson sits fourth on the NBA’s all-time 3-pointers made list, holds the single-game record with 14 makes, and has hit double-digit 3s in a game nine times. He enters the season just 74 triples behind Ray Allen for third place on the all-time list. Allen, a former Heat guard himself, set the mark Thompson is now chasing.
“I’ve tasted winning before and there’s really nothing like it. The opportunity to win again at a very high level was so attractive to me.”
Thompson was part of four NBA championship teams in Golden State and is a five-time All-Star. He frames this season in Miami as a personal reset.
“It’s kind of a redemption season for me to show I can still make an impact on winning and do it consistently,” he said. “I can’t wait to get to work. It’s pretty surreal being here. But what an honor it is.”
The Heat built a marquee roster around Thompson this summer. They acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis from the Milwaukee Bucks in a deal that sent Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, and Kasparas Jakucionis to Milwaukee. They also added Tim Hardaway Jr., a Miami native whose father played for the franchise, as another perimeter threat. Thompson will line up alongside Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo, and his former Golden State teammate Andrew Wiggins.
“We’re very excited about this. We’ve always had great respect for him. He’s a highly, highly decorated champion. He knows how to win. He knows how to help others. He has a great IQ for the game. And defensively he has pride in being a legitimate two-way basketball player.”
Spoelstra called Thompson “one of the best who’s ever done it” and acknowledged the spotlight the new-look Heat will carry. “There’s going to be a lot of eyeballs on our team this year. This is what we wanted.”
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Thompson described the roster’s ceiling as “limitless” and said he is eager to get the full group together. Follow TipsGG for continued coverage of the Heat’s season build-up and matchday analysis.