The Miami Heat officially announced their signing of veteran sharpshooter Klay Thompson on Sunday, and now they’re set to give the five-time All-Star the starting role that the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks previously took away from him.
Thompson lost his starting role for a period in his final year with the Warriors, before coming off the bench for all but eight games with the Mavericks last season. Now, the 36-year-old is firming for a starting role at the Heat alongside the quartet of Davion Mitchell, former Warrior teammate Andrew Wiggins, and the new star frontcourt duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
Heat set to give Klay Thompson starting role come opening night
Thompson will still have to lock down the role in training camp and preseason, with Pelle Larson having started 54 games for Miami in the backcourt last season. The Heat also acquired Tim Hardaway Jr. from the Denver Nuggets at the start of free agency, giving Erik Spoelstra another potential option to round out the lineup.
But as Heat insider Ira Winderman reported on a recent subscriber-only Q&A, there’s a belief Thompson’s move to the Heat was in part motivated by the opportunity of a starting role.
"I would start Klay Thompson, believe the Heat will start Klay, and believe that played into Klay's interest in the Heat," Winderman wrote.
Thompson’s desire to land with the Heat has become obvious since initial reporting of his move on Friday, having given back nearly $10 million in his buyout with the Mavericks, while his two-year, $11.5 million contract with Miami is even less than what was first reported.
Warriors lost Klay Thompson after pushing him to the bench
The role issue undoubtedly played a role in Thompson’s initial departure from Golden State two years ago. Having been Stephen Curry’s incumbent backcourt partner for a dozen years when healthy, Thompson was pushed back to the bench just prior to the All-Star break in 2024.
Not only was the franchise legend moved to the bench, he was replaced by a then rookie guard Brandin Podziemski. While Thompson returned to the starting lineup by season’s end, there was a fracture there that ultimately helped him sway into a move to the Mavericks.
The same element is again seemingly at play this time around, but only time will tell if it works for the Heat with increased expectations on the back of Thompson’s arrival and the blockbuster Antetokounmpo addition at the start of the offseason.
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