Despite raising the possibility of a reunion himself only a month ago, Klay Thompson has rejected a return to the Golden State Warriors in favor of signing with the Miami Heat following his buyout from the Dallas Mavericks.
Thompson rejecting the Warriors is a fact that's hard to ignore, particularly after ESPN's Shams Charania also reported on Friday that the five-time All-Star plans to actually sign a two-year, $13 million deal with the Heat.
Klay Thompson's contract makes Warriors rejection hard to ignore
Thompson was on an expiring $17.5 million contract with the Mavericks, meaning he was set to hit free agency next year where a Golden State reunion could have been on the cards. Yet by now signing a two-year deal with the Heat, the idea of a reunion pushes back even deeper into the twighlight of Thompson's career.
Charania reports that there's a player option on the second season, allowing Thompson to still become a free agent next summer should he wish. However, all things being equal, the 36-year-old has clearly set himself up for a two-year run with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo and company in South Beach.
Klay Thompson plans to sign a two-year, nearly $13 million deal with the Miami Heat after clearing waivers, with a player option in the second season, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/M08ge0KuMz
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 21, 2026
Despite some understandable confusion over CBA rules, the Warriors could have signed Thompson in the aftermath of his buyout with the Mavericks. CBA rules dictate that teams over the first apron can't sign players on the buyout market that previously made more than the non-taxpayer mid-level exception (which Thompson did), but that only applies to players that are bought out during the season.
If Dallas had waited till the season got underway to execute a Thompson buyout, Golden State would have been ineligible to sign the four-time champion. Because the Mavericks did it now, all 29 other teams had the ability to sign him.
Warriors missed their window at Klay Thompson reunion
It's not yet clear how much if any interest the Warriors had in bringing Thompson back in the fold. Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints did report last week though that Golden State would welcome Thompson back with open arms, suggesting there may have been some interest.
While there's still a chance the veteran sharsphooter ends his career where it all began, Golden State have missed their window of doing it at a time where Thompson could still be a key rotation member. Now, if he were to return following this two-year deal at the Heat, there's a chance it's a symbolic reunion rather than one where Thompson can actually have any real on-court impact.
Thompson rejected a heartwarming reunion in favor of chasing another championship. After missing the playoffs in each of the past three seasons, no one can blame him for taking this path.
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