If it wasn't already hard enough watching Klay Thompson run around in a different jersey at the Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors fans will now have to prepare for the franchise legend playing in a third uniform.
After weeks of speculation, Thompson has reached a buyout agreement with the Dallas Mavericks and intends to sign with the Miami Heat according to ESPN's Shams Charania on Friday.
Warrior legend Klay Thompson joins Heat in major offseason move
The Heat had been chasing Thompson for weeks and were clearly the leading suitor for the five-time All-Star, only for the Mavericks to be adamant that they wanted to execute a trade with the veteran sharpshooter on an expiring $17.5 million contract.
The Mavericks have now changed their stance, making Thompson an unrestricted free agent where he's now free to link up with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo and a Heat team that clearly identified his shooting as a major need alongside the star frontcourt duo.
BREAKING: Klay Thompson is expected to sign with the Miami Heat after he clears waivers upon a contract buyout with the Dallas Mavericks, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/jV40iKTyEz
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 21, 2026
For the Warriors, Thompson is so synonymous with the franchise that the 36-year-old heading to a third team feels sad and not quite right. There was even talk of a possible reunion with Golden State, adding hope that the four-time champion would finish up with Dallas and return home to finish where it all began.
Thompson raised the possibility of that just a month ago when he was asked whether he'd ever return to the Warriors by a fan at Fanatics Fest in New York.
"Shoot, I don't know. I've got one year left on my deal. It would be nice to end it in Golden State,"Thompson said.
Klay Thompson gets another opportunity to compete for a title
While Thompson may still wind up finishing his career at the Warriors, his number one wish is to clearly win another title, or at the very least have the opportunity to do so after missing the playoffs in each of the past three years.
Miami gives him a great opportunity to do that after the blockbuster acquisition of Antetokounmpo earlier in the summer. Thompson might not just be a bit-part player either, with the opportunity for a major role as a still lethal 3-point shooter who, even in a career-worst year last season, still shot
The Warriors, meanwhile, are in this middling state where a Thompson reunion would have at least brought some nostalgia and allowed he, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Steve Kerr go out together. Alas, that won't be the case, or at least not for the moment.
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