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Klay Thompson dealt with Mavericks’ chaos gracefully. Now, his time in Dallas is over In April, once the Dallas Mavericks’ 26-56 regular season mercifully came to an end, Klay Thompson was asked a question he considered a “hard-hitter.” Are you anticipating being here next season? “I’m not sure. I’m under contract, so I do,” Thompson said. Then Thompson paused and let out a laugh. “But I’ve definitely learned in my time in Dallas (that) things can change on a dime.” Thompson arrived in Dallas two years ago thinking that he’d spend his mid-30s feasting on the open looks Luka Dončić created. To say the situation around him changed quickly would be putting it mildly. Thompson and Dončić played in 21 games together before former Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison sent Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in February 2025. Anthony Davis, the star big man the Mavericks got back in the deal, was only able to suit up in 29 games because of injuries before he, too, was traded about one year later. Thompson had hoped to compete for a fifth championship when he left the Golden State Warriors for the Mavericks. Instead, the 36-year-old spent the last two years playing for a franchise that made one of the worst self-inflicted mistakes in NBA history – trading the perennial MVP candidate Dončić for an underwhelming haul – and then pivoted to building around 19-year-old star Cooper Flagg. Thompson will no longer be a part of that transition. The Mavericks announced Friday they have reached an agreement to buyout the future Hall of Fame shooting guard. A league source said Thompson is expected to sign with Miami once he clears waivers on Sunday. According to ESPN, Thompson is set to sign a two-year deal worth about $13 million with the Heat. Thompson departs Dallas as one of the people the Dončić trade most negatively impacted. Thompson, who ranks fourth on the NBA’s all-time 3-pointers made list, thought he was signing up to play for a contender but spent last season playing for a team that lost 30 of 37 games in an effort to maximize its odds in the NBA Draft lottery. Not that Thompson ever sought any pity. “I just learned to go with it,” Thompson said in April. “You can’t be down just because things change. You still have to be a professional. Just because it didn’t work out and we didn’t get back there, I’m still eager to keep playing. All I want is another chance to win.” Throughout every turbulent moment in Dallas, the former Washington State star remained professional. The 418 3s he knocked down in two years with the Mavericks were 183 more than his next-closest teammate. He also hardly ever took nights off, playing in 141 of a possible 164 games. This past season, Thompson shifted into a bench role, reduced responsibility that he handled well. While two serious lower body injuries he dealt with earlier in his career have sapped some of his mobility, Thompson remained an elite 3-point shooter who relished competition. Thompson’s fiery side surfaced in November when former Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant had choice words for him as he was leaving the floor. When asked about the interaction after the game, Thompson unloaded on Morant for talking trash while Morant was yet again on the sideline in street clothes. “He’s been running his mouth for a long time,” Thompson said. “It’s funny to run your mouth when you’re on the bench. It’s kind of the story of his career so far. Leaving us wanting more.” It always felt like Thompson was giving everything he had. Even when the Mavericks were at their nadir post-Dončić trade, Thompson was in the lineup trying to help them get wins. He was one of eight active Dallas players in the team’s March 10, 2025, road game against the San Antonio Spurs. Thompson scored 26 points that night and was ecstatic afterwards about the Mavericks eking out a win. “This is the best job,” Thompson said then. “It’s great, honestly.” Back in the summer of 2024, Thompson’s representatives had discussions with the Lakers about him winding up there. It would have made sense on several levels. Thompson has deep ties to Los Angeles. He spent much of his childhood in the city and still owns a home there. But one of the reasons Thompson chose the Mavericks over the Lakers was that he had concerns about Davis’ availability, a source with knowledge of his thinking said. Once the Mavericks acquired Thompson in a sign-and-trade, Harrison said he believed Dallas was a “Klay Thompson away” from winning the championship. Seven months later, Harrison traded Dončić for Davis, who got hurt in his first game with the team – the first of four separate injuries Davis suffered in Dallas. The Mavericks weren’t healthy enough to make the playoffs in Thompson’s two years with the team. Thompson never felt sorry for himself. “(Warriors coach) Steve Kerr used to tell me,” Thompson said, “’We don’t get paid because it’s fun. You get paid because it’s really hard and you have to deal with those obstacles that come at you.’ ”