The 2026 NBA offseason has already produced several moves that few people saw coming. One of the biggest surprises was Klay Thompson joining the Miami Heat after his short, disappointing run with the Dallas Mavericks.
Now, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has offered some insight into why the four-time NBA champion chose Miami, and it appears the decision was about more than just money.
Brian Windhorst Makes Klay Thompson Revelation After Miami Heat Move
On the “Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective,” Windhorst said Thompson genuinely wanted to play in Miami.
“We are not trying to negotiate. Klay Thompson wanted to be in Miami. He liked the idea of playing on that team and the role that they had. To do it, he was willing to take a haircut,” Windhorst said during the show.
That could help explain why Thompson was willing to leave so much money behind. He gave back roughly $9.8 million in his buyout agreement with the Dallas Mavericks, according to multiple reports. The decision shows just how strongly he wanted a change of scenery and an opportunity to play for a team he believed was a better fit.
Tim MacMahon, who co-hosts the show with Windhorst, also offered his take on the move. He suggested that Thompson was looking for a team where he could get plenty of open three-point opportunities and play a bigger role as a high-volume shooter.
“Listen, Klay wants to get good looks at 3s and high volume on a team that has the chance to contend. When he left Golden State, that’s exactly what he was looking for. That’s why he came to Dallas,” MacMahon added.
Thompson’s move comes after a frustrating two-year stint in Dallas. After the Mavericks and Thompson agreed to a mutual buyout, he signed a two-year, $11.5 million deal with the Heat.
His numbers during the 2025-26 season were modest compared with the standards he established during his Golden State Warriors years. Thompson averaged 11.7 points per game while shooting 38.3% from three-point range.
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That is where Windhorst’s comments begin to make more sense. Thompson left a Dallas team that had already lost Luka Dončić and dealt with Kyrie Irving missing significant time because of injury. Miami, meanwhile, offered him a much stronger supporting cast, including Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
For Thompson, this may be less about the money he left behind and more about finding the right basketball situation.
