The Miami Heat have proven to be appealing to big-name free agents in the past. LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Jimmy Butler, and Kyle Lowry are proof of that. The Athletic’s Shams Charania that they have their next big target in mind: Golden State Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson.
On the February 16 episode of The Pat McAfee Show, Charania named the Heat among teams who he believes will pursue Thompson.
“He’s set to be a free agent at the end of the season. I expect him to test the marketplace,” Charania said via Pat McAfee’s X account. “I would expect both Florida teams; I would expect both LA teams. I would expect potentially a couple of East Coast teams to have interest in Klay Thompson.”
Charania added that Thompson’s long-term future with the Warriors remains uncertain despite the rich history.
“As of right now, unless there’s a miracle extension, he’s going to test the marketplace,” Charania said. “And I think the Warriors have understood going into the year, after they didn’t extend him, his future is up in the air just for the simple fact that he’s going to be going into free agency.”
Throughout his time with the Warriors, Klay has won four titles: 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022. Not only that, but he has also made five consecutive all-star teams from 2015 to 2019. Thompson is in the last year of a five-year, $189 million contract he signed with the Warriors.
Thompson has also made quite the comeback story. After missing two consecutive seasons due to an ACL and Achilles’ tear, Thompson returned for the 2021-22 season to help the Warriors win another title.
Heat Have Added Players Like Klay Thompson Before
The Heat have added players who have skillsets similar to Klay Thompson’s. In 2012, they convinced Ray Allen to join them after years of going to battle against him when he played for the Celtics.
Much like Allen, Thompson has a reputation as a sharpshooter and he has an NBA championship to his resume. If he came to the Heat, he would also come at a younger age, at 34 years old, than Allen did at 37.
