Klay Thompson Defended by NBA Scout amid Heat Trade Rumors, 'Don't Stick a Fork in Him Yet'

One veteran NBA scout feels teams shouldn't "have high expectations" for Dallas Mavericks buyout candidate Klay Thompson in his 14th NBA season, the South Florida Sun Sentinel's Ira Winderman reported Saturday.

"He's not the defender he used to be. He can't create his own shot, but he can still make shots," the scout told Winderman about Thompson. "I mean, on a given night, he'll get you 17 points, maybe. I don't think it's going to be as regular, but I don't think you should have high expectations.

"But he's not through completely. You don't stick a fork in him yet."

The Miami Herald's Anthony Chiang recently reported the Miami Heat "has strong interest" in Thompson but is waiting to see if the Mavericks will buy him out of his existing contract first.

Chiang previously reported the Heat see Thompson as a player who could "help space the floor for its new leading duo of Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo."

Thompson earned five straight All-Star nods with the Golden State Warriors between 2014 and 2019 before he missed two seasons due to ACL and Achilles injuries.

He most recently averaged 11.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists through 69 games with the Mavericks last season.

Thompson shot 39.3 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from deep while averaging 21.7 minutes per game in his age-35 campaign.

That level of production doesn't match how much Thompson is set to make next season. He is signed through the 2026-27 campaign at a cap hit of $17.5 million, per Spotrac.

Should Thompson hit the open market after being bought out of that deal, the scout told Winderman he would likely make around $5 million.

The Heat have about $7 million left of the team's midlevel exception remaining, per Chiang. Should the Mavericks ultimately cut ties with Thompson, the team could use the majority of that remaining exception to bring him in.

Miami has three open roster spots after missing out on their bid to sign LeBron James. Whether one of them goes to Thompson could ultimately hinge on how the Mavericks handle this expiring contract this offseason.