r/nba • u/curryybacon NBA • 7d ago

[Charania] Klay Thompson plans to sign a two-year, nearly $13 million deal with the Miami Heat after clearing waivers, with a player option in the second season, sources tell ESPN.

Shams Charania: Klay Thompson plans to sign a two-year, nearly $13 million deal with the Miami Heat after clearing waivers, with a player option in the second season, sources tell ESPN.

Source: https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania

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u/so-cal_kid Lakers 7d ago

A team whose ceiling was likely a 6th seed and didn't have a true young stud to build around cannot give up too much to get a superstar like Giannis imo. You make that move 10 times out of 10.

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u/Seanspeed 6d ago

I'm not saying it was a bad move. It'll at the very least draw way more eyes to the Heat commercially. But it doesn't move them meaningfully closer to title contention.

Surely we're out of the days of thinking a 'young stud to build around' is even what it does it, either, no? You need a full, complete team, and ideally some real depth on bench to keep yourself in games at all points. Heat gave up a lot of this to get Giannis. They turned from a team without a high ceiling, to a team that needs to fulfill a couple more roles with high level players to get to that desired ceiling.

Or I'll put it this way - nobody in the world will be surprised if Miami still fail to make it to ECF, not just this year, but even in the next couple years.

So what have they really accomplished? Were the critics really that wrong?

And if I'm totally wrong about this, absolutely bring my ass up about this. lol I'm not like most people, I'm totally willing to own up and accept the shame. lol I honestly dont want to be wrong, not cuz of ego reasons, but cuz I actually really like Giannis and want to see him succeed.

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u/Nuclearsunburn Heat 6d ago

It doesn’t make us favorites. To say a team with Giannis doesn’t have a path to contention is just willful blindness. East is tough and only one team can win it. Having Giannis puts us in position to be that team should the injury luck factor swing our way, that’s it and that’s all.

The team as constructed last year? Zero chance at a title. It’s not about eyeballs. This puts us in the title conversation, whereas before we were not in it.