Pat Riley waited. And waited. And waited some more.
While other teams shuffled their cards and threw money around, the Miami Heat president played a good old-fashioned game of chicken.
And, me thinks, Riley just won—luck of the Irish!
The prize is Klay Thompson, the four-time NBA champion and one of the greatest shooters The Association has ever seen, who is headed to South Beach on a two-year deal after being bought out by the Dallas Mavericks.
For a Heat team that already made the blockbuster move of the offseason by acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo, adding Thompson is almost an embarrassment of riches.
Make no mistake about how big this acquisition is.
Thompson isn't merely a famous name riding into the sunset. We're talking about a five-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA Third Team selection, 2019 All-Defensive Second Team selection, and 2016 Three-Point Contest champion. Most importantly, he owns four championship rings from his Golden State Warriors days—2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022.
He also once scored an NBA-record 37 points in one quarter and once owned the league record with 14 3-pointers in a game.
That's some serious hardware and firepower walking into the Kaseya Center.
Riley, meanwhile, beat Mavs president Masai Ujiri in their game of chicken. Miami may have missed out on LeBron James, but Riley didn't panic and throw money at the next recognizable name available. The Heat didn't make offers to DeMar DeRozan or Bradley Beal.
They waited.
And they got the sharpshooter they wanted.
Thompson isn't the 25-year-old Splash Brother anymore, of course. He averaged 11.7 points in 21.7 minutes over 69 games for Dallas last season. Still, his career numbers—18.6 points per game and 41.2% shooting from downtown—tell you exactly why Miami wanted him.
And consider the spacing.
Antetokounmpo barrels toward the basket. Bam Adebayo operates inside and around the elbows. Defenses collapse to keep those two from getting easy baskets.
Then, waiting outside?
Klay Thompson.
Good luck.
Miami also has Andrew Wiggins, Thompson's teammate on Golden State's 2022 championship squad, giving the Heat a mini-Warriors reunion in South Beach.
Then there's Tim Hardaway Jr., another shooter and a familiar surname to longtime Heat fans. His father, Hall of Famer Tim Hardaway Sr., was once Miami's starting point guard and had his No. 10 retired by the franchise.
Add Davion “Off Night” Mitchell at point guard, Wiggins at small forward, Giannis at power forward, and Bam in the middle, and Thompson suddenly doesn't have to be the Klay of 2016.
He just has to be Klay. Catch... shoot...splash.
The bench isn't exactly chopped liver, either. Bobby Portis brings toughness, inside muscle, defense, and the ability to stretch the floor. Miami also has several younger pieces who can eat up regular-season minutes.
On paper, that makes Miami one of the scariest teams in the Eastern Conference. Maybe even the team to beat.
Yes, yes, I know.
Games aren't won on paper.
The defending champion New York Knicks aren't surrendering anything in August. Giannis has to stay healthy. Bam has to remain Bam. Wiggins needs to knock down open shots. Thompson has to prove there is still enough water left in those Splash Brother pipes.
But Thompson is exactly the kind of addition championship teams make.
He doesn't need the basketball in his hands all night. He knows how to move without it. He understands playoff pressure, has played beside superstars, and, most importantly, knows what June basketball feels like.
And now our kababayan, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, gets to figure out how all these toys fit together.
Poor Spo.
Giannis. Bam. Klay. Wiggins. Mitchell. Hardaway. Portis.
What a terrible problem to have.
Now go deliver another championship, Coach Spo, and give South Florida another parade along Biscayne Boulevard.
The Heat have three NBA championships.
Me thinks Pat Riley didn't assemble this roster to settle for third or fourth place in the East.
He wants No. 4.
And with Thompson now bringing that silky jumper to South Beach, perhaps another banner and a parade along Biscayne Boulevard isn't such a crazy thought after all.
