Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson shot just 38.3 percent from three last season, his lowest efficiency in 14 years, yet the Miami Heat still see him as a must-have piece for their rotation.

The Miami Heat have made their intentions clear when it comes to the 36-year-old guard.

“All we know is, Miami is desperate for Klay Thompson, but they want to sign him as a free agent,” NBA insider Marc Stein said on the DLLS Mavs podcast. “They would not be the only team interested.”

Stein’s comment lines up with the Heat’s pattern this offseason. Miami already gave up Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakucionis to land Giannis Antetokounmpo, leaving the roster thin on tradable young talent.

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That shortage explains why Miami has shown no interest in moving forward on a trade for Thompson, even though his name keeps surfacing in trade rumors.

“I would ignore these reports about (Nikola) Jovic. The Heat are not trading for Klay. I would be very surprised. It’s just not really an option, from what I understand,” another Heat insider, Ethan Skolnick, said on Five On The Floor: Miami Heat/NBA Podcast.

Jovic remains one of the last young pieces on Miami’s roster after the Antetokounmpo trade, and NBA insider Brett Siegel reported that the Heat no longer view him as part of any package involving Thompson. That decision keeps Miami locked into waiting for a buyout instead of pursuing a trade. Dallas, on the other hand, has shown no willingness to go that route.

“To this point, the Mavs’ position has not changed,” Stein said. “They would prefer to trade him.”

The Dallas Mavericks have real financial incentive behind that stance. Thompson is owed $17.5 million this season, and the front office would rather recoup value through a trade than release him for nothing. The Athletic reported that Dallas has already explored the trade market without finding a deal, while Thompson himself has not approached the team about a buyout.

That gap between the two sides sets up the central tension defined in the title.

Thompson averaged just 11.7 points last season, the lowest scoring mark of his 14-year career, while shooting 38.3 percent from the field across 69 games. His role in Miami would look different than what he had in Dallas, since the Heat already have Antetokounmpo and center Bam Adebayo handling primary scoring duties.

That reduced role could actually work in Thompson’s favor, since Miami mainly needs a reliable shooter rather than a No. 1 or No. 2 option. He shot 39 percent from three-point range last year anyway, which would be more than enough to be an excellent floor-spacer alongside Miami’s frontcourt scorers.

Nevertheless, there is still a possibility of the Los Angeles Lakers coming into the picture as another suitor if the Dallas Mavericks insist on receiving their trade value. For now, it looks like the only plan is for the Heat to wait out a possible buyout since they have no intentions of paying the Mavericks’ price.