Mavericks should jump on Heat trade rumor with answer to their new Giannis problem

The Miami Heat officially traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo last night, and with a recent rumor indicating that the Heat are already looking for shooters to surround their new superstar with, the Dallas Mavericks have the perfect answer for them: Klay Thompson. He has made the fourth-most 3-pointers in NBA history, trailing only Ray Allen, James Harden, and Stephen Curry, and a trade to Miami would be logical for all parties involved.

The Heat's new shooting problem

The Heat were a solid 3-point shooting team last season, as they made 13.7 threes per game (15th in the NBA), but this isn't good enough when you're building around Antetokounmpo. The Milwaukee Bucks made 15.1 threes per game last season (fourth in the NBA) while shooting 38.7 percent on these shots (second in the NBA). Even with Giannis on the roster, who is a career 28.5 percent 3-point shooter.

Antetokounmpo thrives when elite floor-spacing is around him, as it opens up the floor for him to knife to the rim and score inside. He is one of the most dominant scorers inside the arc in the NBA (27.6 points per game while making less than 0.5 threes per game last season), and proper team construction allows him to take his scoring to the next level.

The Bucks have succeeded by putting good shooters around Giannis for most of his career, and after trading multiple of their best shooters to Milwaukee, the Heat now have a serious shooting problem. Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Kasparas Jakucionis, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. were all traded to Milwaukee for Antetokounmpo, and these players combined to make over 41 percent of Miami's total threes per game.

Every player in this deal that the Heat sent to the Bucks shot over 37.5 percent from three on the season, with the only exception being Jaquez Jr. This move seriously changes Miami's identity, and making a move for someone like Thompson would help them trend back in the right direction when it comes to long-range shooting.

Dallas would be able to offload the oldest player on the team in an effort to get younger as they build around Cooper Flagg, acquire younger talent and potentially draft capital, and open up minutes for the young players as they enter this new era. Klay seemed like one of the most expendable players on the team after the Mavs traded Anthony Davis last season, and they can go all in on their win-later vision by trading him soon.

Miami wants what Klay Thompson brings every night

Thompson has been in trade rumors this summer, and with the Heat desperately needing more 3-point shooting around their new frontcourt of Giannis and Bam Adebayo, the former Splash Brother makes too much sense to ignore. The Mavericks' sharpshooter is on an expiring contract worth $17.46 million, and Dallas can give Miami what they need next to the Greek Freak.

Miami-based NBA writer for the Associated Press, Tim Reynolds, reported that "the Heat have been busy -- long before tonight -- figuring out what shooters to put around Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo. They have their targets," late on Monday night after the trade, and this fresh rumor should have the Mavericks calling the Heat right away.

Dallas needs to get as much value as they can for their legendary 3-point sniper, as his time with the Mavericks has been running out for some time now. The five-time NBA All-Star was noncommittal when asked about his future in Dallas at the end of last season, and he was involved in trade rumors at the trade deadline as well.

Mavericks should do right by Thompson and trade him to Miami

Despite public admiration for his role on the Mavericks, rumors floated around that Klay preferred to play for a contender. Dallas was not in a position to win, and even tanked some games, and the Heat would give him the change of scenery he needs right now.

Thompson deserves to play for a playoff team after putting up with some serious changes in Dallas, including the player he was most excited to play with being traded in the middle of the night on a Saturday (Luka Doncic), and a fresh start in Miami would give him that and more. The Heat are poised to be one of the powerhouses in the East after trading for Antetokounmpo, and Thompson could ride into the sunset by competing for a title after two playoff-less seasons for the Mavs.

The 3-point marksman still has a lot to offer, as he shot over 40 percent from three on 7.7 attempts per game in his first two seasons in Dallas, and now is the time to call Miami about trading them Thompson. They're going to be looking for complementary shooters to surround Giannis with, and trading for a player who has made nearly 3,000 threes in his NBA career would be a safe option.

On top of the obvious benefit for Miami, the Mavericks could get some decent value back from Miami as well. Nikola Jovic has been in trade rumors since the Giannis deal went down last night, and if Dallas believes he can stay healthy moving forward, they could target the young 6-foot-10 wing to provide additional playmaking, size, and offensive versatility in the frontcourt.

Someone like Nikola Jovic may be the swing that Mike Schmitz and Masai Ujiri are looking for as they gauge Klay Thompson's trade market, and the 23-year-old forward would have the chance to grow and develop inside a strong frontcourt that includes players like Flagg, P.J. Washington, and Dereck Lively II.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow