{"id":818038,"date":"2026-08-22T11:09:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T11:09:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/818038\/"},"modified":"2026-08-22T11:09:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T11:09:23","slug":"updated-nba-title-odds-after-klay-thompson-signs-with-miami-heat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/818038\/","title":{"rendered":"Updated NBA title odds after Klay Thompson signs with Miami Heat"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NBA<\/a> offseason has already been the most hectic ever, and now a future Hall of Famer has found a new home.<\/p>\n

ESPN\u2019s Shams Charania<\/a> reports that four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson has agreed to a buyout with the Dallas Mavericks and will sign with the Miami Heat once cleared.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This move was rumored for weeks, as Thompson and the Mavericks were eyeing a mutual split. The Heat are in win-now mode after trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo earlier this summer, and the biggest need is spacing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

MORE: Projecting the 2026 Miami Heat starting lineup after Klay Thompson signing<\/a><\/p>\n

Thompson and the Mavericks navigated a buyout from his $17.5 million expiring salary after the four-time NBA champion made it clear to Dallas that he wanted to play for a contender. The Heat made one of the NBA’s all-time greatest shooters their top free agent priority this\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/gn8JRm2EBj<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Antetokounmpo is going to be a force inside on offense and will have multiple bodies on him, leaving shooters open. Miami didn\u2019t have much shooting around their new star, though, so this move makes all the sense in the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Thompson is coming off a down season, posting career lows of 11.7 points per game and 39.3 field-goal percentage. The Mavericks were in an awful situation, though: a bad team revolving around rookie Cooper Flagg while also without star guard Kyrie Irving.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now heading to the Eastern Conference, Thompson and the Heat have title expectations. Miami also has a better path to the NBA Finals that doesn\u2019t involve beating either the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs to get there.\u00a0<\/p>\n

MORE: Predicting the NBA champion & final 4 ahead of 2026-2027 season<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Thompson will likely start for the Heat this October, but how much does this really move the needle for NBA title odds?<\/p>\n

Miami Heat\u2019s odds to win NBA title after signing Klay Thompson<\/p>\n

\"NBA:Mar 1, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) looks to score as Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) defends. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)<\/p>\n

According to DraftKings Sportsbook<\/a>, Thompson signing with the Heat isn\u2019t moving the needle very far. The Heat don\u2019t even rank among the top 10 teams in the NBA with the shortest odds to win the title. The NBA title odds as follows.<\/p>\n

San Antonio Spurs (+270)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Oklahoma City Thunder (+270)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Philadelphia 76ers (+900)<\/p>\n

New York Knicks (+900)<\/p>\n

Boston Celtics (+1300)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cleveland Cavaliers (+2200)<\/p>\n

Toronto Raptors (+2500)<\/p>\n

Minnesota Timberwolves (+2500)<\/p>\n

Detroit Pistons (+2500)<\/p>\n

Denver Nuggets (+2500)<\/p>\n

Miami Heat (+3000)<\/p>\n

The Heat are appropriately placed within the NBA title odds. Even with Thompson added, the roster is thin, and there isn\u2019t a ton of high-octane offense around Antetokounmpo. This isn\u2019t 2018-19 Thompson, who was All-NBA and the best 3-and-D player on the planet.<\/p>\n

The best scenario for Thompson\u2019s role on the Heat is that he stays healthy and keeps his 3-point percentage at or above the 38.3 percent he shot last season. If Miami can get 10 to 14 points per game out of Thompson with consistent shooting, then that\u2019s a win. That being said, Miami still isn\u2019t a title contender, and honestly not a top-five team in the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n

The New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers all have more complete rosters than the Heat. Antetokounmpo can be the best player in the conference, but that\u2019s not enough.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call\u00a01-800-GAMBLER<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014\u00a0Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter\u00a0<\/a>\u2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The NBA offseason has already been the most hectic ever, and now a future Hall of Famer has…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":818039,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3778],"tags":[7,149,228,144,498,295,189,3881,6,3269],"class_list":["post-818038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami-heat","tag-basketball","tag-dallas-mavericks","tag-featured","tag-heat","tag-klay-thompson","tag-miami","tag-miami-heat","tag-miamiheat","tag-nba","tag-nba-free-agency"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/117138854277978328","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/818038","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=818038"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/818038\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/818039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=818038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=818038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=818038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}