Klay Thompson Would Make Heat Better Than 76ers, Says NBA Champion Amid Jrue Holiday Rumors

The Miami Heat sat on their remaining mid-level money and waited while other teams chased available veterans. The priority was always Klay Thompson. That patience just became official, and one former NBA champion is already ranking the new roster above the star-loaded Philadelphia 76ers.

Jeff Teague said the Heat are better than the 76ers after adding Klay Thompson.

“I told y’all the Heat was gonna be better than the Sixers,” Teague declared on the Club 520 podcast via Heat Central. “We got Bam, Giannis, Klay, Wiggs, Mitchell, THJ off the pine, Portis off the pine. We got a nice 7. Ryan Conwell. I like Buddy too, Nikola Jovic."

"He ain’t bad," he added. "Don’t let Jrue Holiday get a buyout and go to Miami. We (Heat) the best team in the East, competing with the Knicks.”

After clearing waivers with the Dallas Mavericks, Thompson signed a two-year deal with Miami. Teague's ranking placed the Heat above a 76ers squad that added LeBron James and Jaylen Brown to an existing core featuring Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe, keeping Miami in contention alongside the defending champion New York Knicks.

Teague, a former champion turned outspoken media voice, has always been direct in his assessments. He argues that Miami’s trio of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo, and Klay Thompson offers a clearer championship path than Philadelphia’s star-studded roster.

Jeff Teague Warns Against Jrue Holiday Joining Klay Thompson in Miami

A buyout that sends Jrue Holiday to South Beach would, per Teague, make the Heat the clear best team in the East. Miami already has Davion Mitchell and Tim Hardaway Jr. in the guard rotation. Adding Holiday would create a defensive backcourt capable of matching almost any lineup.

The Heat needed reliable three-point shooting to open the floor for Giannis and Bam. Thompson is still a high-volume shooter, and he addresses that need immediately.

Andrew Wiggins can handle Jaylen Brown defensively, removing one of the matchup advantages the 76ers appeared to hold on paper.

Klay Thompson is only a few days into his Heat tenure. Yet he is already being cited as the reason Miami has leapfrogged Philadelphia in at least one champion’s rankings.

For now, the Heat sit in the conversation with both the new superteam in Philly and the title holders in New York, and Thompson is the reason why.