“That’s Public Record”: Klay Thompson Opens Up About His NBA Career Earnings

Klay Thompson has spent 13 seasons in the NBA and is now heading into his 14th - the final year of his three-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks. Most of his career, of course, was spent with the Golden State Warriors, where he became a household name.

With a resume that includes four titles and five All-Star appearances, Thompson was once among the NBA’s highest-paid players. During his time with the Warriors, he signed a five-year, $190 million contract. Because of the amount of money Klay has racked up in his playing career, social media content creator The School of Hard Knocks recently interviewed the four-time NBA champion about his earnings over the years.

"What was the most amount of money you made in a single year?" the content creator asked.

"I mean, that's public record," Thompson responded.

"Was it $20 million?" the content creator asked again.

"About double that," Thompson replied.

Thompson then shared his life story and how he became a success in the NBA.

"My father was in the same line of business," Thompson noted. "I was lucky to have such a great role model in him. ... For me, I'm such a basketball player. I relate everything to the hardwood. You can miss 15 straight shots. But if you prepare like it's your last game, or you want to be great, then you can live with the results. You just gotta talk to yourself positively."

Back in 2011, the Warriors brought in Thompson as the 11th pick of the draft. He wasn't necessarily the best among his class, but he evolved into one of the most lethal shooters the league has ever seen.

Since then, he's helped Stephen Curry and Draymond Green rack up four championships together as teammates. He was also part of the infamous superteam that formed in the Bay Area when Kevin Durant shockingly joined the Warriors in the 2016-17 season.

Heat Allegedly Targeting Klay Thompson

Klay Thompson has one year remaining in his three-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks. So far, it's been nothing but upsets for the Mavericks ever since they traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kyrie Irving missed the entire 2025-26 season, Anthony Davis couldn't stay healthy, and Thompson showed that he's a shell of his former self.

Despite all that, it seems that the Miami Heat are still interested in acquiring Thompson. Right now, the Heat lack shooters in their lineup.

While they have the All-Star duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, both stars aren't known for their shooting. With that said, Thompson seems to match the description of what they're looking for.

According to NBA insider Shams Charania, given that Thompson's contract is expiring soon, he and the Mavericks could agree to a buyout of his contract. We wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. Dallas is currently trying to build around their incoming sophomore star, Cooper Flagg.

Charania also mentioned that the Mavericks could also try exploring a trade deal.

"The problem is Klay (Thompson) has 1 year left on his contract, so they’re exploring whether they can trade for him, or whether this could end up in a buyout. We’ll see over the next several weeks," Charania reported on NBA Today.

The only other player reportedly on Miami's radar is DeMar DeRozan. Although he's in the latter stages of his career, DeRozan remains one of the NBA's premier mid-range scorers. While he's no longer producing at his peak, the veteran forward is still more than capable of taking over offensively and delivering big scoring performances whenever his team needs them.