​Photo by Soobum Im/Getty ImagesThe Dallas Mavericks bought out Klay Thompson, but the former NBA champion ended up taking less money than is typical in these situations. NBA insider Brian Windhorst explained why.Klay Thompson’s time with the Dallas Mavericks didn’t go exactly as planned. He was supposed to be the final piece to take the team to a championship but the Luka Doncic trade changed all that.Thompson went into this offseason as a very likely buyout candidate. That’s exactly what happened, and the former 4-time NBA champion subsequently signed with the Miami Heat.Klay was set to earn $17.5 million with the Mavericks during the 2026-27 season. However, in negotiating his buyout, he gave up a whopping $9.8 million. This has raised some eyebrows in the NBA world.Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty ImagesBrian Windhorst gives MLE explanation for Klay Thompson giving up $9.8 million in Mavericks buyoutThe Mavericks are in an odd situation themselves. The team still has many pieces from the 2024 Finals run, but their superstar, Cooper Flagg, is going into his sophomore season.As such, trade flexibility is quite important for the organisation in the immediate term. And it seems Thompson’s buyout was likely negotiated with that in mind, as Brian Windhorst recently explained.“This was a negotiation, and we know it was a negotiation because of how much money Klay gave up,” Windhorst said. “He gave up $9.8 million. A typical buyout is a guy giving up what he’s getting.“Klay gave up way more. The mid-level exception for years was something you could use to sign a player. And the current CBA you can now use it as a trade exception. And that was clearly the threshold.“My point is $9.8 million is kind of a random number. The Mavericks clearly wanted that number because it enables them to have the full mid-level to use. That was specifically something the Mavericks were holding the line on.”Windhorst’s explanation lines up with what makes the most sense for the team. Moving to a better situation was more seemingly more important for Thompson than just collecting the biggest paycheck he could.Read more:‘Just say it’ – Charles Barkley’s advice to Adam Silver and Cathy Engelbert amid WNBA trans athlete debateIndiana Fever game sets viewership record and matches NBA average from last seasonLeBron James’ LLC borrowed $300 million from Mark Walter-led Guggenheim before joining LA Lakers