Heat Notes: Exception, Whiteside, Pick

The NBA granted the Heat a disabled player exception this week because of the season-ending injury to forward Josh McRoberts and Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel looks at the team’s options to use the $2.65MM. Winderman argues that the Heat could have an advantage over other teams when veteran players from losing teams agree to a buyout with hopes of signing with contenders. However, he notes that timing could be an issue for this strategy because of the team’s need for immediate help. Without bringing someone in sooner than later, the team could find itself absent from the list of contenders.

Here’s more from Miami:

• Hassan Whiteside has earned his spot on the roster and if he maintains his level of play, the 25-year-old center may become part of the team’s long-term plan, writes Winderman in the same piece. Winderman suggests that the team could trade Chris Anderson with the hopes of getting back into the draft. Another bonus of the potential trade would be more playing time for Whiteside, who is averaging only 7.7 minutes per game this season.
• While getting value on players who aren’t in the team’s long-term plans makes sense, sacrificing wins this season to keep their own first-round draft pick does not for the Heat, writes Winderman in a separate piece. The Heat owe their 2015 first rounder (top-10-protected) to the Sixers. If the pick is not conveyed this season, it has the same provision for 2016. If not conveyed by then, it becomes unprotected in 2017. Winderman argues that the team would be better off losing the pick this season due to potential value of that 2017 first-rounder.
• The Heat haven’t started the season the way they had hoped but coach Erik Spoelstra remains optimistic, writes Surya Fernandez of Fox Sports Florida. “You have to keep on plugging away; you have to keep on forging ahead,” Spoelstra said. “We are getting closer, sometimes you can get so deep in the forest you can’t see the trees, and I think that’s how we feel right now. But if you can step back objectively without emotion you can see we are making some progress. It’s a struggle, and when you can grow the most is when you embrace the struggle, learn from it and you get over that struggle. We are not quite there yet but guys are working to do the right thing.” Miami sports a record of 14-17 this season.