The Heat may get two injured players back tonight, with both Wayne Ellington and Rodney McGruder aiming to return to the court against the Thunder. However, the team will be missing another rotation player, having announced today (via Twitter) that Josh McRoberts will be out indefinitely due a stress fracture in his left foot.
McRoberts, who will turn 30 in February, first fractured his left foot in last season’s playoffs, and had his debut this season delayed as he recovered from a stress reaction. It’s not clear if he has re-injured that same foot, or if he’s simply still dealing with the effects of that old injury. Either way, there’s no timetable for his return at this time.
In 22 games (14 starts) for the Heat this year, McRoberts has averaged just 4.9 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 2.3 APG, and continues to struggle with his shot. After shooting a career-worst 37.2% from the field in 2015/16, McRoberts is at 37.6% this season, though he has made 41.9% of his three-pointers.
McRoberts has been viewed as one of many potential trade candidates on Miami’s roster, but he didn’t have a ton of trade value when he was on the court, and if he’s sidelined for an extended period, his value will only diminish further. As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes, the Heat tried unsuccessfully to move McRoberts during 2016’s free agent period. The veteran forward is making $5.782MM in 2016/17, and has a $6MM+ player option on his deal for next year.
The Heat, who have been without Chris Bosh all year due to health concerns, have seen several other players miss time with injuries. Miami appeared to be on the verge of getting healthy with Ellington and McGruder on the way back, but McRoberts will now join Dion Waiters on the team’s list of injured players.