Southeast Notes: White, Mahinmi, Curry

The recent play of 10-day contract signee Okaro White has the Heat reconsidering their roster. Originally added as a 16th man via a league hardship provision, White has had so much of an impact on the team that the franchise is reluctant to see him go now that Josh Richardson has returned to health.

That means it could be somebody like Derrick Williams who the Heat release instead, says Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.

“I can assure you that White has made himself a keeper,” he writes in a Heat mailbag.

In five games with the Heat, White has proven an ability to contribute across the board. More importantly, with White in the rotation, the team hasn’t lost a game. Though they remain 14th in the Eastern Conference with their 17-30 record, the six-game win streak has given the team momentum.

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

  • Since starting the year 3-9, the Wizards have emerged as a contender in the East. At the center of it all has been John Wall, finally getting the opportunity to play at full health, writes Howard Fendrich of the Associated Press. “This charge, the last seven or eight weeks,” head coach Scott Brooks said  Thursday, “is because of [Wall’s] ability to lead us and get to the paint and give us a lot of open shots.”
  • Citing Friday’s loss to their former teammate Courtney Lee and the Knicks, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes that the Hornets need to make a trade. “It doesn’t have to be splashy,” he says, just something that will “infuse some energy and scoring into the rotation.”
  • The Wizards have no intention of adding a big man if Ian Mahinmi will be deemed healthy enough to play during the final stretch of the season, writes J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic. With regard to Mahinmi’s health, however, they’ll have to wait and see. During the summer, Mahinmi was signed to a four-year, $60MM deal. He’s played just one game of action with the team in 2016/17.
  • Like any star that returns to their hometown, Stephen Curry was asked about the possibility of him signing with the Hornets via free agency, writes Anthony Slater of The Mercury News. “I’ve gotten that since I’ve been in the league,” the Warriors guard said. “This is my home. So there’s obviously going to be an attachment to the city and that kind of chatter is something I’ve been asked about and dealt with since the first time I came back my rookie year. It’s fun. You know you have that support here. It just kind of is what it is.”
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