The Heat have been looking to shed salary, having made Hassan Whiteside, Tyler Johnson, and Dion Waiters available in trade talks, two rival high-ranking executives tell Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
According to those execs, however, Miami has been unwilling to attach a future first-round pick or a young player like Justise Winslow or Josh Richardson to those highly-paid veterans. As Jackson details, the Heat’s preference would be to move a big contract like Johnson’s for a lesser-paid – and perhaps less effective player – or a draft pick.
Whiteside, Johnson, and Waiters aren’t bad players, but they’re not positive trade assets on their current contracts, which span multiple seasons and will pay them $25.4MM, 19.2MM, and $11.6MM respectively in 2018/19. As such, the Heat will likely have to adjust their expectations and their asking price if they hope to move any of those players.
Here are several more notes out of South Beach:
- In an article for The Miami Herald, Barry Jackson explores the Heat’s options with Tyler Johnson‘s contract and notes that agent Mark Bartelstein isn’t ruling the possibility of Derrick Walton returning to the Heat. Miami withdrew Walton’s two-way qualifying offer earlier this week.
- Heat head coach Erik Spoeltra appears committed to a fresh start with Hassan Whiteside, telling reporters this week that he has been in “constant contact” with the veteran center this summer (link via The Miami Herald). “I’m looking forward to the start of the season with a healthy Hassan. I know he’s looking forward to that,” Spoelstra said. “And we still have a good part of the summer to get better. I think Hassan having an opportunity to start off the season healthy will be a really big boost for us.”
- The Heat remain on the lookout for under-the-radar free agents who are participating in the Las Vegas Summer League or holding individual workouts in Vegas this week, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “Guys are getting two-ways during Summer League right now,” assistant GM Adam Simon said. “So those guys come off the table. So my job, our job, is to make sure we’re aware of all players that are available and then when it’s time to make decisions, then, as a group, we make those decisions.”
- In a separate article for The Sun Sentinel, Winderman examines how the Heat will handle their logjam at shooting guard with Wayne Ellington re-signing and a Dwyane Wade return still in play.
I wouldn’t trade Tyler Johnson anyway, and we already knew moving Whiteside wouldn’t be possible. Waiters is coming off the injury, so that makes it harder to move him too. I’m just hoping we can sign Melo to our exception/part of it or the minimum after he gets bought out, and keep Wade for the rest of/the full exception depending on what Melo gets. And then obviously UD coming back. We would be slightly in the luxury tax for 1 year, but whatever. This team would have a lot of depth, which will help us finally deal with injuries, and then we’ll have a bunch of expiring salary to utilize
Not a heat fan but would like to see Derick Jones Jr get some minutes this season. He’s showed he can step out and hit the 3 in summer league
Plus he has serious bounce
With our injury situation the last few years, I’m sure he will. Still, McGruder, Richardson, Waiters, Ellington, Winslow, and James Johnson are ahead of him in the spots he would see time
I always thought Miami should try to build or use more Whiteside, 2 years ago he had a monster season posting 17/14 so I have never understood why they cut his minutes & his importance in the team, those are just about all-star numbers, for example this year was a center in the east with 13/8 so I always say Whisteside is the only potential star player in Miami, I really don’t know what issue they have with him, I would happily trade all the team & keep him… though they have to offer more to trade any of these guys, picks, young players or otherwise they will never trade anyone, doesn’t Riley know how trades work?
Whiteside is a quitter, and he doesnt play pick and roll defense, and he doesnt pay attention to the details and do the small things you need your big to do. He doesnt set screens, he doesnt pass the ball, and he is a turnover machine in the post, and one of the most inefficient post players in the NBA b/c of those things. Then you have to factor in his attitude. He doesnt even enjoy his teammates success.
He was also injured a few times last year