Heat Notes: Stevens, Two-Way Competition, Larsson, Bisaccio, Trades

Heat guard Isaiah Stevens continues to impress in Summer League after inking an Exhibit 10 contract with the organization, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. Despite being undersized, Stevens is looking like a possible solution at the backup point guard position for Miami while registering a league-high 8.5 assists.

He’s a massive reason the Heat’s summer league team is dominating in Las Vegas. The Heat went 4-0 in Vegas and advanced to a semifinal game against the Warriors after blowing out the Raptors 109-73 on Friday. Several players on the roster are popping and Stevens’ ability to find them in their spots is a big reason why.

“First and foremost, he’s doing his thing really,” Heat summer league coach Dan Bisaccio said. “Not listening to me, being who he is. Being a player. He does such a great job of getting our offense organized. I have complete trust in him with that. I love the fact that he really picks and chooses his opportunities when to be aggressive and when to be a play-maker. Then when we need to settle, he settles.”

Stevens has recorded 41 assists to 12 turnovers in his last five summer league performances (including the California Classic).

“I’ve been playing the point guard position a long time,” Stevens said. “So far to this point, I’ve been able to have a lot of team success in that way and I think it comes from being unselfish at the helm. Just trying to get guys opportunities, I feel like it makes them want to play with you even more, it makes them want to play harder because they know they actually have an opportunity of being rewarded at the end of a cut, when they’re open, as they’re moving. So I think it just brings the team together when that’s your style of play.”

The Heat have incredibly difficult decisions to make with their developmental players. As it stands, Miami can’t sign a 15th player on a standard contract without crossing the second apron. The Heat have also filled out their two-way roster spots with Keshad Johnson, Zyon Pullin and Dru Smith.

Pullin has shown flashes in summer league, but Stevens has played more, meaning the latter may replace the former on a two-way deal. Stevens’ Exhibit 10 deal makes him eligible to be converted to a two-way. Even still, the Heat clearly had a high grade on Pullin and broke their tradition of having players battle it out for two-way deals by giving the Florida guard one right after the draft. If he’s waived, another team may sign him.

That doesn’t even address the impressive play of Josh Christopher, Cole Swider and Alondes Williams, — the latter two finished last season on two-way deals with Miami. Swider and Williams had their qualifying offers pulled and are free to sign with other teams, but could also re-sign to Exhibit 10 deals with the Heat. Christopher is also free to sign with another team but his high-level scoring should have him in strong consideration for a two-way from Miami.

Johnson’s two-way deal is safe, and Smith is someone the organization is clearly invested in. In all, the Heat have at least seven players who are worthy of two-way consideration on their summer roster and aren’t guaranteed of funneling the four who don’t make the roster to their developmental system in Sioux Falls.

We have more from the Heat:

• Heat second round rookie Pelle Larsson joined first-rounder Kel’el Ware and the two-way competitors in impressing against the Raptors, Chiang observes in a separate piece. Larsson’s averaging 12.5 PPG in his last two summer league games and finishing Friday with four assists and two triples. “He’s getting more confident in his ability to attack the paint and make plays for himself and also others,” Bisaccio said. “So we’re going to continue to look for him to continue to find that confidence and continue to find his role.”
• Bisaccio has been with the organization since 2014 and was rewarded for his hard work by being promoted to head coach of the Skyforce. He expressed gratitude for the Heat organization for continuing to believe in him and work with him when he went through a life-threatening illness in 2018, Ira Winderman of South Florida’s Sun Sentinel writes. “Coach Spo, (GM) Andy Elisburg, (president of basketball operations Pat) Riley, all these guys visited me,” Bisaccio said. “They put together flights, hotels for my family. They were in constant communication.“
• The Heat aren’t in a position to make a big trade this offseason but they’ll have some optionality when the players they re-signed become trade eligible this season, Winderman writes in a separate piece. If Miami ultimately decides to part with Jimmy Butler, that’s something that becomes more feasible when all players are eligible to be traded. The same goes for any potential deals that revolve around their larger contracts like Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier or Duncan Robinson.