- After returning on Saturday following a four-month absence due to a neck injury, Heat forward Markieff Morris said he only briefly entertained the possibility that he wouldn’t make it back this season, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “At times, doubt crept in,” Morris said. “It probably wasn’t until January when the doubt crept in because it was just so long and there were a bunch of things happening that didn’t go as planned. … Other than that, if you ask me personally, I already knew that I would come back to play. It was more so not a matter of if, it was a matter of when.” Morris has played 17 minutes in each of his two appearances since returning, reclaiming his role as the team’s backup power forward.
Heat forward Jimmy Butler sprained his right ankle and did not play in the second half of Miami’s win against Detroit on Tuesday, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. Butler has already missed six games – three in November and three more in January – due to a right ankle sprain.
“He tweaked his ankle. We’ll see how he feels (Wednesday),” Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said.
- Victor Oladipo didn’t play in the second game of a back-to-back on Saturday and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said they don’t want to push him too much physically, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes. “This is just a matter of I’m not going to try to fast track this,” Spoelstra said “This is going to be about us tempering the expectations.” Miami plays Detroit on Tuesday.
- Heat veteran Markieff Morris returned on Saturday for the first time since November 8, but the forward has no interest in hearing from Nikola Jokic, as relayed by Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Jokic’s hard shot on Morris caused whiplash for the 32-year-old, forcing him to miss most of the season. The hit came after Morris delivered a hard foul just seconds earlier. “F– nah, I don’t want to hear from him,” Morris snapped, according to Vardon. “He did what he did and it is what it is.”
After missing the past 58 games with whiplash, Markieff Morris will be available for tonight’s contest against Minnesota, the Heat announced (via Twitter).
Morris has been out of action since a November 8 incident with Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, who hit him from behind in retaliation for what Jokic considered to be an excessive foul. Both players were ejected following the exchange.
Morris has been practicing with the team and traveling to road games for several weeks in anticipation of his return. He recently received clearance from the NBA’s Fitness-to-Play Panel, which proclaimed him “medically able and medically fit to practice and play.”
An offseason addition in free agency, Morris played just 10 games for Miami before the injury. He was used off the bench and averaged 7.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in 18.7 minutes per night.
Forward Markieff Morris has received medical clearance to return for the Heat, as Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press details.
Morris has missed 58 straight games with whiplash after a controversial incident between Morris and Nikola Jokic on November 8. Both players were ejected from the game, with Jokic receiving a one-game suspension.
It was reported a little over a month ago that Morris was eager to return to action, but the Heat were concerned with potential liability issues and were unwilling to clear him. Morris had a previous neck injury in 2019.
However, a source tells Reynolds that Morris has cleared a vital hurdle — he was deemed “medically able and medically fit to practice and play” by the NBA’s Fitness-to-Play Panel, which consists of three physicians.
According to Reynolds, the belief is the veteran will be available to play at some point during Miami’s current stretch of home games. The Heat face the Wolves on Saturday, the Pistons on Tuesday, and the Thunder next Friday.
Morris has been traveling and practicing with the team for several weeks, as well as doing pregame shooting sessions prior to games. Morris, 32, is averaging 7.7 points and 2.8 rebounds on .457/.364/1.000 shooting through 10 games this season (18.7 minutes).
Heat guard Tyler Herro is the frontrunner to win the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award in 2022, having averaged 20.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 3.9 APG in 32.7 MPG this season while coming off the bench in 44 of his 54 appearances. Herro is having his breakout year at the right time — he’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason.
According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, some rival executives and agents believe Herro’s next deal could approach the maximum salary. Others believe it’ll be a step below that and have used Jaylen Brown‘s four-year extension with Boston – which had a base value of $103MM, plus $12MM in incentives – as a point of comparison. Recent four-year, $85MM contracts for the likes of Fred VanVleet and Lonzo Ball have also set a potential baseline for Herro, Fischer observes.
There are still people around the NBA who believe Herro could be the “odd man out” if the Heat try to land another star, Fischer writes. “We all know Miami goes big-fish hunting,” one general manager told Bleacher Report. Still, until an obvious big-name target emerges, it seems likely that Herro’s future will be in Miami, where he’s highly valued.
Here’s more on the Heat from Fischer:
- Assuming Miami is unable to add a star player this offseason, the team’s biggest summer move could involve sharpshooter Duncan Robinson. Fischer says league personnel view Robinson as the Heat’s most logical trade chip, and sources tell Bleacher Report that the club gauged his value prior to February’s trade deadline, though no discussions ever got serious. The Heat would love to add another impact player in the frontcourt and have shown interest in Rockets big man Christian Wood and Hornets forward P.J. Washington, among others, Fischer adds.
- Victor Oladipo and Caleb Martin, both of whom will be free agents after the season, have strong interest in remaining with the Heat, sources tell Fischer.
- People around the NBA believe last month’s KZ Okpala trade that freed up Miami’s 2023 first-round pick to be dealt could be a precursor to a potential offseason move, says Fischer. “They are the best in the league at lining up for a big move,” a Western Conference executive said. Another source suggested to Fischer that Miami always has “plans for every actuality,” so the team isn’t necessarily zeroed in one specific target.
- Heat reserve Caleb Martin injured his left knee on Wednesday but it doesn’t appear to be serious. The Heat decided an MRI was not required on his hyperextended knee, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets. He’s questionable to play on Friday, Winderman adds in another tweet.
- Heat swingman Caleb Martin suffered a left knee injury in Wednesday’s 111-90 loss to Phoenix, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter links). Martin left the game early alongside Miami’s orthopedic specialist and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest. Martin is having a nice season for the Heat, averaging 9.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 1.0 SPG on .520/.396/.756 shooting through 51 games (23.1 MPG). He was promoted from a two-way contract to a standard deal last month.
Suns guard Devin Booker has exited the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols and will be available on Wednesday for the team’s showdown vs. the Heat, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Booker isn’t listed on Phoenix’s injury report.
The Suns initially placed Booker in the health and safety protocols last Wednesday. One report said he entered the protocols due to an inconclusive COVID-19 test, creating some optimism that he could be cleared quickly. But the fact that he spent nearly a full week in the protocols suggests subsequent tests were probably positive.
The Suns have held their own with Booker and Chris Paul out of the lineup, winning three of the four games Booker missed, though those victories all came against non-playoff teams (Orlando, New York, and Portland). They’ll face a tougher test tonight in Miami as the top seeds in the Western and Eastern Conferences square off.
Booker’s return will likely result in role reductions for Cameron Payne, Landry Shamet, and Aaron Holiday, with either Payne or Shamet moving from the starting five to the second unit.
There are now once again zero NBA players in the COVID-19 protocols.