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Heat, Raptors Finalize Kyle Lowry Sign-And-Trade

August 6th, 2021 at 5:05pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat have officially acquired point guard Kyle Lowry from the Raptors via sign-and-trade, Miami announced today in a press release. Toronto received point guard Goran Dragic and big man Precious Achiuwa in the deal.

Lowry was one of the first free agents to make a commitment when the negotiation period opened on Monday evening, but it took all week for the details of the sign-and-trade to be confirmed. Dragic and Achiuwa were always believed to be part of the deal, but there were rumors that Dragic would be flipped to a third team or that the Raptors would receive additional pieces. Ultimately, it’s just a two-for-one swap.

Lowry’s new, fully guaranteed contract with the Heat was initially reported to be worth $90MM over three years, but it’ll actually come in at $85MM, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Miami would’ve needed to include more salary in addition to Dragic and Achiuwa for matching purposes in order to accommodate that $90MM figure, notes Blake Murphy of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The Heat, who have been after Lowry since at least the trade deadline in March, will unite the six-time All-Star with his close friend Jimmy Butler, who has agreed to sign a lucrative new contract extension of his own with Miami.

While a guaranteed three-year, $85MM investment is a risk for a player who is entering his age-35 season, Lowry has championship experience and is an ideal fit on virtually any roster due to his ability to handle the ball, knock down outside shots, and provide strong defense. He averaged 17.2 PPG, 7.3 APG, and 5.3 RPG on .436/.396/.875 in 46 games (34.8 MPG) in his final season as a Raptor.

“Kyle Lowry is a great leader and an exceptional defender,” Heat president Pat Riley said in a statement. “As a point guard, he will bring important skills to run the offense, score the ball and defend with the very best.”

The Raptors, meanwhile, still could theoretically flip Dragic to another team in the coming days, weeks, or months. However, Marc Stein reported earlier today that Toronto has “resisted external interest” in the Slovenian guard from the Mavericks and other teams.

Barring further trades, Dragic will join the Raptors’ backcourt alongside Fred VanVleet, Malachi Flynn, and Gary Trent Jr., while Achiuwa will battle for minutes in a frontcourt rotation that includes Khem Birch and Chris Boucher.

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Omer Yurtseven Signs Two-Year Contract With Heat

August 6th, 2021 at 4:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Omer Yurtseven, who has excelled in summer league play, has signed a two-year contract with the Heat, according to a team press release.

Luke Glass, the son of Yurtseven’s agent Keith Glass, told ESPN’s Bobby Marks of the big man’s agreement with the team (Twitter link). Yurtseven will receive about $3.5MM across two seasons, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets, which likely means it’s a minimum-salary deal. Just the first year is guaranteed, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets.

Yurtseven averaged 26 PPG and 13.5 RPG in two California Classic Summer League games. Glass received multiple phone calls from other teams during and after those games, according to Jackson. However, remaining with Miami was always Yurtseven’s first choice.

Miami declined its $1.5MM option on Yurtseven, a 23-year-old center, at the beginning of free agency. However, that was at the seven-footer’s request.

“I asked them when we signed to not exercise the August 1 option, so that when they gave me the option, they could go back to me and do a new deal,” Glass said to Jackson. “They kept their word.”

Miami signed Yurtseven at the end of the last season, allowing him to travel with the team for its first-round series against Milwaukee in May. Yurtseven, a member of Turkey’s national team, went unselected in the 2020 draft.

Yurtseven appeared in 14 G League games last season with Oklahoma City, averaging 15.2 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per contest. He also recorded five double-doubles during that span.

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Heat Officially Re-Sign Duncan Robinson

August 6th, 2021 at 1:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat have officially re-signed sharpshooter Duncan Robinson, the team announced today in a press release. The five-year, $90MM deal, which reportedly includes an early termination option after the fourth year, was one of the first agreements reached during the free agent period on Monday.

“Duncan is the epitome of everybody who’s ever had a dream about being a great NBA player,” team president Pat Riley said in a statement. “I have never been around a player who worked as hard, fastidiously working on what he needed to do in order to improve his game. Not just his shooting, but his overall game. Having Duncan back was very critical for us.”

Robinson, 27, has been a full-time starter for the Heat over the last two seasons, averaging 13.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 1.6 APG with an impressive .454/.427/.878 shooting line in 145 games (30.5 MPG) during that time. Miami made him a restricted free agent prior to the start of free agency by extending him a $4.7MM qualifying offer.

If the Heat had used cap room this summer, it would have made sense for them to keep Robinson’s small cap hold on their books while they used up all their space, then go over the cap to finalize his deal. However, the club will operate over the cap instead, having agreed to acquire Kyle Lowry via sign-and-trade rather than signing him with cap room. As such, there was no reason not to complete Robinson’s contract right away when the moratorium lifted today.

That Lowry deal is not yet official, as the Heat and the Raptors have spent much of the week negotiating the terms of the sign-and-trade, but it should just be a matter of time before the two teams figure it out and make an announcement.

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Eastern Notes: Love, Livers, Heat, D. Robinson, Drummond

August 5th, 2021 at 12:20pm CST by Luke Adams

After drafting Evan Mobley with the No. 3 overall pick and agreeing to re-sign Jarrett Allen to a five-year, $100MM contract, the Cavaliers appear to have locked up their frontcourt of the future, prompting Jason Lloyd of The Athletic to suggest that if Kevin Love is going to remain in Cleveland, he should be prepared to accept a role off the bench.

According to Lloyd, the Cavaliers have already spoken to Love about his minutes and role moving forward. The first step will be getting the veteran power forward healthy following the calf strain that has nagged him for much of the year, but even if that calf injury is no longer an issue in the fall, Cleveland will have to closely manage Love’s minutes, writes Lloyd.

While a buyout could ultimately be in both sides’ best interests, those discussions have not yet taken place, according to Lloyd, who suggests Love would likely have to be willing to give back at least $12-15MM for the Cavs to consider buying him out. He’s owed just north of $60MM over the next two seasons.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

  • Rookie Pistons forward Isaiah Livers, who was selected 42nd overall in last Thursday’s draft, continues to recover from the right foot surgery that ended his college career, but remains optimistic that he’ll be fully cleared around the start of the 2021/22 season, writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News. “For five-on-five, I expect to be fully cleared, hopefully, at some point in October,” Livers said. As Beard observes, Detroit will likely play it safe with Livers and have him start the season with the Motor City Cruise in the G League.
  • Although the Heat might not get much out of Victor Oladipo in 2021/22, their minimum-salary agreement with the two-time All-Star will put them in good position to re-sign him next summer if he earns a raise, since they’ll hold his full Bird rights, as Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald details. Oladipo is recovering from surgery on his quad tendon and the Heat aren’t expecting him to be ready to return until sometime in 2022.
  • After agreeing to a five-year, $90MM deal with the Heat as a restricted free agent, sharpshooter Duncan Robinson said on The Long Shot podcast that he entered the week focused on getting a deal done with the only NBA team he has ever played for. “Miami ultimately, for me, felt like it was going to be the best situation because it was something I was really familiar with,” Robinson said, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “I felt like I had built equity with an organization, the coaching staff, the front office, the fans even, the city.”
  • Despite their past squabbles on and off the court, new Sixers center Andre Drummond doesn’t anticipate teaming up with Joel Embiid will be an issue, he told reporters today. “For me, there was never any real beef,” Drummond said (Twitter link via Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com). “The way we play, sometimes we talk. I don’t think it goes any further than that. … We’re on the same team now.”
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Eastern Rumors: Dinwiddie, Wizards, Avdija, Oladipo, Knicks, Bitadze

August 4th, 2021 at 2:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards continue to work through their complicated sign-and-trade acquisition of Spencer Dinwiddie, according to multiple reports.

Quinton Mayo (Twitter link) has heard the Bulls and Thunder mentioned as teams that could end up getting involved in a multi-team trade involving Dinwiddie. Mayo also reports that the Nets asked the Wizards for Deni Avdija during those negotiations, which Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News (twitter link) corroborates.

If and when the Wizards, Nets, and other potential trade partners figure out a deal, Dinwiddie is expected to get a three-year, $62MM deal from Washington, reports Winfield (Twitter link).

Here are a few more updates from around the East:

  • Although Victor Oladipo‘s camp is optimistic that he’ll be able to return to action sometime between late December and early February, some Heat people believe March is a more realistic target, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Oladipo, who underwent quad tendon surgery in May, agreed to a minimum-salary contract with Miami.
  • Following up on an Ian Begley report that stated the final year in the Knicks‘ deals with Nerlens Noel, Alec Burks, Derrick Rose, and Evan Fournier aren’t guaranteed, ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Twitter link) clarifies that all four deals are expected to have standard team options in their last years. Noel, Burks, and Rose will have those options in year three, while Fournier’s will be in year four.
  • Pacers big man Goga Bitadze wanted to play for the team in Summer League this month, but he missed Indiana’s first two SL practices due to back soreness and is now away from the club due to a personal matter, writes Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files.
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Trade Rumors: Kings, Siakam, Raptors, Dragic, Spurs, Markkanen

August 4th, 2021 at 2:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings “definitely” have trade interest in Raptors forward Pascal Siakam, Sam Amick of The Athletic said during an appearance on The Deuce & Mo Podcast (video link).

There have whispers this offseason – particularly since the Raptors used the No. 4 overall pick to draft Scottie Barnes – that Siakam is available via trade, but Amick says the Kings have been waiting for clarity on just how willing Toronto might be to move him. Sacramento would likely pursue Siakam if given the chance, though it’s unclear how much interest the Raptors would have in possible trade chips like Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley.

Here are a few more trade-related rumors and notes from around the NBA:

  • It’s looking more and more like Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa – the two primary outgoing pieces in the Heat‘s Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade – will end up with the Raptors, at least for the time being, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. The Raptors are believed to be exploring flipping Dragic to a third team, such as the Mavericks, but apparently haven’t found a deal they like yet.
  • Dragic, for his part, offered the following update on Slovenian television on Tuesday, per Iztok Franko of Mavs Moneyball (Twitter link): “I haven’t heard from Toronto yet, I’m still waiting for the news. Everything depends on the third team, we’ll have the news in the next few days.”
  • Before agreeing to acquire Thaddeus Young and Al-Farouq Aminu in their DeMar DeRozan sign-and-trade with the Bulls, the Spurs were interested in landing Lauri Markkanen via sign-and-trade, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on the latest episode of his Hoop Collective podcast. However, according to Windhorst, Markkanen sought a larger contract than the Spurs were comfortable offering, prompting the team to pivot to the veterans on expiring contracts. Windhorst believes there’s a “decent chance” Markkanen – a restricted free agent – will end up returning to Chicago.
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Heat Interested In Veteran Point Guard

August 4th, 2021 at 1:37pm CST by Eli Cohen
  • Following their deal with Victor Oladipo, the Heat remain interested in a low-cost veteran guard who will be healthy at the start of the season, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link), who names Lou Williams as a player who would “welcome” interest from the team.
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Heat Re-Sign Victor Oladipo

August 4th, 2021 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 7: The move is official, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel, who confirms that it’s a one-year deal for the veterans minimum. Miami will retain Bird Rights on Oladipo.

“We really like Victor’s versatility and how he impacts the game in multiple ways,” team president Pat Riley said. “His speed skill set fits perfectly into the core we have built.”

1:00pm: It’s a minimum-salary contract for Oladipo, a source confirms to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link).

AUGUST 4, 12:29pm: Free agent guard Victor Oladipo has agreed to a deal to rejoin the Heat, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

While Charania doesn’t provide any additional details on the terms of the contract, he tweets that Oladipo’s plan is rebuild his value and return to the open market in 2022, which suggests it’s a one-year deal. Given Miami’s limited cap flexibility, it’s likely worth either the veteran’s minimum or something close to it.

Oladipo, who was named an All-Star in 2018 and 2019, has been slowed in recent years by a ruptured quad tendon he suffered in January 2019. The 29-year-old missed approximately a full calendar year while recovering from the injury and didn’t look like his old explosive self upon returning.

The Pacers traded Oladipo to the Rockets in the four-team James Harden blockbuster earlier this year, and Houston subsequently flipped him to Miami at the trade deadline. The former No. 2 overall pick was able to play in just four games for the Heat before health issues ended his season.

Oladipo went under the knife in May, once again undergoing surgery to repair his right quad tendon. There had been some speculation that he might not sign a new deal for a few months while he gets healthy, but it appears he’ll complete his rehab while under contract with the Heat.

According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link), the veteran guard is optimistic that he’ll be able to return to the court sometime between late December and early February.

Oladipo’s best individual season came in 2017/18 with the Pacers, when he averaged 23.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.3 APG, and a league-high 2.4 SPG with a .477/.371/.799 shooting line. While the Heat aren’t expecting those kind of numbers from him when he returns this year, they reflect his ability to make a major impact on both ends of the court when he’s fully healthy.

If Oladipo can contribute during the second half of the 2021/22 season, he’ll give the Heat another option to deploy in tough defensive lineups that will feature the likes of Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, Bam Adebayo, P.J. Tucker, and Markieff Morris.

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Free Agency Roundup: Rose, Bjelica, Suns, Vanderbilt, Niang, Schroder

August 3rd, 2021 at 6:12pm CST by Eli Cohen

Derrick Rose had received interest from the Pelicans, Wizards, Bulls, and Heat before re-signing with the Knicks, write Jeff Zillgitt and Mark Medina of USA Today. The USA Today adds that Kyle Lowry signing with the Heat helped usher Rose back to the Knicks and coach Tom Thibodeau. Rose agreed to a three-year, $43MM deal on Monday.

In the same piece, Zillgitt and Medina write that five other teams considered signing Nemanja Bjelica with their mid-level exception, but Bjelica prioritized signing with the Warriors instead. Bjelica agreed to a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum earlier today.

We have more free agency rumors:

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Markieff Morris Signs With Heat

August 3rd, 2021 at 5:31pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 6: The Heat’s flurry of Friday press releases continued with an announcement of Morris’ new deal with the team.

“Markieff Morris has been a player that we’ve followed closely for a number of years,” Heat president Pat Riley said in a statement. “He can play multiple positions, shoot the three, defend and post-up. To be able to add him to our nucleus was a big move. I want to thank Markieff for coming to Miami.”

AUGUST 3: Veteran forward Markieff Morris has agreed to a one-year deal with the Heat, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). It’ll be worth the veteran’s minimum, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).

A report on Monday indicated that the Heat had made a contract offer to Morris. A day later, he has accepted it, becoming the latest free agent to make a commitment to Miami this week.

The Heat have focused on adding tough, savvy veterans, having reached deals with Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker in addition to Morris. The club also reached an agreement to re-sign sharpshooter Duncan Robinson and is bringing back center Dewayne Dedmon.

Morris, who figures to share minutes with Tucker at the four, spent the last two seasons with the Lakers, playing a rotation role on the championship roster in 2020. This past season, he averaged 6.7 PPG and 4.4 RPG on 4.05/.311/.720 shooting in 61 games (19.7 MPG). He’s typically a slightly more reliable three-point shooter, having made 34.5% of his career attempts prior to 2020/21.

The Heat still have some of their mid-level exception and their full bi-annual exception available, but they don’t have a ton of breathing room below their hard cap to fill out the roster, so they may prefer minimum-salary signings.

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