Heat Rumors

Five Key Offseason Questions: Miami Heat

The ripple effect of the 2016 and 2017 offseasons continues to impact the Heat, who invested substantially in Hassan Whiteside, Tyler Johnson, James Johnson, Dion Waiters, and Kelly Olynyk during those two summers. While some of those players continued to provide Miami with positive contributions in 2018/19, none were full-time starters and three ranked outside the team’s top eight in minutes per game.

With their cap overrun by lucrative salaries for good – but not great – veterans, the Heat have had a tough time acquiring true impact players in recent years, and that lack of high-end talent has hurt them on the court. Despite having one of the NBA’s deepest rosters – 12 players started at least 10 games for Miami in 2018/19 – the club has suffered from not having a star who can take over and close games.

The result? A 39-43 record and a spot in the lottery this season, as the Heat missed the playoffs for the third time in five years since LeBron James‘ departure.

Here are five key questions facing the franchise this summer:

1. How much longer will Pat Riley be patient with this roster?

It wasn’t long ago that the Heat were perennial contenders for top free agents on the open market, but after missing out on Kevin Durant in 2016 and Gordon Hayward in 2017, team president Pat Riley decided to pull back.

Riley’s investments that summer in James Johnson, Waiters, and Olynyk – all of whom received four-year contracts worth north of $11MM per year – were a reflection of that adjusted philosophy. The Heat weren’t giving up on the pursuit of star players entirely, but they didn’t want to let their own contributors get away, and figured re-signing them could open up trade opportunities down the road.

The Heat have had the occasional opportunity to make a splash on the trade market since then – they were considered frontrunners for Jimmy Butler at one point last fall – but those big contracts that could have been used for salary matching haven’t been as team-friendly as Miami had hoped. As a result, the Heat have been mostly locked into their current roster, with swaps of bad contracts (like Tyler Johnson’s for Ryan Anderson‘s) representing the only real trades available to them.

After a mediocre showing in 2018/19, it’s hard to imagine Riley signing up for more of the same in 2019/20, so it’ll be interesting to see how aggressively the Heat try to get out from under some of their pricier deals this summer.

Whiteside, Anderson, and Goran Dragic are entering contract years (assuming Whiteside and Dragic exercise their player options, as expected), which might make them easier to move. But it’s not clear how many of Miami’s veterans have positive trade value, so the club will have to extensively evaluate the risk and reward of any deal.

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Southeast Notes: Wizards, Hayes, Heat, Draft

The Wizards will work out six prospects on Wednesday, according to the team’s website. Bryce Brown (Auburn), Harry Froling (Marquette 2018), Jessie Govan (Georgetown), Frank Howard (Syracuse), Anthony Lee (Kutztown), and Myles Stephens (Princeton) will all participate in drills for Washington.

Here’s more from around the Southeast Division:

  • The Heat have invited Jaxson Hayes for a workout, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. However, the big man has no plans to visit Miami, as he’s expected to be selected before the Heat pick at No. 13.
  • Charles Cooke has worked out for the Heat, Jackson writes in the same piece. Cooke, who went undrafted out of Dayton in 2017, is in play for the team’s summer league team.
  • The Heat gave Duncan Robinson a $250K guarantee and Yante Maten a $100K guarantee in their respective contracts with the team, Jackson relays (same piece). Both players have trigger dates down the line that would bring additional guaranteed salary.
  • The Magic have worked out Cameron Johnson (UNC) and Kris Clyburn (UNLV), according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link). Orlando has the Nos. 16 and 46 overall picks in the draft.

Draft Notes: Washington, Konchar, Thomas, McQuaid

Former Kentucky Wildcat PJ Washington is fully healthy and will have his first pre-draft workout on Sunday, Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link). The first of his five upcoming visits will be with the Heat.

Here are more workout notes on the upcoming draft:

  • John Konchar (Purdue) recently worked out for the Suns and Magic, a source tells Jordan Schultz of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Konchar will work out for the Warriors on June 6.
  • Elijah Thomas (Clemson) has worked out for the Pacers, Michael Scotto of The Athletic relays.  Thomas will participate in drills for the Wizards on Friday.
  • Matt McQuaid worked out for the Pistons and Grizzlies, Rod Beard of the Detroit News tweets. The Michigan State product will also work out for the Cavaliers.
  • Amir Coffey (Minnesota) has worked out for the Raptors and Hornets, per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link). Coffey will also work out for the Pelicans and Timberwolves.

Heat Among Teams With Trade Interest In J.R. Smith

The Heat and Thunder project to be taxpaying teams next season based on their current salary commitments, but according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, both clubs are already mulling possible ways to cut costs.

As for the Heat, Charania reports that they’re among the teams that have expressed some interest in a J.R. Smith with the Cavaliers. As we’ve previously explained, Smith isn’t an attractive trade target for his on-court contributions, but for his contract — acquiring Smith in a trade and then waiving him could allow a team to save up to $18MM on its 2019/20 cap. The Heat, with several pricey guaranteed contracts on their books, would make sense as a possible trade partner for Cleveland.

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Draft Workouts: Clarke, Caroline, Franks, Murphy, Bolden

Potential lottery pick Brandon Clarke of Gonzaga worked out for the Heat on Monday, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. The 6’8” forward is ranked No. 13 overall by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. the same draft spot that Miami possesses. Team president Pat Riley and the Heat’s brass recently attended Priority Sports’ Chicago workout, in which Clarke participated. Cal State Fullerton guard Kyle Allman Jr. will also work out for the team this week, Jackson adds.

We have more draft workouts:

  • Nevada forward Jordan Caroline will work out for the Cavaliers on Tuesday, Jordan Schultz of ESPN tweets.
  • Washington State forward Robert Franks, ranked No. 94 by Givony, worked out for the Celtics, Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype tweets.
  • Minnesota forward Jordan Murphy will visit the Nets and Spurs, Darren Wolfson of KSTP tweets.
  • Duke center Marques Bolden will work out for the Knicks on Friday, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets. He also has workouts scheduled with the Lakers, Spurs, Hornets, Cavs and Celtics.
  • Ole Miss guard Terence Davis will visit for the Jazz on Tuesday, Tony Jones of The Athletic tweets. Davis has been asked to second workouts with the Celtics and Warriors, Jones adds.

Heat To Work Out Keldon Johnson

  • Keldon Johnson, the No. 19 overall prospect on ESPN’s big board, said he has worked out for the Celtics and also has sessions on tap with the Heat, Hornets, and Timberwolves, per Robbins (via Twitter).

Exploring Possible Heat Trade Options; Impact Of Short-Term Kawhi Leonard Raptors Deal

Heat To Work Out Darel Poirier

  • After visiting the Lakers on Friday, French center Darel Poirier had workouts lined up with the Heat, Sixers, Jazz, and Timberwolves, according to Nicola Lupo of Sportando (Twitter link). Poirier played in the G League in 2018/19 with Washington’s affiliate, but remains draft-eligible for 2019.

Heat Working Out PJ Washington, Tyler Herro, Dewan Hernandez

Heat Notes: Richardson, Haslem, Draft

The Heat decided to pull back in trade discussions when discussing a Josh Richardson-centered deal for Jimmy Butler last season, but the swingman won’t be untouchable in trade talks going forward, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel relays in his latest mailbag.

Winderman writes that if Richardson is needed to complete a deal, he could be in a similar situation to Caron Butler‘s in the mid-2000s. Butler was included in the trade with the Lakers to bring Shaquille O’Neal to the Heat. Richardson, who will turn 26 in September, cooled off as a long-range marksman in 2018/19, making just 35.7% of his attempts from behind the arc. He’s under contract through the 2021/22 season (final year of the pact is a player’s option).

Here’s more from Miami:

  • Udonis Haslem could have a role as a consultant with the Heat, Winderman contends in the same piece. Haslem remains undecided about retiring as a player, though Winderman notes that he expects the power forward to actively remain with the Heat in some capacity regardless of his official decision. Former Heat center Alonzo Mourning trains with the team and instructs younger players, though he isn’t required to travel. That wouldn’t be a bad deal if Haslem decides to retire.
  • Kevin Porter Jr. (USC) will make a visit to Miami to work out for the Heat, a source tells Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Jackson writes that the team is intrigued by his scoring ability, athletism, and high ceiling.
  • Pat Riley and the Heat’s brass attended Priority Sports’ Chicago workout last week to see a handful of prospects, Jackson relays in the same piece. Gonzaga’s Brandon Clarke, Purdue’s Carsen Edwards, Maryland’s Bruno Fernando, Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ, Virginia’s Ty Jerome, Nebraska’s Isaiah Roby, Tennessee’s Admiral Schofield, DePaul’s Max Strus and Belmont’s Dylan Windler participated in drills. Jackson notes that Clarke is likely the only prospect in contention for the No. 13 overall pick.