Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wade Wants To Be Comfortable With Role In Miami

September 13th, 2018 at 2:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Dwyane Wade isn’t demanding to start, but he does want to feel comfortable with his role on the Heat before committing to play another season, writes Greg Cote of The Miami Herald.

Wade was used exclusively in a reserve role after the Cavaliers traded him to Miami in February. He came off the bench in all 21 regular season games with the Heat, along with four postseason contests.

Wade would like to be used more than the 22.2 minutes of playing time he averaged after returning to Miami, Cote adds. He would be willing to play a mentor’s role, similar to newly re-signed teammate Udonis Haslem, but also wants to contribute on the court.

Miami has been holding a roster spot open for Wade, but had hoped for an earlier decision. Team president Pat Riley originally said he hoped for a final determination by the middle of August, then later said Labor Day was “sort of the drop-dead date for players.”

Cote expects Wade to announce that he’ll play one more year, but not until the team’s Media Day on September 24.

Heat Notes: Draft, Richardson, Wade, Haslem

September 12th, 2018 at 2:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA appears to be holding off a decision to eliminate the one-and-done rule until the 2022 draft, which would be good news for the Heat, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. That would mean Miami wouldn’t miss out on a potential bonanza in the 2021 class with the top college prospects and high school seniors both available. The Heat are the only team that have traded their 2021 first-rounder, sending it to Phoenix in the Goran Dragic deal. The Suns moved it to the Sixers this summer as part of the package to acquire Mikal Bridges.

Jonathan Givony of ESPN recently reported that teams have been told by league executives that no change in the one-and-done rule will occur prior to 2022. The Heat haven’t appealed to the league to make the change in any particular year, Jackson adds.

Jackson shares more from Miami in the same story:

At least one unidentified team offered a first-round pick to Miami in exchange for Josh Richardson during the offseason. The Heat turned it down and have no plans to part with Richardson, who is entering the first season of a four-year, $42MM extension. The team also prefers to hang onto Dragic, Kelly Olynyk, Bam Adebayo, James Johnson and Justise Winslow.
Dwyane Wade has less than two weeks to make a decision before camp opens, but at least one Heat official believes he wants to play this season. Wade has been on vacation in California, but will return to Miami tomorrow to open a restaurant with Udonis Haslem, who has been part of the recruiting effort to get Wade to return.
Haslem said his “love for the organization” and his teammates was behind his decision to return for a 16th season. “If I was looking for playing time, I could have gone someplace else or played in China or something,” he said. “But at the end of the day, would it have made me as happy as being around this organization and being around these guys? No, I don’t think it would.” Haslem saw minimal action last season, averaging about five minutes per night in 14 games.

Heat Exercise Option On Bam Adebayo

September 12th, 2018 at 12:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat have exercised their third-year option on Bam Adebayo, the team announced on its website. The move locks in his $3,454,080 salary for the 2019/20 season.

The decision isn’t surprising after Adebayo’s impressive rookie campaign. The 14th player selected in the 2017 draft, he made an instant impact in Miami, earning a rotation spot and contributing mostly in a reserve role. The 21-year-old posted a 6.9/5.5/1.5 line in 69 games while averaging 19.8 minutes per night.

Adebayo’s fourth-year option, which the Heat will have to decide on next summer, would pay him $5,115,492 for the 2020/21 season.

Matt Williams Signs In Finland

September 12th, 2018 at 8:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Matt Williams, who held a two-way contract with the Heat for part of last season, has signed to play in Finland, according to Orazio Cauchi of Sportando. KTP-Basket announced the deal with Williams this morning.

Undrafted out of Central Florida in 2017, Williams signed a two-way deal with Miami in mid-October and was waived at the end of December. He appeared in three games at the NBA level, playing 11 total minutes and averaging 1.7 PPG.

Williams was more productive in the G League, averaging 10.2 points and 2.7 rebounds per night in 43 games for the Heat’s affiliate in Sioux Falls.

Haslem Wants Wade To Join Him Back In Miami; The Frontcourt

September 11th, 2018 at 7:58pm CST by Austin Kent

The Heat will bring back their “captain”, 38-year-old Udonis Haslem, for the 2018/19 season. Now, an Associated Press report states, he’ll get to work convincing Dwyane Wade to join him in fending off retirement. “My mindset has always been for us to finish it together,” Haslem said. “I want us to do a whole season together. Experience the road, dinner on the road, go through that whole process. I want us to experience that together.” Wade, of course, played half of last season with the Cavaliers after initially leaving Miami for the Bulls in the summer of 2016.
The Heat have a number of options that Erik Spoelstra will need to mix and match in order to fill his frontcourt. Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes in a mailbag with readers that he views Kelly Olynyk as a change-of-pace backup center behind Hassan Whiteside and James Johnson as the club’s power forward.

Heat Re-Sign Udonis Haslem

September 10th, 2018 at 5:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

SEPTEMBER 10: Haslem has officially re-signed, according to a team press release. “It’s great to have our captain back,” Heat president Pat Riley said. “We’re looking forward to having UD back for his 16th season with the Heat.”

SEPTEMBER 6: Veteran forward Udonis Haslem will return for another season with the Heat, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. He agreed to a one-year contract at the veteran’s minimum of about $2.4MM.

The contract will include an “implicit” no-trade clause, notes salary cap expert Albert Nahmad, but it’s almost unthinkable that Miami would try to include Haslem in a deal (Twitter link).

Haslem has spent 15 years in the NBA, all with the Heat, but has transitioned into a mentor’s role in the past two seasons. He got into just 14 games last year, played about five minutes per night and averaged less than a point and a rebound per contest.

Haslem originally signed with Miami in 2003 after going undrafted out of Florida. He became a starter in his second season and averaged close to a double-double in points and rebounds for several years. He provided toughness and leadership as a part-time starter during the Big Three era when the Heat made four straight trips to the NBA Finals.

Miami has been holding two roster spots open throughout the summer for Haslem and Dwyane Wade. Today’s signing brings the Heat’s training camp total to 19 with Wade expected to announce a decision soon. Thirteen players have guaranteed contracts with Duncan Robinson and Yante Maten holding two-way deals and Briante Weber, Marcus Lee, Malik Newman and Jarnell Stokes all having Exhibit 10s (Twitter link).

Heat Notes: Dragic, Olynyk, Stokes, Bosh

September 8th, 2018 at 6:32pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat may be willing to trade Goran Dragic, but only if they can get a first-round pick and some financial flexibility for next summer, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Dragic’s name was floated last week as a possible target for the Suns, who are without a veteran point guard after dealing Brandon Knight to the Rockets.

Dragic is the only established point guard on the Heat roster, but Winderman notes that Miami has a logjam in the backcourt, needing to find time for Dion Waiters, Tyler Johnson, Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow, Wayne Ellington, Rodney McGruder and possibly Dwyane Wade. The Heat, who are over the projected luxury tax for this season with nearly $127MM in guaranteed salary, could also benefit financially from unloading Dragic, who will make more than $18.1MM this year and has a $19.2MM player option for 2019/20.

Winderman passes along more Heat info in the same story:

Kelly Olynyk has committed to play a pair of World Cup qualifying games this month for the Canadian national team. Olynyk is among several NBA players on the roster for Canada, which hopes to qualify for the tournament for the first time since 2010. Olynyk’s games are set for Wednesday and September 17, so they won’t interfere with Miami’s training camp.
Jarnell Stokes is grateful for the opportunity to join the Heat in camp, even though he faces long odds to win a roster spot. The power forward played five games with Miami during the 2015/16 season and has a high opinion of the franchise. “They are very fair when it comes to trusting what they see,” Stokes said in a recent interview with J.D. Shaw of Def Pen Hoops. “A lot of guys go by numbers and politics, but you can pretty much trust that if you put in the work — guys like Tyler Johnson, Hassan Whiteside, Josh Richardson — these guys really did not have an opportunity at first. Miami is typically the spot that is able to trust in what they see.”
Former Heat big man Chris Bosh continues to express his desire to return to the NBA. The Georgia Tech alum, who hasn’t played since doctors discovered a recurrence of blood clots in 2016, said in an interview with ramblinwreck.com that he hopes to work toward a comeback this season. Because Bosh left the Heat over a medical issue and the final two years of his contract were removed from Miami’s cap, he is not permitted to rejoin the team.

Team Exec Fired Amid FBI Probe

September 7th, 2018 at 7:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Heat have fired a team executive who is under an FBI investigation into a suspected money-laundering scheme, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports. Jeffrey R. David was hired in July as chief revenue officer for The Heat Group after a similar role with the Kings. He had been placed on administrative leave before Miami decided to let him go. David is suspected of diverting $13.4MM in funds from two of the Sacramento franchise’s top sponsors and using it to purchase beachfront property in Southern California.

The lack of talent on the Heat roster makes it unlikely that Erik Spoelstra will be on the hot seat during the upcoming season, Winderman opines in his latest mailbag post. Miami is not expected to contend in the Eastern Conference and Spoelstra may have to do his best coaching job just to get the Heat into the upper half of the playoff race, Winderman adds.

Southeast Notes: Hornets, Winslow, Waiters, Howard

September 6th, 2018 at 10:12pm CST by JD Shaw

Hornets coach James Borrego is seeking to give his team a fresh identity this season, labeling pace and ball movement as two important factors that can help the team, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer relays. Borrego was hired by the Hornets in May after spending the last three years under Gregg Popovich with the Spurs, plus a stint with San Antonio from 2003 to 2010.

“When the ball is just being pounded and one guy has it in his hands for five or six seconds – when we’re just seeing him dance with the ball – the rest of the defense just gets to relax and load up,” Borrego said. “You’re not going to be perfect all the time, but let’s put pressure on the defense constantly. … We demanded it in San Antonio. My job is to sell that to the players to do what’s best for the team.”

The Spurs are known for picking apart defenses with crisp passing, spacing and off-ball movement, and that’s exactly what Borrego hopes to bring to the Hornets this season. Charlotte helped alleviate this issue by allowing Dwight Howard, a paint-oriented player, to depart for the Wizards this summer.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Although Heat forward Justise Winslow is eligible for a contract extension, it remains unclear how the team plans to use the 22-year-old, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel notes in an “Ask Ira” mailbag. The Heat signed Winslow’s teammate and starting forward Josh Richardson to an extension last summer.
Heat guard Dion Waiters continues to work his way back from an ankle injury that sidelined him for most of the 2017/18 season, but the Syracuse product has yet to be cleared by a doctor for full-contact play. “Once I’m cleared from the doc it’s on,” he posted on social media, according to the Sun Sentinel.
Dwight Howard could be the missing piece the Wizards have been seeking for quite some time, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington contests. Should he buy in, Howard’s ability to defend the rim, set effective screens and play in the pick-and-roll could pay dividends for Washington.

Kelly Olynyk On Canada's Camp Roster For WC Qualifiers

September 5th, 2018 at 11:20am CST by Luke Adams

Team Canada’s training camp roster for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers features a handful of NBA players, including Kelly Olynyk (Heat), Tristan Thompson (Cavaliers), Dillon Brooks (Grizzlies), Cory Joseph (Pacers), and Khem Birch (Magic).