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Heat Notes: Dragic, Haslem, Spoelstra, Lottery

May 13th, 2018 at 10:20am CST by Arthur Hill

Goran Dragic has retired from international basketball, but he might be persuaded to change his mind for the 2020 Olympics, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. After helping Slovenia capture the European championship last summer, Dragic plans a much more relaxed offseason this year.

“The people from the federation have been here in Miami; they tried to persuade me,” Dragic said. ‘We had a good meeting. I said my body at that time, I need to think about myself and my career. I gave to my country everything I had. Now it’s time to end.”

Dragic, who turned 32 last week, is hoping a few months of rest will pay off next season. He played 75 games this year, but his numbers declined across the board in scoring, assists and field goal percentage.

There’s more today out of Miami:

  • Udonis Haslem appeared in just 14 games this season, but Dragic says the intangibles he provides makes him worth a roster spot, Jackson adds in the same story. “It’s really tough to explain to people outside what he means to this team,” Dragic said. “Everybody is looking, ‘OK, he’s not playing’ but they don’t know how much he brings to this team, especially with his experience and leadership. A lot of guys in this locker room need leadership like UD, especially Hassan [Whiteside]. I think UD can provide that. He’s there where usually some guys would not be, in the toughest moments, when you need something, he’s there. That’s why everybody loves him.” Haslem, who will turn 38 in June, is headed into free agency and hasn’t decided if he wants to play another season.
  • Don’t expect a coaching change in Miami as long as Pat Riley remains the team president, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Erik Spoelstra is closely tied to Riley’s philosophy, Winderman notes, and the current roster probably wouldn’t fit together without him in charge.
  • The Heat won’t be involved in Tuesday’s lottery, but the results could affect them for years to come, Winderman points out in a separate piece. The lottery will help determine the balance of power at the top of the East, with the Cavaliers owning the Nets’ unprotected first-rounder and the Lakers’ first pick headed to either the Sixers or Celtics. Those teams could add to their talent base or they could use a high lottery pick as a bargaining chip if the Spurs decide to trade Kawhi Leonard.
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Rodney McGruder Hopes To Win Back Spot In Rotation

May 12th, 2018 at 2:00pm CST by clarkcrum
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Haslem Open To Front Office Role In Retirement

May 11th, 2018 at 11:01pm CST by Austin Kent
  • Veteran Heat big man Udonis Haslem hasn’t made a decision about retirement yet but he does know that when that time comes, he has no interest in coaching. He would, however, be open to serving in Miami’s front office, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes.
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2018 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Miami Heat

May 10th, 2018 at 2:09pm CST by Luke Adams

After having been unable to lure a star free agent to Miami since LeBron James‘ exit, the Heat decided to invest in good – but not great – players during 2017 free agency. That means lucrative new deals for James Johnson, Kelly Olynyk, and Dion Waiters. With Tyler Johnson and Josh Richardson also set to get big raises in 2018/19, the Heat don’t project to have cap room this summer and don’t have their first-round pick, so any major roster changes will have to come in trades.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Heat financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2018:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents

  • Jordan Mickey ($1,839,228 qualifying offer / $1,839,228 cap hold)
  • Total: $1,839,228

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000

Projected Cap Room: None

  • Even without re-signing Ellington, Wade, or any other free agents, the Heat project to be way over the cap. Their nine guaranteed salaries, McGruder’s non-guaranteed salary, and cap charges for two roster spots add up to a total team salary of $119,457,662. The Heat are likely headed for tax territory unless they can cut costs in a trade or two.

Footnotes:

  1. McGruder’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after June 30.

Note: Rookie scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Heat Decline Jordan Mickey’s Team Option

May 10th, 2018 at 12:33pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat have elected to turn down Jordan Mickey‘s team option for the 2018/19 season, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The option would have paid Mickey a salary of approximately $1.6MM. Instead, he’ll become a free agent.

Mickey, who was selected 33rd overall in the 2015 draft by the Celtics, signed with the Heat during the 2017 offseason. In his first – and potentially only – season in Miami, the 6’8″ forward averaged 4.0 PPG and 3.6 RPG in 23 games (12.3 MPG). Mickey wasn’t part of the Heat’s rotation down the stretch, appearing in just six games after the All-Star break.

Although Mickey will now be eligible for restricted free agency, I wouldn’t expect the Heat to extend him a qualifying offer, which would be worth more than his team option. He’s more likely to hit the open market on July 1 as an unrestricted free agent.

With Mickey’s option no longer in play, the Heat have 10 players under contract for the 2018/19 season, including nine guaranteed salaries and Rodney McGruder‘s non-guaranteed deal. Mickey will join Dwyane Wade, Wayne Ellington, Udonis Haslem, and Luke Babbitt as Miami’s free-agents-to-be.

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Richardson Ready To Be 'Great'; Haslem Undecided On Retirement

May 8th, 2018 at 5:12pm CST by Austin Kent
  • Steady improvement through his first three seasons has Josh Richardson in a position to make a name for himself in 2018/19. The swingman, who signed a contract extension that will keep him with the Heat through 2021/22, wants to take another step. “I’m capable of being a great player in this league and I think I showed flashes,” he told Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. “I think I just have to do it consistently.”
  • Fifteen-year Heat veteran Udonis Haslem doesn’t have a decision as to whether or not he’ll return next season. The 37-year-old tells Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel that it comes down to “having no regrets.”
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Winderman Examines Adebayo's Role Going Forward

May 6th, 2018 at 7:52pm CST by Luke Adams
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NBA Planning Summer League In Sacramento

May 6th, 2018 at 3:03pm CST by marksuleymanov

The NBA is planning a Summer League exhibition to take place in Sacramento in addition to scheduled tournaments in Utah and Las Vegas, according to Ben Dowsett of Basketball Insiders. The event is tentatively scheduled to host the Kings, Warriors, Lakers, and Heat, Dowsett notes.

The Summer League allows NBA teams to showcase roster hopefuls, young players and draftees ahead of training camp. Last November, it was reported that the Magic would not host their annual Summer League and would instead participate in the Las Vegas event. Thus, the Sacramento Summer League replaces the canceled Orlando event.

Utah’s Summer League is scheduled to occur prior to the Vegas event, but only four teams – the Celtics, Spurs, Sixers, and Jazz – played in that league last year.

As we passed along in late January, for the first time ever, all 30 NBA teams will take part in the Las Vegas Summer League in July. Last summer, 24 teams took part in the Vegas exhibition with the Knicks, Pistons, Pacers, Hornets, Magic, and Thunder sitting out the event.

“Summer League has become such an integral part of the NBA calendar, especially in Las Vegas,” NBA executive VP of basketball operations Kiki Vandeweghe said last year. “It’s grown exponentially. You kind of think about where Summer League has come from, years ago. Now it’s become this event that all 30 teams have to be a part of. … It’s a place you must be. And really, it’s become the center of basketball in the month of July.

“Anybody who is a high draft choice, a free agent trying to make it in the league or a young player trying to get some extra practice, is there,” Vandeweghe continued. “It’s a very central location that has established itself as the premier summer event for basketball in general, not just the NBA but also international as well.”

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Heat Notes: Whiteside, Riley, Winslow, Dragic

May 5th, 2018 at 8:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pelicans may be a team to watch as the Heat try to trade Hassan Whiteside this summer, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. After DeMarcus Cousins‘ Achilles injury, New Orleans is having second thoughts about offering him a max contract covering five years, preferring a two- or three-year deal at a reduced amount. If that impasse can’t be resolved, Jackson proposes a sign-and-trade involving Whiteside and other players, possibly including Justise Winslow.

Jackson, who notes that there’s strong support in the Miami front office to move on from Whiteside, examines a few other options, stating that the Trail Blazers and Mavericks planned to contact Whiteside when he was a free agent two years ago, but may be less interested now.

Another consideration is whether the Heat want to open up cap room for 2019 by trading Whiteside, who has two seasons and $52MM left on his contract, for an expiring deal. Jackson adds that Miami has to unload Whiteside and at least one more significant salary to be able to compete for a stellar free agent class.

There’s more tonight from Miami:

  • If the Heat can’t find a trading partner for Whiteside, team president Pat Riley indicated he will intervene in any future disputes between his center and coach Erik Spoelstra, Jackson adds in the same story. Riley also stated that Whiteside will need to adjust his game to fit the modern style. “You’ve got these quintessential sort of centers that are being forced to play a certain game because the game has changed and there’s only one or two or three teams that can play that game,” Riley said, “because three or four transformative players can make that game effective. So, how do we make him effective?”
  • Among the Heat’s many offseason decisions is whether to offer an extension to Winslow or let him become a restricted free agent in 2019, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. After missing most of 2016/17 after shoulder surgery, Winslow bounced back with a solid year, playing 68 games and putting together a strong showing in the playoffs. “I’m in a much better state mentally than I was a year ago,” he said. “But none of these things are easy, dealing with stuff throughout this year, just the mental aspect of the NBA is tough and you’ve seen a lot of guys speaking out about it.”
  • Although no one on the Heat roster is guaranteed to be with the team in the fall, point guard Goran Dragic told Riley that he definitely wants to stay in Miami, relays the Associated Press. “This is where I want to be,” said Dragic, who has another season left on his contract, plus an option year. “Everything here, it’s the way I want it.”
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Juwan Howard Unlikely To Join Fizdale In New York

May 5th, 2018 at 7:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heat assistant Juwan Howard isn’t expected to join David Fizdale’s staff with the Knicks, posts Ian Begley on ESPN Now.

Fizdale may want to bring Howard aboard, but he remains under contract to the Heat. They would have to give him permission to leave, which Begley calls “highly unlikely.” Howard, who also interviewed for the head coaching job in New York, worked with Fizdale for several years in Miami, both as a player and a fellow assistant. He has been a Heat assistant since his playing career ended five years ago.

Begley confirms that Keith Smart, who worked with Fizdale in Memphis and Miami, is expected to join his staff. Another strong candidate is Clippers assistant Mike Woodson, who also interviewed to be the Knicks’ head coach and expressed a willingness this week to be part of Fizdale’s staff if he got the job.

Another possibility Begley mentions is Adam Johansen, a scout for the Grizzlies who also spent time with the Heat while Fizdale was there.

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