Heat Rumors

Injury Notes: Garland, Allen, Claxton, Johnson, Martin

October 27th, 2023 at 6:44pm CST by Rory Maher

Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland will miss Friday’s home opener against Oklahoma City with a left hamstring strain, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff previously called Garland “very questionable,” tweets Thunder sideline reporter Nick Gallo.

According to Fedor, Garland didn’t participate in the team’s shootaround on Friday morning, and the Cavs decided to take a cautious approach with the 2021/22 All-Star.

Garland will be Cleveland’s second starter sitting out, as Jarrett Allen continues to deal with a left ankle bone bruise. The 25-year-old center is expected to miss Saturday’s back-to-back against Indiana as well, Fedor writes.

The Cavs are hopeful that Allen will make his 2023/24 season debut on Tuesday against the Knicks, sources tell Fedor. Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade, who missed Cleveland’s first game with an illness, will start in place of Garland and Allen.

Here are a few more injury notes:

Nets big man Nic Claxton has a left ankle sprain and is out for Friday’s game at Dallas, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Brooklyn’s starting center will be a free agent next summer — he’s on an expiring $9.6MM contract. According to Lewis (Twitter link), head coach Jacque Vaughn said Claxton is day-to-day.
Nets forward Cameron Johnson will also be in street clothes on Friday, having been downgraded from questionable to out with a left calf contusion (Twitter links via Lewis). Vaughn said the team is just being cautious with Johnson, who re-signed with Brooklyn on a four-year, $90MM+ contract this summer. It’s worth noting that Johnson missed all of training camp and preseason with a mild left hamstring strain, though he did start and play 26 minutes in Wednesday’s opener vs. Cleveland.
The Heat will be shorthanded again on Friday at Boston, with Caleb Martin (knee) the latest wing player sidelined (Twitter link via the team). Josh Richardson (foot) and Haywood Highsmith (knee) didn’t travel with Miami on its three-game road trip, as we previously relayed. On Tuesday, Martin said his knee still wasn’t 100%, calling the injury “a work in progress.” He played 20 minutes in Wednesday’s opener vs. Detroit.

Heat Notes: Jaquez, Richardson, Highsmith, Road Trip, Bryant

October 26th, 2023 at 10:14pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Heat rookie Jaime Jaquez immediately made an impact for Miami in his first NBA game, recording six points, two assists, two rebounds and two steals in 13 minutes.

Head coach Erik Spoelstra showed trust in Jaquez, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, allowing him to bring the ball up the court and running offense through him in the mid-post.

“When I got out there, it just felt like basketball,” Jaquez said. “I think the nerves kind of settled down when I first got out there. I think the preseason helped a lot, those games. I felt really comfortable.”

According to Spoelstra and Jaquez’s teammates, his experience in college was apparent. Jaquez, a 22-year-old rookie, played four seasons at UCLA.

“Jaime is not a regular rookie,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said. “A guy that’s experienced, he’s been in big games before, he’s been in those games where he’s needed to be a leader, he’s needed to be the one option. That’s throughout all those years in college. Me and Tyler [Herro] came in here at 19 after one year in college and had to figure it out. I feel like he’s coming into the league ready.”

Jaquez was on a minutes restriction due to a groin injury suffered in the preseason, Chiang writes, but his play in the opener paves the way for more playing time even after Miami’s injured players return to action.

We have more from the Heat:

Josh Richardson (foot) and Haywood Highsmith (knee) both missed the Heat’s opener against the Pistons on Wednesday and both will be out for their game Friday in Boston, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Winderman adds (Twitter link) that neither player traveled with the team. Miami’s game in Boston is the first in a three-game road trip, meaning both players may remain on the shelf until the Heat return home.
The Heat’s upcoming three-game road stretch is indicative of the month to come, with Miami playing on the road for 12 of their next 16 games, Chiang observes in a separate piece. Eight of those 12 road games come against teams who made the playoffs last season. In particular, it will be interesting to see how Miami plays against Boston (Oct. 27) and Milwaukee (Oct. 30), Chiang writes. “It’s going to test us,” Adebayo said. “This is one of those road trips where you’re going into the lion’s den and seeing where you are, seeing who you are as a team and your identity.“
Heat center Thomas Bryant made his Miami debut on Wednesday and looked to justify their pursuit of him in July’s free agency period, Winderman writes. He played with energy for the Heat’s second unit and recorded eight points, six rebounds and three assists. “We tried to address the one issue that I think had to be addressed,” Heat president Pat Riley said of adding Bryant. “And we really like this player in Thomas Bryant that can give us more around the paint, at the rim, offense. If you go back and look at last year against Denver, we were beat in the paint. That’s it. We were killed in the paint.“

Heat Rumors: Beal, Adebayo, Haslem, Herro, Martin, Love

October 24th, 2023 at 2:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Writing for Andscape.com alongside Marc J. Spears, Suns guard Bradley Beal revisited his trade request from earlier this summer, sharing some behind-the-scenes details on how the process played out after he asked out of D.C.

As Beal writes, Miami was his “initial favorite” landing spot. According to Beal, he and his representatives were in touch with Heat president Pat Riley, who said he needed to talk to team owner Micky Arison. While he was waiting to hear back from the Heat, Beal and his camp received strong interest from the Suns, who emerged as the frontrunners when Miami opted not to move forward.

“I’m like, ‘OK, what’s Miami doing? Dragging feet,'” Beal writes. “And eventually it came to a point to where Miami said they just can’t do it.”

Following the publication of Beal’s Andscape diary, the Heat confirmed on the record that the guard’s no-trade clause was a sticking point, as Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes (and as The Herald previously reported).

Miami wanted the three-time All-Star to remove the no-trade clause from his contract as part of a trade to the Heat, so that they’d have the ability to move him down the road if needed. However, he was unwilling to do so, and Phoenix didn’t insist on it, so Beal still holds that no-trade clause as a member of the Suns.

Here’s more on the Heat:

Bam Adebayo could have accepted a two-year, $97MM extension from the Heat in advance of Monday’s deadline, but chose to bypass a new deal at this time, recognizing that he could qualify for a more lucrative super-max extension with a big 2023/24 season, according to Barry Jackson and Chiang of The Miami Herald.
After spending two decades with the Heat as a player, Udonis Haslem will have a role with the franchise in player development and the front office, head coach Erik Spoelstra said on Monday, adding that Haslem’s exact title and responsibilities are still being figured out (Twitter link via Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel).
Heat guard Tyler Herro has stated repeatedly in recent weeks that he’s determined to prove his value this season after being at the center of offseason trade rumors and repeated that message in an interview with Wes Goldberg of The Ringer, admitting he “damn near had my s–t packed up” as Damian Lillard rumors swirled this offseason.
Speaking to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, Heat president Pat Riley said the club has never actively looked to move Herro, but tacitly acknowledged that it would have been willing to discuss him in the right deal. “We have never shopped him and had no interest in ever trading the guy,” Riley said of Herro. “But when you’re talking about acquiring one of the top five players in the league, there isn’t anybody on our team that won’t be discussed.”
Riley also spoke to Chiang of The Miami Herald about his expectations for this year’s Heat and possible next step, identifying Kyle Lowry as a potential “X factor.” While Riley admitted that there’s some added urgency to contend for a title due to Jimmy Butler‘s age (34), he made it clear he has no plans to blow up the roster if the team falls short in 2023/24. “It should not be any kind of, OK, warning to [Butler] or to the team that if you don’t get it done this year that this whole thing is going to go in the incinerator,” Riley said. “That’s not what we’re looking for. We’re looking to add to this.”
Caleb Martin said on Tuesday that he expects to come off the bench to start the season, which signals that Kevin Love will likely start at power forward, per Jackson and Chiang. Martin added that he’ll play in Wednesday’s opener even though his knee isn’t 100%. “Still feel some discomfort for sure,” Martin said. “It’s a work in progress. Staying with the treatment. I’m making really good progress, feeling a lot better. We’ll proceed with caution, see how my body responds.”

Three Players On Exhibit 9 Contracts Make Opening Night Rosters

October 24th, 2023 at 8:04am CST by Luke Adams

As we explain in a glossary entry, Exhibit 9 contracts are generally handed out by NBA teams to players who will only be with the team during training camp and/or the preseason.

The Exhibit 9 clause protects the team in case the player suffers an injury before the season begins. In that scenario, the club wouldn’t have to pay him his full salary until he gets healthy enough to play — it would only have to pay a maximum lump sum of $15K when it waives the player.

While most Exhibit 9 signees were released in advance of the regular season, three NBA veterans who signed Exhibit 9 contracts survived the cut and made their respective teams’ regular season rosters. Here are those three players:

Ryan Arcidiacono (Knicks)
Harry Giles (Nets)
Lamar Stevens (Celtics)

Note: Hornets guard Edmond Sumner was initially included in this list, but Charlotte waived him on Tuesday ahead of its season opener.

These three players will now be on one-year, minimum-salary contracts that will remain non-guaranteed until January 10. In order to secure their full-season salaries, they’ll have to stay under contract beyond January 7 (a player cut on Jan. 8 or 9 wouldn’t clear waivers prior to the league-wide salary guarantee date of Jan. 10).

As our list of non-guaranteed contracts by team shows, Arcidiacono, Giles, and Stevens are three of the 31 players on standard deals whose salaries for the 2023/24 season aren’t fully guaranteed.

Several of these players will receive partial guarantees by remaining on rosters through the start of the regular season, and a few more have November or December trigger dates that will increase their guarantees. However, none of those 31 players will lock in their full salary until Jan. 10.

Here are a few more items of interest about the NBA’s opening night rosters for ’23/24, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link):

The Spurs have the NBA’s youngest roster, while the Clippers have the oldest.
Players are earning a combined total salary of $4.8 billion for the 2023/24 season. The Celtics, Nuggets, Warriors, Clippers, Lakers, Heat, Bucks, Pelicans, Sixers, and Suns are the biggest contributors to that pool, as they’re all currently over the luxury tax line.
As our roster counts page shows, there are 12 open spots on standard 15-man rosters around the NBA. Those openings belong to the Celtics, Bulls, Cavaliers, Pistons, Warriors (two), Lakers, Heat, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Trail Blazers, and Kings.
The Nets and the Suns are the only two teams that haven’t filled all three of their two-way slots, as our tracker shows. They’re each carrying a pair of two-way players, meaning 88 of the 90 spots around the league are occupied.

Heat Notes: Smith, Point Guards, Starting Five, Martin

October 22nd, 2023 at 1:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

Dru Smith‘s persistence finally paid off Saturday as the Heat rewarded him with a standard contract, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The 25-year-old guard has signed several two-way deals since going undrafted out of Missouri in 2021, but this is the first standard contract of his career.

Smith was in his third straight training camp and preseason with the team, Chiang notes. His first season was spent in the G League as part of the Heat’s player development system. He signed a two-way contract with Miami last offseason, got a two-way deal with Brooklyn in January after being released and returned to the Heat on another two-way contract in July.

“I think it’s just, one, their developmental program, and two, just the way that they go at things,” Smith said in explaining his loyalty to the organization. “I think that they give you real opportunities no matter what your name is, no matter where you came from. I think that they truly evaluate talent and evaluate how you affect winning. If you’re doing that in a positive way, then you’re going to get a chance to play.”

Smith is set to make the league minimum of $1.7MM this season, Chiang adds, but his two-year contract will be non-guaranteed beyond a $425K guarantee on opening night. Smith and Orlando Robinson are the team’s only players without fully guaranteed deals before the league-wide guarantee date of January 10.

There’s more from Miami:

Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel believes the team’s need for insurance at point guard was behind the decision to give Smith a standard deal instead of Jamal Cain. The Heat don’t have a natural point guard to back up Kyle Lowry, so that role appears likely to fall to Josh Richardson, with Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Caleb Martin and Tyler Herro also helping to facilitate the offense.
The Heat’s new starting lineup of Butler, Adebayo, Lowry, Herro and Kevin Love will play together for the first time when the season opens on Wednesday, Winderman adds in a separate story. Lowry was coming off the bench when Love signed with the team in February, Herro got injured in the first game of the playoffs and Butler sat out the entire preseason.
Caleb Martin played 13 minutes in his preseason debut Friday night and should be ready for the start of the season, Chiang writes for the Herald. Martin missed the first four preseason games due to tendinitis in his left knee.
In another story for the Herald, Chiang lists 10 takeaways from the preseason and considers what they’ll mean for the Heat in the regular season.

Heat Promote Dru Smith To Standard Contract, Convert Cole Swider To Two-Way

October 21st, 2023 at 11:21am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Heat have signed guard Dru Smith to a multi-year standard NBA contract and converted sharpshooting forward Cole Swider to a two-way deal, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

In a subsequent move, the team waived both forward Cheick Diallo and wing Justin Champagnie, who were both on Exhibit 10 contracts.

Smith, 25, has been in the Heat’s developmental system since signing a training camp deal in 2021. He spent that year playing with Miami’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, before once again signing a camp deal with the Heat in 2022. At the conclusion of 2022’s training camp, Smith signed a two-way contract with the team.

At the beginning of the 2022/23 season, the Heat alternated between Orlando Robinson and Smith on two-way deals, with Jamal Cain on the other, swapping the pair out a handful of times. Smith then wound up signing with the Nets on a two-way before rejoining Miami this free agency period. He holds career averages of 2.9 points and 1.5 assists in 15 career NBA games.

Now, Smith is rewarded with a multi-year standard contract which has a $425K opening-night guarantee, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link). It’s a similar structure to the contract Robinson wound up getting from Miami, with a July trigger date in its second year, tweets HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. The Heat were only able to sign Smith to a minimum-salary deal due to their proximity to the tax aprons.

Smith had a solid preseason, averaging 6.5 points and 5.3 assists in four games. Head coach Erik Spoelstra praised his during training camp and the Heat appreciated his ability to run the floor, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). Smith and Kyle Lowry are the only true point guards on Miami’s roster.

It’s interesting to see Miami opt for Smith over Cain for the 14th roster spot, which he had been hoping to get, according to Jackson. Cain averaged 11.3 points and 8.3 rebounds in four preseason games. However, as Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald (Twitter link) observes, keeping Cain on a two-way may make it easier for the Heat to keep him in their system going forward because they may opt to switch out the 14th roster spot during the season.

Swider is another player who earned plenty of buzz during training camp and the preseason. He opened the preseason with a 17-point performance while knocking down five three-pointers. Swider, who spent last season on a two-way deal with the Lakers before being waived this summer, averaged 11.2 points and knocked down 37.1% of his three-pointers (7.0 attempts) across five appearances in the preseason. The 6’9″ forward shot 43.6% from deep in 27 regular season G League games last year.

Swider is hoping to follow in Heat sharpshooter Duncan Robinson‘s footsteps by being frontcourt shooter who enjoys a successful career with Miami. The Syracuse product joins Cain and R.J. Hampton as the team’s two-way players.

As for the Heat’s camp players, Diallo played sparingly in the preseason, averaging 2.7 rebounds in 6.9 minutes. Champagnie played much more, averaging 7.5 points in 22.1 minutes, positioning himself well in the camp battle. Even though both players are being waived, the Heat likely hope to funnel both to the Skyforce, where they’d be eligible for a bonus worth up to $75K if they are there for 60 or more days. Champagnie played with the Skyforce last season and Miami could revisit him in the future, like they did with Smith.

With the series of moves, the Heat’s opening night roster appears set, though there’s still time for them to cycle through moree Exhibit 10 signings. Miami has 14 players on standard deals and three players on two-way contracts. The club will keep the 15th spot on the roster open for now due to its proximity to the tax.

Atlantic Notes: Barnes, O. Porter, Harden, Beverley, Celtics

October 21st, 2023 at 7:02am CST by Luke Adams

Third-year Raptors forward Scottie Barnes exited Friday’s preseason finale against the Wizards with a sprained right foot and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest, tweets Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca.

The former Rookie of the Year appeared to roll his ankle/foot on a non-contact play, as Esfandiar Baraheni of SDPN relays (Twitter video link). However, after the game, Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic downplayed the injury, telling reporters that Barnes is “completely fine,” per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link).

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

After missing most of last season due to a foot injury, Raptors forward Otto Porter Jr. returned to action on Friday, playing for the first time since November 14, notes Lewenberg (Twitter link). As Murphy tweets, Rajakovic is enthusiastic about Porter’s fit on the roster, but said the team will be “careful” about how it uses him following his extended layoff, prioritizing his long-term health.
Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required) suggests that the Bulls and Heat could be potential trade partners for the Sixers if their James Harden negotiations with the Clippers remain at an impasse. However, Pompey isn’t citing any sources saying that Chicago or Miami is actually talking to Philadelphia, so it sounds more like speculation than anything solid. Harden remained away from the 76ers on Friday and missed the preseason finale due to what the club is calling a personal matter.
Patrick Beverley, who joined the Sixers as a free agent this summer, has taken on a familiar role of veteran leader and defensive spark-plug, Pompey writes in another article for The Inquirer. Beverley’s leadership has impressed his new head coach. “He’s putting in a tremendous amount of work pre- and post-practice,” Nick Nurse said. “He really, really does a good job of organizing, and that’s important. We need a veteran guy that can get us organized, settled down, and all those kinds of things and then he’s a got a little bit on the other end, too.”
In a mailbag for NBC Sports Boston, Chris Forsberg considers what the Celtics‘ regular season rotation might look like, evaluating which players beyond the team’s top eight might emerge as reliable contributors.

Rory Maher contributed to this post.

Heat Notes: Adebayo, Sioux Falls, Richardson, Highsmith, Roster Decisions

October 19th, 2023 at 7:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bam Adebayo is eligible to sign a two-year, $97MM extension until Monday. However, the Heat center realizes he could get a longer and more lucrative contract if he waits, he told Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.

Adebayo could meet the super-max criteria and become eligible to sign a four-year, $245MM extension in the 2024 offseason if he makes an All-NBA team or is named Defensive Player of the Year this season.

“The money difference does play a part,” he said. “But we’ll have that conversation at some point.”

We have more on the Heat:

Despite the logistics of shuttling players from Point A to B, the Heat announced a five-year agreement to keep their NBA G League affiliate in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link). It’s approximately 1,824 miles between the two cities.
Foot injuries continue to mar Josh Richardson‘s preseason. He departed Wednesday’s preseason loss with a right foot injury and was underwent an MRI on his foot on Thursday, according to Chiang. The MRI results were negative and he’s day-to-day. He sat out the Heat’s second and third preseason games due to left foot discomfort.
An MRI on Haywood Highsmith‘s left knee revealed a sprain and he’ll be reevaluated in two weeks, Chiang tweets. He recently had his $1.9MM salary guaranteed.
There are six players on the Heat’s current 19-man camp roster competing for the 14th spot on the standard roster and the three two-way contract slots. Out of that group, Jamal Cain, Dru Smith and Cole Swider have stood out, according to Chiang. Cain and Smith are already on two-way deals and looking to get a promotion to the standard roster. “It’s just gratifying to see that kind of improvement from a young player, particularly when it’s not easy,” coach Erik Spoelstra said of Cain.

Heat Notes: Richardson, CBA, Cain, Highsmith, More

October 19th, 2023 at 7:56am CST by Luke Adams

Josh Richardson, who returned to the Heat as a free agent this summer after playing for the team from 2015-19, has been used exclusively as a point guard this fall, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. While Richardson spent some time at the point during his first stint in Miami, he had morphed in recent years into more of a swingman who plays the two and three.

“First day of camp, [coaches said] I’m with the point guards and I’m like, ‘All right,'” Richardson said. “And every day since that, it’s, ‘I’m with the point guards. All right.'”

Richardson added that he doesn’t mind the move back to point guard, since serving as the primary ball-handler in the Heat’s system is “not too difficult.”

“It’s quick. Space and pace,” he said. “It’s not like I’m just walking down calling plays every time.”

Unfortunately, Richardson left Wednesday’s game early due to a foot injury, as Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald notes (via Twitter). The 30-year-old will be reevaluated on Thursday and the Heat will be hoping the injury is minor, given their relative lack of point guard depth.

Here’s more out of Miami:

Jackson and Chiang of The Miami Herald take a closer look at how new rules in the Collective Bargaining Agreement affecting teams over the tax apron(s) will impact the Heat during the 2023/24 season and going forward. We recently covered how the trade rules will change for tax-apron teams after the season. As the Herald writes note, Miami also won’t be able to sign players on the buyout market this season if their pre-waiver salaries were greater than the mid-level exception ($12.4MM)
While two-way player Jamal Cain was hoping to be part of the Heat’s standard roster by now, he remains confident in his ability and believes that promotion will happen sooner or later, according to Chiang. “It doesn’t change my work ethic. I feel like it amped my work ethic a little higher,” Cain said. “No frustration. I know I’m an NBA player. I know I can play at this level, so it’s just a matter of time.”
Heat forward Haywood Highsmith scored a team-high 15 points in Wednesday’s preseason loss to Brooklyn and may be on his way to earning some of the rotation minutes that had been earmarked for Nikola Jovic, says Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “He just has great fortitude,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said of Highsmith. “He’s just been so consistent with his work.”
Appearing on SiriusXM NBA Radio (Twitter video link), big man Bam Adebayo said that he wishes the Damian Lillard trade had been completed earlier in the offseason for the sake of the players involved in the final deal — as well as the Heat players rumored to be part of a potential package for Lillard. “Guys got kids, guys got families, guys need to know what’s about to happen,” Adebayo said. “Some people in that mix of what happened got that phone call and… it was like three or four days before camp. … That’s a lot to move in 72 hours.”

Heat Notes: Herro, Butler, Jaquez, Jovic, Champagnie

October 16th, 2023 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Tyler Herro is still in Miami after a long summer of trade rumors and he’s determined to show the Heat that he was worth keeping, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Herro appeared on the way out when Damian Lillard asked the Trail Blazers for a trade in early July and listed Miami as his only preference. But Herro’s role with the Heat is secure now and he’s ready to make an impact, as he showed with a 30-point performance on Sunday night.

“I’m always ambitious,” he said. “Motivation kind of drives me and it’s who I am. But that’s who I am, so that’s me every day. Just being myself. This year is obviously, I wouldn’t even call it revenge or a bounce back. It’s just a year to be myself and just have fun and enjoying what I love to do, which is play basketball. Tonight was a little bit of it.”

Herro was a productive scorer from everywhere on the court on Sunday, Chiang adds, finishing 11-of-19 from the field, 4-of-7 from three-point range, and 4-of-5 on free throws. He displayed an effective floater near the basket as nine of his shots came from inside the lane.

“Man, he’s just so efficient now,” Bam Adebayo said. “His movements, less dribbles, not trying to do much. He gets straight to his points, gets straight to his shots.”

There’s more from Miami:

Jimmy Butler was held out of Sunday’s game after undergoing two separate dental surgeries this week, but he’s expected to return before the end of the preseason, Chiang adds.
Coach Eric Spoelstra cited progress by Drew Peterson and Alondes Williams, who were both waived over the weekend, Chiang states in another Miami Herald story. Both players were part of Miami’s Summer League team, and Spoelstra hopes they will continue to develop with the organization’s G League affiliate. “We’re encouraged by both of them,” he said. “This was part of the agreement to transition them and get guys on to Sioux Falls. It happens in stages. These can be great opportunities still. We want to invest in them for the entire season. That’s ideally the plan. They got a lot better these last eight weeks and we’re looking forward to this next step in Sioux Falls.”
Nagging injuries have virtually eliminated any chance that Jaime Jaquez or Nikola Jovic will be in the rotation when the regular season begins, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Jaquez has been limited by a groin strain in the preseason, while Jovic is dealing with a bruised knee.
Justin Champagnie may be the favorite to fill the open roster spot if the Heat don’t try to sign someone else, Winderman speculates in a separate piece. He expects Cole Swider to be converted to a two-way contract, with current two-way player Dru Smith possibly the odd man out.

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