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Heat Notes: Rozier, Questions, Jovic, Christopher

September 25th, 2024 at 5:14pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Terry Rozier spent the past five months recovering from a neck injury that prevented him from suiting up for the Heat‘s first-round playoff series against the Celtics. As Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes, Rozier  has been cleared for five-on-five play ahead of his first training camp with Miami.

“I’m still the same old Terry when I play,” Rozier said. “Whatever happened in the past, I won’t let it affect how I play. … I’m going to play how I play. But nothing affects how I go now. I’m still myself, so I feel good.”

The neck injury was first listed as stiffness, but according to Chiang, further tests revealed more “concerning results” that forced Rozier to the sidelines for an extended period.

“I mean, for me just playing fully and then to go to not and having to miss the playoffs, you get to questioning like, ‘Damn, could this possibly be the end for me?’” Rozier said. “But obviously, I’ve been blessed with a really great body and I’ve been able to recover. So I’m going back to the drawing board and do this [thing] again.”

Rozier has two seasons left on his current contract and is owed $24.9MM this season. Rozier admitted it was difficult to be off the court for so long, especially after ramping up his production toward the end of last regular season. In his final 10 appearances, he averaged 18.8 points with a .500 3PT% on 7.4 attempts per game.

We have more from the Heat:

  • Like Rozier, third-year forward Nikola Jovic spent much of his summer recovering from an injury. In a separate Miami Herald story, Chiang explores Jovic’s health ahead of the season. The third-year forward, who admitted his ankle injury slowed his offseason plans, was impressive in his 38 starts last season, averaging 8.4 points per game on .445/.400/.711 shooting, but he hopes to get even better in 2024/25. “I would say the thing I was working on the most was probably just when I have a mismatch in the low post,” Jovic said. “When I have small guys on me, I just have to punish them, and that’s going to be something that’s going to help our team a lot.“
  • In a two-part series, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald answers 15 questions about the Heat’s upcoming season. Of note, Jackson writes that the Heat aren’t worried about losing Jimmy Butler next season for nothing even if he opts out of his contract to become a free agent. Brooklyn and Houston are two teams who make sense for Butler on paper, but Jackson writes that both would have to jump through hoops to acquire him. While that’s certainly possible, Miami could explore sign-and-trade options in a worst-case scenario. In the meantime, the two sides are motivated to make this season a memorable one.
  • Former Rockets first-round pick Josh Christopher received a two-way contract from the Heat after an impressive summer league and Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes that the 6’5″ guard is appreciative of the opportunity. “I think they’ve given me the cheats codes [to] being successful,” Christopher said. Miami has a history of making the most of overlooked two-way/training camp players, helping turn the likes of Duncan Robinson, Max Strus and Caleb Martin into quality role players. Christopher’s former first-round pedigree makes him a different kind of player than the Heat have taken chances on in the past — he’ll join recently signed Nassir Little as recent first-round picks still looking to deliver on their pre-draft potential.
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And-Ones: WBD Lawsuit, Top Storylines, G League Trade, More

September 25th, 2024 at 3:53pm CST by Luke Adams

The legal battle between the NBA and Warner Bros. Discovery took another step forward in recent days. Responding to the NBA’s motion to dismiss their lawsuit, TBS and WBD filed a 33-page memorandum last Friday attempting to convince New York Judge Joel M. Cohen to deny that motion, per Michael McCann of Sportico.

The parent company of TNT Sports, filed a lawsuit against the NBA in July, alleging that the league was in breach of contract after it refused to recognize TNT’s right to match Amazon’s new broadcast deal with the NBA.

The latest filing from TBS/WBD insists that the league acted in bad faith to “circumvent” the network’s matching rights by including certain terms in its deal with Amazon that it knew TBS/WBD couldn’t specifically match. For instance, one clause in the NBA/Amazon agreement requires NBA games to be aired on a platform that also broadcasts NFL games. Amazon has a deal with the NFL, whereas TBS/WBD does not.

If the case continues to advance through the legal system, court records suggest a trial would be held sometime in April 2025, according to McCann.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Paul George‘s impact in Philadelphia and the Knicks’ potential hole at center are among the key storylines to monitor in the Eastern Conference this season, in the view of Fred Katz and Sam Amick of The Athletic. Katz and Amick also took a look at the top storylines to watch in the West, including whether Victor Wembanyama is ready to take the leap to superstardom, Ja Morant‘s potential redemption tour, and which second-tier team could move into the top group of contenders.
  • The South Bay Lakers, College Park Skyhawks (Hawks), and Texas Legends (Mavericks) have completed a three-team trade, with South Bay acquiring the returning rights to forward Chris Silva and center Jake Stephens in the deal, per a press release. The Skyhawks received Joirdon Nicholas‘ rights, while the Legends received multiple G League draft picks from the Lakers’ affiliate.
  • Responding to a pair of U.S. senators who criticized the NBA for partnering with Rwandan dictator Paul Kagame, deputy commissioner Mark Tatum wrote in a letter that the league has followed “the lead of the U.S. government as to where it’s appropriate to engage in business around the world,” according to Mark Fainaru-Wada of ESPN. “If American policies were to change regarding business activities in and relating to Rwanda or any other BAL (Basketball Africa League) market, our actions would of course change accordingly,” Tatum said, adding that the NBA has promoted multiple social impact initiatives in Rwanda.
  • Sixers center Joel Embiid, Bucks guard Damian Lillard, and Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman are among the individuals across the NBA who are facing the most pressure entering the 2024/25 season, according to Michael Pina of The Ringer, whose top five is rounded out by Knicks forward Julius Randle and Heat wing Jimmy Butler.
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Heat Sign Nassir Little To Non-Guaranteed Contract

September 24th, 2024 at 7:24pm CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 24: The Heat have officially signed Little, the team announced today in a press release.

According to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link), Little’s one-year contract is fully non-guaranteed.

SEPTEMBER 23: Nassir Little has agreed to a one-year contract with the Heat, NBA insider Chris Haynes tweets.

The free agent forward had worked out for a number of other teams, including the Celtics, Warriors and Kings.

The Heat already have 14 players on fully guaranteed deals, plus others on training camp or non-guaranteed contracts. They have major luxury tax considerations and would surpass the second tax apron threshold by carrying a 15th man, so it remains to be seen what kind of contract Miami offered. It’s likely to be a non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed deal.

Little, 24, has been a free agent since Phoenix waived him late last month. The combo forward appeared in 45 games for the Suns last season, making two starts and posting 3.4 points and 1.7 rebounds in 10.2 minutes per night. The former No. 25 overall pick spent his first four NBA seasons in Portland before coming to Phoenix in a three-team trade last September.

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Pre-Camp Roster Snapshot: Southeast Division

September 24th, 2024 at 9:35am CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is in the process of taking a closer look at each NBA team’s current roster situation, evaluating which clubs still have some moves to make and which ones seem most prepared for training camp to begin.

This series is meant to provide a snapshot of each team’s roster at this time, so these articles won’t be updated in the coming weeks as more signings, trades, and/or cuts are made. You can follow our roster counts page to keep tabs on teams’ open spots as opening night nears.

We’re continuing our pre-camp Roster Snapshot series today with the Southeast Division. Let’s dive in…

Atlanta Hawks

There are some non-essential pieces on the Hawks‘ 15-man roster — Zeller was acquired via sign-and-trade as a necessary salary-matching piece in the Dejounte Murray deal, while Atlanta traded for Roddy because Phoenix wanted to get off his salary. Still, waiving either of them (or anyone else) in order to sign a new minimum-salary player doesn’t make sense for the Hawks, since doing so would push their team salary into tax territory.

More Exhibit 10 signees are likely coming in order to help fill out the College Park Skyhawks’ roster, but the biggest question here is what happens with Djurisic, the second-round pick who is coming off a foot surgery that will sideline him well into the fall.

Djurisic had been playing in Serbia, so there has been speculation that he’ll remain overseas as a draft-and-stash prospect. However, Nebojsa Covic – the president of Crvena Zvezda, one team linked to Djurisic – denied that his club has any plans to add him, noting that the 20-year-old is “in America.”

My best guess is that the Hawks plan to have Djurisic start the season with their G League affiliate and will consider promoting him to the 18-man roster (either on a standard or two-way contract) later in the season, once he’s fully recovered.

Charlotte Hornets

It seems safe to assume Gibson will make the Hornets‘ opening night roster, but that still leaves an open spot on the projected 15-man standard roster. Charlotte doesn’t need to fill that spot, but the club’s salary is so far below the luxury tax line that it would make sense to add a 15th man on a non-guaranteed deal.

There are plenty of free agents still available who would be fits in Charlotte. Some of the team’s camp invitees could be in the mix for that spot too, though they may also be battling for the final two-way slot alongside Diabate and Simpson.

Of the current Exhibit 10 players on the roster and those who have been reported, only Giles has too many years of NBA service to qualify for a two-way deal, so he’s a possible candidate for the standard roster.

Miami Heat

Reports throughout the offseason have indicated that the Heat aren’t interested in carrying a full 15-man roster into the regular season since doing so would push their team salary above the second tax apron. So it came as a bit of a surprise on Monday when word broke that the team had agreed to a deal with Little.

Moving slightly above the second apron isn’t that big a deal though — based on reports out of Miami, it sounds like Little’s contract will be either non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed, allowing them to waive him in a month or two (or even earlier) and duck back below the second apron if they so choose.

Plus, while teams above the second apron aren’t permitted to aggregate salaries in a trade, the Heat would still be able to do so if they’re below the second apron upon completion of the deal. So if they were operating above the second apron by $1MM and made a trade in which they aggregated three contracts in order to take back two while shedding $3MM in salary, that’d be permitted.

While the 15th spot is the bigger story to watch here, it’s also worth keeping an eye on the two-way slots. The Heat already made one change to those spots this offseason when they waived Pullin in order to sign Christopher. Stevens and Pullin (who is back on an Exhibit 10 contract) could make cases to be converted to two-way deals with strong performances in camp and the preseason.

Orlando Magic

The Magic‘s 15 players on standard contracts look set, but with only one two-way slot filled so far, they could put the other two spots up for grabs in a camp competition.

McClung is reportedly viewed as a good candidate to claim one of those two-way deals. Of the current camp invitees, only Culver – who has four years of NBA service – is ineligible to be converted to a two-way contract.

Washington Wizards

Butler appeared in 40 games for the Wizards last season, but the only way he’ll be part of this year’s opening night roster is if the team trades or waives a player on a guaranteed contract. That’s not out of the question — Baldwin is probably the player whose roster spot would be most in jeopardy, since the former first-round pick has yet to establish himself as a reliable rotation player and didn’t look great in Summer League.

Interestingly, Lewis and Nowell agreed to Exhibit 10 deals with Washington despite being ineligible for two-way deals, so they’ve either resigned themselves to joining the Capital City Go-Go or were promised a shot to compete for a standard roster spot.

Black could be in the mix for the open two-way slot here. Butler would also be two-way eligible, but he’d have to be waived and re-signed. The Wizards could also look outside the organization to fill that spot, perhaps targeting a player from another roster who’s cut during or after the preseason.

Previously:

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Eastern Notes: Stewart, Pistons, Krauskopf, Heat Arena

September 23rd, 2024 at 6:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

With Mitchell Robinson now targeting December or January for his return to action from ankle surgery, the Knicks are seeking more depth in the middle, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic.

New York has spent a good portion of the last few months scouring the league for another frontcourt player, Edwards reports. One of those potential targets is the Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart.

Stewart’s four-year, $60MM extension kicks in this season and includes a club option. He’s expected to fight for playing time at both power forward and center for the revamped Pistons.

The Pistons received numerous inquiries on Stewart before he signed the extension. Injuries limited him to 46 games last season.

We have more from the Eastern Conference:

  • Speaking of the Pistons and Stewart, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press (subscription required) examines three position battles heading into Detroit’s camp. That includes Stewart and Jalen Duren squaring off for the starting center job. There will also be camp battles for backup point minutes behind Cade Cunningham, as well as numerous candidates elbowing for playing time at the forward spots.
  • Kelly Krauskopf is leaving her post as the Pacers’ assistant GM to become the president of basketball and business operations for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star relays via a press release from Pacers Sports and Entertainment. Krauskopf was the Fever’s president and GM from the team’s inception in 2000 until 2018. She was then hired by the Pacers and became the first woman in league history to hold an executive basketball management role. “I want to thank (Pacers president) Kevin Pritchard for asking me to join his management staff six years ago. There’s no doubt that experience will serve me well as I enter this next chapter,” she said.
  • Kaseya Center, the current name of the Heat‘s home arena, has undergone a series of multimillion-dollar facility upgrades, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. The arena upgrades include a new scoreboard, new lighting and audio systems and a new retractable seating system in the lower bowl. The upgrades were made this summer.
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Heat Notes: Butler, Rozier, Jaquez

September 22nd, 2024 at 1:34pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

All-NBA Heat swingman Jimmy Butler has been the subject of some trade speculation this offseason after the six-time All-Star decided he would not extend with Miami this summer.

As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes (subscriber-exclusive link), Heat fans may need to press pause on any possible trade chatter and embrace the moment. When he’s available, the 35-year-old superstar remains a productive two-way player as he prepares to enter his 14th season.

The 6’7″ forward averaged 20.8 points per game on encouragingly efficient .499/.414/.858 shooting splits last season, along with 5.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.3 steals per night. The flip-side of that productivity, however, is that Butler was only healthy for 60 contests and missed the entire playoffs with an MCL sprain.

There’s more out of South Beach:

  • Terry Rozier impressed when he was able to take the floor for Miami last year, but injuries limited his availability and ultimately sidelined him completely for the playoffs. How the veteran point guard performs could go a long way toward determining just how much this Heat team can achieve in 2024/25, writes Winderman in a separate piece. “It sucks the way it ended last year for me, not being able to play in the playoffs,” Rozier noted. “So it’s a fresh start. You get to be around the guys for a full season, be around the coaches for a full season, learn the plays and really just get that camaraderie with the other guys.” The Heat acquired Rozier from the Hornets in January.
  • During his 2023/24 rookie season, Heat small forward Jaime Jaquez quickly outplayed his draft standing. The former UCLA All-American was recognized for his output with a no-brainer All-Rookie First Team finish. In a reader mailbag, Winderman wonders if Jaquez could be due for more minutes and touches this year. After a capped-out Miami failed to make many new free agent rotation-level additions beyond Alec Burks, it appears the current plan (barring a major trade) is hoping for internal development and better health. Jaquez, still just 23, could be the best candidate to take a major leap.
  • In case you missed it, the Heat are expected to keep their 15th and final open roster spot unoccupied heading into the regular season, and will thus be able to stay below the league’s second tax apron.
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Offseason Observations: Exhibit 10 Terms, Okoro, Current FAs, Stretch Provision

September 20th, 2024 at 5:36pm CST by Luke Adams

With the start of most NBA training camps just 11 days away (and even sooner than that for the Celtics and Nuggets), the 2024 offseason is nearing its end.

Before we put a bow on the summer of 2024, we have one more installment of our "Offseason Observations" to share today, following up on similar articles published in July and August.

Here are some of the under-the-radar cap- and CBA-related stories I'm keeping an eye on as teams around the league prepare for their media days and training camps.

The disparity between Exhibit 10 bonuses

As we've written many teams in recent weeks, when a player signs an Exhibit 10 contract with an NBA team, is waived before the regular season begins, and then spends at least 60 days with his club's G League affiliate, he's eligible to earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K.

We always clarify that those bonuses can be worth "up to" $77.5K because that's the maximum possible Exhibit 10 bonus in 2024/25 (up from $75K a year ago, having increased at the same rate as the salary cap). But not every player who signs an Exhibit 10 contract is able to negotiate that maximum bonus.

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Eastern Notes: Jovic, Battier, Okoro, Klei

September 19th, 2024 at 9:40am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Heat’s Nikola Jovic will, by necessity, likely see the bulk of his minutes at power forward this season. He’s focused on taking advantage of mismatches, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

“I would say the biggest thing I was working on the most was when I’m working in the low post, when I have a smaller guy on me, I just have to punish them,” Jovic said. “That’s something I think will help our team a lot. So I would say that’s the main thing for me, other than still being able to spread the floor and everything I already did.”

Jovic, who started 38 of the 46 games he played last season, is eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer.

We have more from the Eastern Conference:

  • Shane Battier left his front office job with the Heat in 2021 because he wanted to explore other opportunities outside of basketball, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald relays. In an episode of the Glue Guys podcast, Battier explained his decision about leaving his post as vice president/basketball development and analytics. “There is so much in life to experience and try my hand at,” he said. “So many interesting people around the world. I’m so fascinated about learning. I turned 46 this week and I feel I have so much to learn and have so much to do in the world still. I needed to go out and explore and meet and learn. I wanted to learn new industries. It sounds very strange because I love basketball. For me to be truly happy, that’s what I need to do.”
  • Under the terms of Isaac Okoro‘s three-year contract with the Cavaliers, he’ll have a $10.2MM base salary this season, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. His salary rises to $11MM in 2025/26 and $11.8MM in 2026/27. In addition to the $33MM in guaranteed money, the contract also includes $4.9MM in unlikely incentives. Cleveland is now $1.9MM above the luxury tax line but has the flexibility to get under that figure during the season, if needed, Marks adds.
  • The College Park Skyhawks, the Hawks’ NBA G League affiliate, have named Steven Klei as their new head coach, according to Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Klei, 31, replaces Ryan Schmidt, who will become a full-time assistant with the Hawks. Aaron Evans has been hired as the Skyhawks’ GM.
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Eastern Notes: Heat, Haliburton, Raptors, Wizards

September 17th, 2024 at 11:33am CST by Luke Adams

The Heat are currently operating below the second tax apron by approximately $1.2MM with 14 players on guaranteed contracts. Adding a 15th man on a minimum-salary deal would push the team’s salary above the second apron, prohibiting the front office from aggregating salaries or sending out cash in a trade.

As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel acknowledges in a mailbag, the Heat could carry a 15th man on a non-guaranteed contract to open the regular season, essentially paying that player by the day and then waiving him to sneak back below the second apron if needed for an in-season deal. But Miami is more concerned about being able to carry a 15th man later in the season during the playoff race, according to Winderman, who anticipates the team will keep its final standard roster spot open this fall.

For what it’s worth, if the Heat do want to carry 15 players and surpass the second apron, they’d be able to do that and could still aggregate salaries in a trade as long as they sent out more salary than they took back in that trade, moving below the second apron as a result of the transaction. In that scenario, they’d be hard-capped at the second apron for the rest of the season.

Here’s more from around the East:

  • Asked last week during an appearance on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show (YouTube link) about rumors that he was attempting to recruit his Team USA teammates to the Pacers during his Olympic experience this summer, star guard Tyrese Haliburton suggested that story was overblown. “I think there was recruiting going on from everybody, but me saying that got blown out of proportion because I play in the smallest market,” Haliburton said. “… I’m not going anywhere. So if (anyone) wants to play with me, they’d have to come (to Indiana).”
  • With Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Jakob Poeltl locked in as starters, who will claim the fifth spot in the Raptors‘ starting five? Eric Koreen of The Athletic explores that question in an article examining Toronto’s depth chart and rotation, speculating that Gradey Dick will be the fifth starter and that rookie Ja’Kobe Walter will get a shot at rotation minutes this fall.
  • The Capital City Go-Go – the Wizards‘ G League affiliate – announced that they’ve acquired Erik Stevenson‘s returning rights from the Texas Legends (Mavericks) in exchange for a 2024 first-round pick and Jake Stephens‘ returning rights (Twitter link). The move suggests that Stevenson, a former West Virginia standout who played for the Wizards in Summer League, will be with Washington’s G League team to open the 2024/25 season and could be a candidate for a preseason Exhibit 10 contract.
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Heat Notes: Robinson, Jaquez, Butler

September 16th, 2024 at 9:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Duncan Robinson missed nine games late in the regular season due to a back injury, then was limited during last season’s playoffs. Robinson says he’s fully recovered from that ailment as Heat training camp approaches, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports.

“I feel great,” Robinson said. “We took all the necessary steps, seeing who we needed to see. Not restricted in any way. Have [not been limited] for the better part of eight weeks. Playing pickup. No limitations. It’s still a focus and emphasis in terms of what I’m doing in the weight room. [But it] hasn’t given me any issues. It was a rude awakening turning 30 [this past April] and having back issues within a month. Father Time is undefeated.”

Robinson has two years remaining on his five-year, $90MM contract.

We have more on the Heat:

  • After losing Caleb Martin in free agency, the Heat need to fill that void by finding a new defensive stopper. Jaime Jaquez Jr. says he can assume that role, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “I think obviously with losing Caleb this year, I think there’s definitely going to be a hole to be filled when it comes to the defensive side of the ball and a guy that can really go out there and stop the other team’s best player or whoever’s got it going that night,” Jaquez said. “I think my role can definitely evolve into somebody who Coach just decides, ‘Hey, Jaime I want you to go guard the best player and chase him and stop him.’ I think that’s the way my role can evolve.”
  • Addressing a report that the Warriors are monitoring Jimmy Butler, Winderman says he anticipates Butler’s future will continue to be a hot topic unless the Heat get off to a solid start or the forward signs an extension. However, Winderman also notes that under the CBA and its prohibitive tax aprons, blockbuster deals are more complicated and more difficult than ever.
  • In case you missed it, free agent forward Nassir Little is reportedly working out for the Heat. Get the details here.
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