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World Cup Notes: Jokic, Adebayo, VanVleet, Murray, Kessler, Powell, Simmons

June 14th, 2023 at 9:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

After winning his first NBA title, Nikola Jokic isn’t a certainty to represent Serbia this summer in the FIBA World Cup, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Vardon hears from an international source that Jokic has a family celebration scheduled during World Cup play, which will take place from August 25 through September 10, leaving his playing status unclear.

Vardon adds that Serbia received a favorable draw in the tournament and appears to have a relatively easy path to a quarterfinals matchup with Team USA. Jokic was part of the team that defeated the Americans in the 2019 World Cup.

Vardon also questions whether Jokic will want to commit to another intense competition after a long NBA season and a two-month playoff run with the Nuggets. The tournament will end roughly two weeks before the traditional start of NBA training camps.

There’s more World Cup news to pass along:

Bam Adebayo may also need a break after helping the Heat reach the NBA Finals, Vardon adds. Adebayo played for Team USA two years ago and is expected to be part of the 2024 Olympics squad, so he may consider opting out this summer.
Team USA reached out to Raptors guard Fred VanVleet to see if he’s interested in joining them for the World Cup, a source tells Vardon. The veteran free agent has never taken part in a World Cup or Olympics competition.
Nuggets guard Jamal Murray made a three-year commitment to Team Canada, but his long postseason run and his injury history may put his World Cup status in doubt, according to Vardon.
Jazz center Walker Kessler has agreed to join the Americans in the World Cup, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The first-team All-Rookie selection was originally asked to be part of the Select Team that will scrimmage against Team USA, but he received a promotion, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Mavericks big man Dwight Powell is optimistic about Canada’s chances in the tournament, per Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. With 22 players on NBA rosters at the start of the season, Canada has a rich talent pool available. “Gold medal,” Powell replied when asked what would constitute a successful tournament. “That’s always the goal. (However), the World Cup is a stacked tournament. We got to be ready for everybody.”
The deadline to submit World Cup rosters is in late August, and the Australians are willing to wait as long as it takes to see if the Nets‘ Ben Simmons is available, according to a NetsDaily story. Simmons is working out with teammates in Miami and trying to overcome the nerve impingement that ended his season in mid-February.

Heat Notes: Offseason, Vincent, Strus, Herro, Lillard, Beal

June 14th, 2023 at 8:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

After an improbable run to the NBA Finals, the Heat face an offseason filled with important financial decisions, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

Miami has just seven players with guaranteed salaries for next season, but Victor Oladipo is almost certain to pick up his $9.5MM option after suffering a knee injury in the playoffs and the team is expected to guarantee Haywood Highsmith‘s $1.9MM salary. With an estimated cap hit of about $3MM for the No. 18 pick, the Heat will have roughly $176MM committed, putting them well over the projected $162MM luxury tax line and in sight of the new $179.5MM second apron.

Kevin Love, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent and Cody Zeller are all headed to unrestricted free agency, while Omer Yurtseven will be restricted if Miami makes a $2.26MM qualifying offer. In addition, Miami has already been linked to potential trades involving Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal.

“The goal is to win a championship, and this organization will do anything possible for that to happen,” Bam Adebayo said at Wednesday’s exit interviews. “I feel like everybody in here knows it’s a business. And that’s why you cherish the moments you go through with your teammates, with your brothers because you never know what can happen next year.”

There’s more from Miami:

The Heat hold Bird rights on Vincent and Strus, so they can go over the cap to re-sign them, although that would increase their tax bill, Chiang adds. Both players indicated that they plan to explore all their options. “Money plays a role, place plays a role, situation plays a role,” Vincent said. There’s a lot of things that factor in and I think it will all take care of itself throughout the summer.”
Tyler Herro didn’t address reporters on Wednesday, but coach Erik Spoelstra expanded on his decision to not use him in Game 5, per Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Herro received medical clearance Monday afternoon after missing nearly two months following hand surgery. “It’s also my job, as the head coach, to protect him, and do what we think was best for the team,” Spoelstra said. “… And there’s no knowing for sure, but I do know that that was just a totally unusual circumstance that you can’t compare to anything else. But the good news is he’ll have a great offseason and he’ll be fully ready to go next year.”
With trade rumors flying around the Heat, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald proposes a scenario in which the team could acquire both Lillard and Beal while keeping Adebayo and Jimmy Butler.

Bradley Beal Rumors: Bucks, Sixers, Knicks, Heat

June 14th, 2023 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Having already reported that the Heat will be among Bradley Beal‘s suitors if the Wizards decide to move forward with a trade of the star guard, Shams Charania of Stadium (Twitter video link) said he has been told the Bucks are “looming” as another team to watch for Beal.

Milwaukee would be a somewhat surprising inclusion in the Beal sweepstakes. Charania doesn’t provide any details on what the Bucks might offer, but we can safely assume Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t going anywhere. In order to match Beal’s maximum-salary cap hit, the Bucks would have to build a package around either Khris Middleton or Jrue Holiday, both of whom were key members of the team that won a title in 2021.

Here’s more on Beal in the wake of a report that he and the Wizards are discussing possible trade scenarios as the team debates whether or not to reset its roster:

Sources who spoke to Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com insisted that the Sixers don’t intend to pursue Beal via trade and aren’t interested in him as a long-term cornerstone. As Neubeck explains, Beal’s contract plays a large part in that stance — he’s owed nearly $208MM over the next four seasons, which will be a tricky contract to accommodate under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement for a player who isn’t his team’s first option.
The Knicks had internal discussions during the season about the possibility of pursuing Beal this summer, sources tell Ian Begley of SNY.tv. It’s unclear what came of those conversations and how enthusiastic the team might be about the idea.
The Heat have conveyed interest in Beal multiple times over the years, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Jackson also hears from a source close to Beal that Miami would appeal to the three-time All-Star — that’s an important factor, given Beal’s full no-trade clause. Jackson suggests that a Miami offer for Beal would likely start with Tyler Herro and either Duncan Robinson or Kyle Lowry for salary-matching purposes. Miami has three tradable future first-rounders, including this year’s No. 18 overall pick.

Heat Notes: Vincent, Strus, Lowry, Yurtseven, Highsmith, Robinson

June 14th, 2023 at 2:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Running it back with the group that got the Heat to the NBA Finals this offseason might be impossible unless the team is willing to pay a massive tax bill, as Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald details. Guards Gabe Vincent and Max Strus, who earned minimum salaries in 2022/23, are each expected to command an eight-figure salary when they sign new contracts as unrestricted free agents this summer.

The Heat have always intended to become a taxpaying team in 2023/24, Jackson writes, but they project to be over the luxury tax threshold even before accounting for new deals for Vincent and/or Strus. Re-signing both players for starting salaries in the range of $10-12MM per year would push the projected team salary into the neighborhood of $200MM, which would result in a tax bill in excess of $120MM.

According to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, rival executives are dubious that the Heat are willing to make that kind of tax payment. As such, it seems unlikely that both Vincent and Strus will be back unless the club can find a way to dump salary in a trade. Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro, and Duncan Robinson would be the best candidates to be involved in such a deal, and Pincus notes that Herro’s four-year contract probably makes him the best option if the club is seeking additional long-term flexibility.

Here’s more on the Heat:

Lowry restored his value to some extent with a strong playoff run, but his expiring deal (worth nearly $30MM) still has limited value, writes Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. A source tells Deveney that if the Heat don’t end up using Lowry’s expiring contract in a trade, they should be comfortable bringing him back for the final year of that deal. “It’s not a bad option to have, the way he played,” the source said. “It’s not a desperate kind of thing.”
Omer Yurtseven, who is eligible for restricted free agency, was asked on Wednesday what his priorities in free agency will be, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “I think my priority is to play,” said Yurtseven, who was limited to nine games in 2022/23 in large part due to ankle surgery in the fall. If the Heat opt not to issue a qualifying offer to Yurtseven, he’d be free to seek out the team willing to give him the biggest role.
Heat wing Haywood Highsmith told reporters on Wednesday that he expects the team to guarantee his $1.9MM salary for next season by hanging onto him beyond July 15, per Winderman (Twitter link). Highsmith added that his goal is to continue to work toward becoming a lock-down defender.
Orlando Robinson‘s two-way contract with the Heat will expire on June 30, but the big man has committed to playing for Miami’s Summer League team, he said today (Twitter link via Winderman). The Heat have the ability to make Robinson a restricted free agent by issuing him a qualifying offer equivalent to another one-year two-way deal.

Wizards, Bradley Beal Discussing Trade Scenarios

June 14th, 2023 at 12:13pm CST by Luke Adams

As potential suitors get in touch with the Wizards about Bradley Beal, the team’s new-look front office – led by president Michael Winger – is staying in “close contact” with Beal’s agent Mark Bartelstein to discuss potential trade scenarios, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

According to Shams Charania and Josh Robbins of The Athletic, the Wizards and Beal have an understanding that they’ll work together to find a deal that sends the three-time All-Star to a contender if the team decides to rebuild its roster.

The reports from ESPN and The Athletic don’t come as a real surprise. When Winger was named the Wizards’ new head of basketball operations last month, reports indicated that team owner Ted Leonsis was open to a rebuild if that’s the path that Winger wanted to take. And given that Beal is the only NBA player with a full no-trade clause, the team would have no choice but to work with the 29-year-old and his camp if it wants to deal him as part of a roster reset.

According to both Wojnarowski and The Athletic’s duo, it remains unclear whether Winger will decide to reshape Washington’s roster, so there’s no guarantee that Beal will be on the move this offseason. But the two sides intend to work amicably on next steps, per The Athletic. Discussions about Beal’s future in D.C. are expected to become more frequent in the coming weeks, sources tell ESPN.

Beal’s value will be limited not just by his no-trade clause, which allows him to essentially choose his new team, but by his recent injury history, his dip in production, and his massive contract.

The former third overall pick has played just 90 games across the last two seasons and has seen his scoring average dip to 23.2 points per game during that time (he averaged 31.3 PPG in 2020/21). However, he signed a maximum-salary contract as a free agent last summer and is owed nearly $208MM over the next four years. He also has a 15% trade kicker, though his salary in 2023/24 will likely be above the league-wide max, so that kicker wouldn’t be applied.

During a TV appearance on Wednesday (YouTube link), ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said he thinks the return in any trade involving Beal would surprise people based on how low it might be. As Windhorst points out, Beal’s no-trade clause doesn’t just let him pick his landing spot — it also lets him approve the package he gets dealt for, since he’d have veto power if he thinks his new team is giving up too much.

Miami and Philadelphia are among the teams that have been linked to Beal in the past, and the Heat are expected to be a “prominent” suitor for him if he’s available this summer, per Charania and Robbins. Previous reporting indicated that the Heat are prepared to peruse the trade market in search of a star in the coming weeks.

In addition to Beal, a pair of other key Wizards players have uncertain futures in D.C. Both Kyle Kuzma ($13MM) and Kristaps Porzingis ($36MM) hold players options for 2023/24. Kuzma is considered a lock to opt out and become a free agent, while Porzingis’ decision is TBD.

Heat Notes: Herro, Butler, Vincent, Strus, Yurtseven, Haslem

June 13th, 2023 at 1:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Heat guard Tyler Herro declined to speak to reporters after Monday’s loss, but his body language suggested that he was disappointed not to get into Game 5 after receiving medical clearance following a two-month recovery process for a broken hand, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Head coach Erik Spoelstra explained after the loss that the physicality and intensity of the game made him hesitant to call on a player who hadn’t suited up since mid-April. However, he also didn’t sound certain that he made the right decision by not using one of Miami’s best scorers in a game in which the team finished with just 89 points.

“It’s just a really tough call and I’ll probably have to wrestle with that all summer,” Spoelstra said, adding that the intensity in the Finals was “totally different” from the first round of the playoffs, let alone the regular season. “… That’s the hardest-played, most physical competition you can have. And that would be a tough thing for a guy that’s been out for two months that hasn’t had any kind of ramp-up. But that won’t save me from thinking about that for the next few weeks.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

Jimmy Butler, who sprained his ankle earlier in the postseason, wasn’t willing to use that injury as an excuse after Monday’s loss, telling reporters that his ankle was “fine” and had “zero” to do with his 5-of-18 shooting night, per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Butler also didn’t necessarily agree with the idea that the Heat need to make offseason moves to improve their offense. “No. We just missed shots,” he said. “That’s what this league is about. We make two, three more shots. … We did enough to win.”
In his preview of the Heat’s offseason, Bobby Marks of ESPN.com (Insider link) says that re-signing Gabe Vincent should be a top priority for the front office, which will have to decide whether bringing back Max Strus is a necessity or a luxury.
One under-the-radar decision the Heat will have to make before the end of June is whether or not to extend a $2.3MM qualifying offer to center Omer Yurtseven, Winderman writes for The Sun Sentinel. That QO would make Yurtseven a restricted free agent. He has shown some promise but was limited to just nine games this season due to ankle surgery, so it’s hardly a lock.
While winning a championship would’ve been a storybook ending for his 20-year NBA career, Udonis Haslem isn’t unhappy about how his final season ended, according to Winderman. “I tell the guys, I have no complaints, I have no regrets. I’m thankful,” Haslem said. “They gave me a final season that I will never, ever forget. That’s all I can ask for.”
Assistant general manager Adam Simon and the rest of the Heat’s draft staff had been trying to “stay out of the team’s way” while bringing in prospects to the Kaseya Center for workouts since last week, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. With the Heat’s season now over, the draft preparation can take center stage — the club owns the No. 18 pick in next Thursday’s event.

Heat Expected To Go Star Hunting This Offseason

June 13th, 2023 at 11:34am CST by Luke Adams

The Heat exceeded all expectations this spring by making the NBA Finals as a No. 8 seed, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be satisfied to run it back with the same roster for 2023/24.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter video link) and Brian Windhorst of ESPN (YouTube link), Miami is expected to explore the trade market in search of a star player this summer.

As Windhorst points out, it makes sense for the Heat to be aggressive as they seek roster upgrades this offseason for a few reasons. For one, Jimmy Butler will turn 34 years old in September and presumably has a limited number of prime years left, while Bam Adebayo – 26 in July – is entering his own prime.

Additionally, the Heat’s roster is getting more expensive, meaning they’ll likely be subject to more restrictive trade rules beginning in 2024/25, when the changes in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement for tax-paying teams will be fully implemented. Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald explores those new rules in more detail, noting that – while some changes will begin to take effect in 2023/24 – the Heat would have more flexibility to make a blockbuster deal in the coming months than in future league years.

While Kyle Lowry ($29.7MM in 2023/24) and Duncan Robinson ($18.2MM) are Miami’s most obvious salary-matching pieces, Windhorst notes that Tyler Herro ($27MM) will be starting his rookie scale extension in ’23/24 and could make a more intriguing trade chip than Lowry or Robinson. Caleb Martin has also evolved into a player that “a lot of teams have interest in,” Windhorst adds.

Of course, if they want to acquire a star, the Heat will almost certainly need to include multiple draft assets in any offer. They owe a lottery-protected 2025 first-round pick to Oklahoma City, which complicates, to some extent, their ability to move additional first-rounders. Still, they could include up to three first-round selections – including this year’s No. 18 pick – in a trade offer this summer.

While there’s no consensus yet on which players the Heat might target, Charania hears that the club made a trade offer to Brooklyn for Kyrie Irving in February and wonders if Miami might circle back on Irving as he reaches free agency.

That seems like a long shot though, since the Heat aren’t in position to acquire a player via sign-and-trade due to the hard cap it would create. It’s also worth noting that a previous report stated that Heat management wasn’t unanimous in its belief that Irving would be a good addition.

Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard recently named the Heat as one of the teams he would want to be traded to if he ever asks out of Portland. There’s no indication that has happened or will happen anytime soon, but there has been more smoke than ever around Lillard’s situation leading up to this offseason.

As Windhorst observes, it’s also entirely possible that there will be a star who has been impressed by the Heat’s unlikely run to the Finals and decides he wants to be part of what’s going on in Miami.

“What we don’t know is what star players just watched the Heat on this two-month advertisement for Heat culture and might go to their teams in the next few weeks and say, ‘I want to be a Miami Heat,'” Windhorst said. “That has happened consistently throughout the Pat Riley era.”

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Nuggets Win First Title, Jokic Named MVP

June 12th, 2023 at 10:23pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nuggets secured their first championship on Monday night, completing a 4-1 series victory over the Heat with a 94-89 victory. The Nuggets joined the NBA in 1976 after the league’s merger with the ABA.

Nikola Jokic, the league’s two-time Most Valuable Player in the regular season, was named the MVP of the Finals, NBA Communications tweets. He had 28 points, 16 rebounds and four assists in the clinching victory. For the series, Jokic averaged 30.2 points, 14.0 rebounds and 7.2 assists per night.

Jokic and the team’s other star, Jamal Murray, carried the Nuggets throughout the playoffs. However, the team’s role players made some of the biggest plays in Game 5.

Bruce Brown had the go-ahead put-back in the late going and hit clinching free throws. In between, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had a key steal and made two clutch free throws.

Denver is well-positioned to make a run at back-to-back titles and beyond. Jokic, Murray, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. are all signed through at least the 2024/25 season. Caldwell-Pope has two more years left on his contract, though he can opt out next summer.

There’s a good chance Brown will go elsewhere. He will almost certainly decline his $6.8MM option and the team doesn’t own his Bird rights, limiting its ability to offer much of a raise.

Jeff Green and a handful of other veteran reserves will be unrestricted free agents, though the Nuggets have some quality young players on rookie contracts poised to take on bigger roles, including Christian Braun and Peyton Watson.

The Heat have some key players entering free agency, most notably Gabe Vincent, Max Strus and Kevin Love.

With the Finals decided, the 2023 NBA offseason is officially underway. The draft will be held in 10 days with free agency beginning the following week.

Tyler Herro Available To Play In Game 5

June 12th, 2023 at 6:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

6:11pm: Herro is available tonight, according to Erik Spoelstra, but the coach wouldn’t commit to playing him, Tim MacMahon of ESPN tweets.

“It’s all hands on deck,” Spoelstra said. “We’re going with our normal rotation, and then we’ll see how things play out.”

11:34am: The Heat have changed Tyler Herro‘s status to questionable for tonight’s Game 5 of the NBA Finals (Twitter link), prompting speculation that he might be ready to return from hand surgery.

Herro is expected to be in uniform and will attempt to play, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Team officials are hoping that he doesn’t suffer a setback before tip-off and that he can manage the pain in his right hand, Woj adds.

The shooting guard has been sidelined since April 16 when he broke two fingers in the opener of Miami’s first-round series with Milwaukee. He had surgery five days later and was projected to miss at least six weeks.

Herro was originally listed as out for Game 5, but he was able to participate in another full-contact practice session on Sunday. His performance apparently convinced team officials that he’s ready to attempt a comeback.

The Heat need a boost in three-point shooting from their backcourt after Gabe Vincent and Max Strus misfired badly in Game 3 and 4. They combined to shoot 4-of-27 from the field in the two losses at Miami while scoring a total of 12 points.

Heat Notes: Butler, Lowry, Love, Game 5

June 12th, 2023 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

The competitive nature and gruff demeanors of Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry brought them together, first as friends and then as teammates, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN. They formed a bond as rivals earlier in their careers, and Butler was heavily involved in recruiting Lowry to Miami when he decided to leave Toronto two years ago.

“It wasn’t a pitch,” Lowry recalled. “(It was:) Bring your ass here.”

Kevin Love compares it to having two versions of Oscar the Grouch on the same team, but their shared approach to the game has fit right into the Heat Culture philosophy. Lowry desperately wants to win a title for his friend, and Butler recognizes Lowry’s role in sparking Miami’s run to the NBA Finals.

“Everything he is about is about winning,” Butler said. “Whenever you get with other guys that they’re only about winning, that’s all that matters. It’s not about stats, and about how many shots you get, not about how many stops you get, whatever you’re asked of to do to help the squad win — that’s why we rock with one another.”

There’s more on the Heat:

Butler’s commitment to leadership includes specialized pre-game handshake routines with all his teammates, Friedell adds in another ESPN story. They range from the complex to the obscene, but each represents a connection that Butler has with another player. “You’re talking about the journeys that I’ve had with so many different guys,” he said. “It’s all about making us smile, keeping it free flowing, no pressure, you’re not worried about nothing. Just two human beings, two brothers, two teammates, two guys that’s in the trenches together and you just come up with something out of nowhere, but it’s us.”
Love will be ready for Monday’s Game 5 after his wife gave birth to their first child over the weekend, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Love didn’t accompany his teammates on their flight to Denver, but he joined them late Saturday night.
A 3-1 deficit hasn’t dulled the Heat’s competitive instincts, Vardon adds. Coach Erik Spoelstra talked about the team’s situation as the “ultimate challenge,” and Butler said the players remain committed to their dreams of winning a title. “All the odds, 8 seed, dadadadada, nah, none of that matters,” he said. “It’s just two really good basketball teams. One has to get one win, and one has to get three.”