Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat Notes: Game 5, Robinson, Offseason Plans

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

The Heat are disappointed to be heading back to Denver with a 3-1 deficit after dropping two straight games on their home court, but they’re determined to extend the series by winning Game 5, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

Monday’s contest will mark the third elimination game of the postseason for Miami, which survived in the play-in tournament against Chicago and Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Boston. Jimmy Butler said the team will adopt the same attitude against the Nuggets.

“We don’t have no quit,” he said. “We are going to continually fight … to get better. And then we are going into Monday and do what we said we were going to do this entire time and win. We have to. We have no other choice. Otherwise, we did all this for no reason.”

Chiang notes that coach Erik Spoelstra has to figure out several adjustments to turn the series around. Denver has defended Miami’s outside shooters more closely after a Game 2 loss, leading to Gabe Vincent and Max Strus shooting just 2-of-17 from beyond the arc in the two games at Miami. The Heat also haven’t found a way to slow down Denver’s offense, which is averaging 119.3 points per 100 possessions so far in the series.

“Going to Denver, if there’s any team that can get one anytime, anywhere, it’s us,” Udonis Haslem said. “I believe in our guys. Back against the wall, you’re going to get our best version.”

There’s more on the Heat:

Duncan Robinson has regained his status as an elite three-point shooter during Miami’s playoff run, Chiang adds in another Miami Herald story. Robinson struggled with his shot and his confidence during an up-and-down regular season, and he’s happy to feel like he’s helping the team again. “When you look at my career, I’ve had a lot of setbacks,’ he said. “It’s kind of like the story of my career, to be honest. Setbacks followed by breakthroughs followed by setbacks. I think I’ve learned over time to trust it and know that this journey is not linear.”
In a breakdown of how much extra money players get for advancing in the postseason, Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel notes that Robinson had an opportunity to guarantee the final $10MM of his contract by winning a title, but he failed to meet all the criteria. He needed to play in 70 regular season games and average at least 25 minutes per night, but he fell well short on both counts. He also had to appear in at least 75% of Miami’s playoff games and average 25 minutes in those. Robinson’s $19.888MM salary for the 2025/26 season comes with an early termination option and is only guaranteed at $9.888MM.
Miami will likely start searching for its next star after the playoffs end, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Insider link). Although the team’s journey to the NBA Finals has been remarkable, the series with Denver has displayed that the Heat don’t have enough firepower to win a title. Windhorst points out that the new Collective Bargaining Agreement will make huge trades harder to complete starting in 2024, so he expects team president Pat Riley to be active this summer.

Trail Blazers Offering No. 3 Pick, Simons In Exchange For Star?

June 10th, 2023 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Numerous trade rumors are circulating about Damian Lillard, but league sources tell Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer that the Trail Blazers are more inclined to keep Lillard and try to build a contender around him.

According to O’Connor, Portland’s front office is exploring deals involving the No. 3 pick in the draft and would be willing to move Anfernee Simons as well. O’Connor names the Celtics‘ Jaylen Brown, the Raptors‘ Pascal Siakam and the Nets‘ Mikal Bridges as targets that would make sense for that package, but he also cautions that the Blazers might decide to keep their pick.

Simons is coming off his best NBA season, averaging 21.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 62 games. The 24-year-old shooting guard has three seasons left on his four-year, $100MM extension.

The No. 3 pick also carries significant value in a draft that is projected to have three top players. Brandon Miller is widely expected to be taken second by Charlotte, leaving G League star Scoot Henderson available for any team that wants to deal for the third choice. However, Miller and Henderson could easily flip places.

In an interview this week, Lillard identified the Heat and Nets as teams he would be interested in joining if he requests a trade. O’Connor offers a few other suggestions, including the Raptors, who reportedly talked to Portland about an OG Anunoby deal last summer and again before the February deadline. O’Connor also mentions the Grizzlies if they decide to unload Ja Morant or teams rich in draft picks such as the Pelicans, Rockets and Spurs.

Lillard has stated repeatedly that he wants to compete for a championship, and O’Connor believes his best chance to reach that goal is to accept a trade. However, it appears the Blazers are going to make an effort to create an instant contender before they consider that option.

Warriors Notes: Kerr, Poole, Kuminga, Draft, DiVincenzo

June 10th, 2023 at 9:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

Steve Kerr’s praise for the Heat‘s role players during an appearance on Draymond Green‘s podcast could be interpreted as a message to some of the Warriors, Tim Kawakami of The Athletic writes in a mailbag column. Golden State’s head coach talked about how Miami’s players were able to embrace their roles and adapt from game to game without complaining about playing time.

There were rumors throughout the season that several Warriors — Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga in particular — were unhappy about not having steady minutes. Kawakami notes that Kerr’s comments to Green were similar to what he has been saying all season and an echo of a speech that Stephen Curry delivered to the team before Game 7 of its first-round series against the Kings.

Kawakami adds that Green is in full agreement with Kerr’s stance and wouldn’t be concerned about offending anyone by pointing it out publicly. The message they hoped to deliver is that the team needs more commitment from its young players, similar to what the Heat have been displaying.

There’s more on the Warriors:

Management doesn’t appear inclined to overhaul the roster before next season, Kawakami adds. He states that the front office might listen to offers if they get calls about Poole, but the core of the team will probably remain together for at least another year, with Curry and Klay Thompson under contract and Green considered likely to re-sign.
According to Kawakami, Kerr’s future as head coach shouldn’t be affected by the hiring of a new general manager, and it seems to be more connected with Curry’s playing career. Kawakami believes Kerr can continue coaching the team for as long as he wants if Curry remains productive.
Golden State may consider Iowa forward Kris Murray with the 19th pick in the draft, former Warrior Festus Ezeli of NBC Sports Bay Area said on the “Dubs Talk” podcast. “There is an importance to the NBA draft,” Ezeli said. “… I’ve seen some rumblings about (Kings forward) Keegan Murray‘s brother, who’s also a shooter. Different pieces like that.”
Knicks guard Josh Hart has talked to fellow Villanova alum Donte DiVincenzo about coming to New York in free agency (Twitter link from New York Basketball). DiVincenzo has a $4.725MM player option on the two-year deal he signed with the Warriors last summer.

Bulls Notes: White, Williams, Butler, Patton

June 10th, 2023 at 7:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

If the Bulls bring back their core group for next season, which vice president Arturas Karnisovas has indicated that he plans to do, someone on the roster will have to show significant improvement for the team to move up the ladder in the East. Free agent Coby White is an obvious candidate if he can provide a long-term answer at point guard after the loss of Lonzo Ball to injury, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.

White is one of the team’s best three-point shooters and a natural fit in the fast-paced style that coach Billy Donovan likes to play. He has shown improvement in his ball-handling and decision making during his four years in the NBA, Johnson adds, and he got better on defense last season.

“He’s a lot more equipped, I’d say, today to be maybe in that role than he was a few years ago,” Donovan said after the season ended. “So I’ve got a lot of confidence in Coby and just the way he’s gotten better. And he deserves all the credit. He’s the one who put all the work in.”

There’s more from Chicago:

Patrick Williams still has a lot of believers within the Bulls organization, but that doesn’t guarantee he’ll get a rookie scale extension this summer, Johnson said on the Bulls Talk podcast. Johnson notes that management typically takes a hard line in extension talks and suggests that the team might handle Williams the same way it did White, letting him play out his rookie contract and negotiating with him next summer as a restricted free agent.
Jimmy Butler‘s performance in leading the Heat to the NBA Finals is proving that the Bulls’ decision to trade him in 2017 was one of the worst moves in franchise history, claims Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Of the three players Chicago got in return, only Zach LaVine is left on the roster. Cowley states that the Bulls have missed Butler’s competitive fire, as have the Timberwolves and Sixers, who also let him go without getting equal value.
The Bulls plan to hire Peter Patton as a player development coach, Johnson tweets. The former DePaul standout has spent time as a shooting coach with the Timberwolves and Mavericks.

Heat Notes: Vincent, Strus, Draft Picks, Herro, Lillard

June 10th, 2023 at 5:09pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat’s starting backcourt has fallen into a shooting slump at the worst possible time, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Gabe Vincent and Max Strus played vital roles in Miami’s climb from the play-in tournament to the NBA Finals, but they were held to a combined 12 points in the Game 3 and 4 losses while shooting 4-of-27 from the field.

Strus was despondent in the locker room after Friday’s contest, according to Jackson. He missed all four of his shots on a scoreless night and was removed from the game for good with 4:25 left in the third quarter.

“I’m pretty disappointed,” he said. “But sitting here and sulking about it is not going to do anything. Got to toughen up and bounce back. Look forward to the next opportunity and try to stay positive.”

Vincent scored a combined 42 points in the two games at Denver, but has managed just nine since the series shifted back to Miami. He shot 3-of-16 over the last two games and got into early foul trouble both times.

“Gabe’s been unbelievable this whole playoff run,” Kyle Lowry said. “Gabe is a tremendous basketball player. Our league is a make-or-miss league, and you have a guy in Jimmy Butler who is going to continue to pump confidence into him. I’m going to pump confidence into him. He’s going to come out and have a great game in Game 5.”

There’s more on the Heat:

Miami could have up to four first-round picks to trade this summer, which would be the most in several years, Jackson adds. He notes that the Heat could give themselves extra flexibility by working out an agreement with the Thunder to waive the lottery protections on the selection that Miami owes to OKC in 2025 or 2026.
The Heat have shown that they can succeed without Tyler Herro, who has been injured for nearly the entirety of their playoff run, and Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel states that it should be much easier to trade Herro than it was last offseason. The poison pill restriction in Herro’s contract will expire at the end of the month, meaning his salary will be counted as $27MM for trade purposes, rather than the $5.7MM he’s currently earning on his rookie contract. Winderman points out that Herro’s $130MM extension kicks in next season, and any team that trades for him will have him under contract for the next four years.
Team president Pat Riley should be aggressive about trying to acquire Damian Lillard from the Trail Blazers this summer, argues Manny Navarro of The Athletic. Earlier this week, Lillard listed the Heat as one of his preferred destinations if he does get traded.

Suns Rumors: Harden, Lillard, Paul, Irving, Russell, More

June 9th, 2023 at 8:04pm CST by Rory Maher

There have been rumors linking James Harden to Phoenix. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM shut down that notion (via Twitter), writing that there’s a “zero percent chance” the Suns would pursue the former MVP.

Gambadoro also said it was “highly unlikely” the Suns would have interest in Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard, pointing out that his large salary might be unpalatable for a roster that’s already top-heavy (Twitter link). On his Burns and Gambo radio show (Twitter link), the plugged-in local reporter stated in stronger terms that the Suns won’t pursue Lillard.

“They’re not getting James Harden, and they’re not getting Damian Lillard,” Gambadoro said.

Here are more rumors on the Suns:

Gambadoro’s reporting on Lillard was seemingly in response to a new piece from Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, who hears from sources who say that the Trail Blazers have shown interest in Deandre Ayton in the past. However, Fischer also downplays Phoenix’s chances of landing Lillard, noting that the Suns don’t have the requisite assets to land a player of his caliber. The Blazers, meanwhile, still hope to build a contender around their all-time leading scorer, and remain intent on re-signing Jerami Grant, sources tell Fischer.
Fischer’s article focuses on Chris Paul‘s uncertain future with the Suns and how it might have a ripple effect around the NBA. Although Lillard and Harden might be unrealistic targets, Fischer writes that the Suns remain intrigued by Kyrie Irving, who is entering unrestricted free agency. As Fischer notes, Irving would basically have to ask the Mavericks for help in a sign-and-trade. Dallas hasn’t shown any interest in helping the Lakers land Irving in a sign-and-trade for D’Angelo Russell, but Fischer wonders if Paul might be more appealing.
Could the Lakers and Suns explore a sign-and-trade involving Russell and Paul? The Suns pursued the 27-year-old impending free agent ahead of the February trade deadline when he was still on the Timberwolves, sources tell Fischer. Big man Naz Reid, who’s also set to hit unrestricted free agency, was another player Phoenix desired in talks with Minnesota, Fischer adds.
Hornets guard Terry Rozier has been linked to Phoenix in the past, but the Suns didn’t pursue him ahead of the trade deadline, sources tell Fischer. Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley, Celtics guard Payton Pritchard, Kings guard Davion Mitchell, and Heat guard Gabe Vincent are among the other backcourt options the Suns have monitored, per Fischer.
Agents that Fischer has talked to believe Paul could get at least part of — if not the full — mid-level exception if he’s waived and becomes an unrestricted free agent. While Paul has been linked to his former club, the Clippers, Fischer notes that they can only offer the veteran’s minimum, and there’s “mutual interest” in a reunion between Russell Westbrook and the Clips.

Heat Notes: Butler, Lowry, Herro, Two-Way Players

June 9th, 2023 at 1:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Heat forward Jimmy Butler has been unfailingly honest when explaining how important winning his first title would be to him, per Nick Friedell of ESPN.

“That’s why everybody plays this game — I lied, that’s why a lot of people play this game — is to win a championship,” Butler told Friedell. “That’s all we lock in on; that’s all we’re focused on. Like we put so much energy towards winning and playing for one another that if we do this together, we get to celebrate this together, we’re like, I don’t know the word, itched, niched, we made our mark in history together forever, so we’re in that.”

The well-traveled All-Star seems to have a found a long-term home in Miami, and is hoping to finally cement his legacy with his second Finals appearance in his fourth season with the club.

“I’m happy I get to do it [compete for a title] with these guys,” Butler said. “And I’m still very grateful for day one in the Berto Center [with the Bulls] and the Mayo Clinic [facility with the Timberwolves] and whatever the 76ers’ [facility is called]; I’m grateful for all those opportunities that’s getting me here to know what I got to do to get it done.”

There’s more out of Miami:

Heat point guard Kyle Lowry has adjusted well to his new role as a reserve following a return from a knee injury, writes Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “It’s about being a pro,” Lowry said. “It’s about winning, honestly. It’s easy when you have [ground] to get to a starter. I wasn’t always a starter. So, I understand the role, how important that is. And, for me, being a professional and being a guy that only cares about winning, it makes it easy, honestly.” Lowry’s relatively modest statistical output in these playoffs belies the true value of his impact, especially as a defensive pest against Denver’s backcourt.
Heat shooting guard Tyler Herro, the team’s third-leading scorer in the regular season, has missed all but one half of the club’s run to the Finals this year due to a fractured right hand. According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, Herro has not been cleared for Game 4 on Friday night, and remains listed as out. “Right now he is not cleared to take that next step,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He has checked every box so far, but he is not at that next step yet to clear for an NBA Finals game. But he is doing everything he needs to do to take these next step.” Miami, currently lagging 2-1 behind Denver in the Finals, is certainly missing his skills as a play-maker and as a shooter both off the dribble and off the catch, writes Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports.
While two-way Heat players Jamal Cain and Orlando Robinson have been ineligible to suit up for the team during the playoffs, the duo is still getting invaluable experience in sharing the postseason moment with the rest of the team, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “It’s been great to see this championship level team and being able to recognize the standard and what it means to win,” Cain said. “This being my first year, being able to see this and experience this is something that’s going to make me better and I think it’s going to raise my standard for each year because having this feeling of being around this type of environment is unbelievable.” Center Robinson played in 31 games for Miami this season, while Cain, a 6’6″ swingman, appeared in 18 contests for the Heat. Both players logged more significant minutes with the Heat’s NBAGL affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

And-Ones: Hard Cap, New CBA, All-Star Game, Top FAs

June 9th, 2023 at 11:39am CST by Luke Adams

NBA teams become hard-capped at the tax apron when they either acquire a player via sign-and-trade, use more than the taxpayer portion of the mid-level exception, or use the bi-annual exception. According to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report (Twitter link), there will be a fourth way that clubs can hard-cap themselves next season — they won’t be able to spend above the first tax apron if they take back more than 110% of the salary they send out in a trade during the 2023/24 league year.

In a full story for Bleacher Report, Pincus takes a more comprehensive look at which teams will be most impacted by the increased spending restrictions that will be implemented starting next season as a result of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

While it’s no surprise that the Warriors and Clippers will be among the clubs most adversely impacted, Pincus also names the Hawks, Pelicans, and Heat that will have to be careful about their team salaries going forward. A Pelicans team source tells Bleacher Report that there’s “a zero percent chance” New Orleans will be able to keep its entire core intact through 2025/26, with young players like Trey Murphy, Herbert Jones, and Jose Alvarado due for raises in the coming years.

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

Appearing on NBA Countdown on ESPN prior to Game 3 of the Finals (YouTube link), commissioner Adam Silver didn’t close the door on the possibility of the league pitting a U.S. team against an international team in the All-Star Game down the road. As Silver explained, the NBA has historically shied away from that idea due to the imbalance in the two player pools, but the recent success enjoyed by international stars has put it back on the league’s radar.
John Hollinger of The Athletic ranks the top 25 free agents of 2023 using his BORD$ formula, with Kyrie Irving, James Harden, and Fred VanVleet leading the way.
The NBA is considering using technology to automate out-of-bounds and goaltending calls late in games and will test that technology in this July’s summer leagues, NBA president of basketball operations Byron Spruell confirmed this week (link via Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com). Spruell added that the league hopes to eventually have its referees focusing more on subjective rulings than the objective ones that could become automated.

Heat Notes: Love, Herro, Vincent, Strus, Lillard

June 8th, 2023 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Love remained in the Heat‘s starting lineup Wednesday, but the results weren’t nearly as good as they were in Game 2, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. After sitting out the series opener, Love provided a spark in Sunday’s win at Denver and helped to neutralize the Nuggets’ height advantage.

He sank a three-pointer about a minute into Game 3 and drew an early charge on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but Love wasn’t as impactful on Wednesday night. He played just 16 minutes with six points and two rebounds while shooting 2-of-5 from the field.

Miami had been 11-2 in the playoffs with Love as a starter before Wednesday, but the starting five was badly outplayed by Denver. They were outscored by 10 points in their 16 minutes together and allowed the Nuggets to take control of the game early in the third quarter. Coach Erik Spoelstra has just one off day to consider whether he wants to adjust his starters again before the series resumes Friday night.

There’s more from Miami:

The prospect of a Tyler Herro return appear less likely as the series wears on, Chiang adds. Herro has been able to practice, but he hasn’t received medical clearance yet to take part in games. The Heat have been listing him as day-to-day, but he hasn’t played since breaking two fingers on his right hand in Miami’s first playoff contest. “I don’t have another update for you,” Spoelstra told reporters before Game 3. “He is scheduled to have another full-contact workout (Thursday). He has not been cleared yet. So until he has been cleared, a lot of this stuff is really just hypothetical.”
The Heat didn’t get much production from their complementary players in Wednesday’s loss, notes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. After scoring 19 and 23 points in the first two games of the Finals, Gabe Vincent shot just 2-of-10 on a seven-point night. Max Strus was 1-of-7 and Duncan Robinson only took two shots in the game’s first 45 minutes before sinking two late threes.
Vincent and Strus are both in line for big raises in free agency, with a rival executive telling Darren Rovell of The Action Network that they may be able to land new contracts starting at $15MM per season. He also added that there’s a certain amount of risk for teams pursuing either player. “I’ve invested in players who had breakouts like these guys did and they turned out to be duds because they were just good in the system they were in,” the executive said. “If it doesn’t work out, you might never really know why. The teams that are going to be paying $12 to $15 million for Gabe Vincent and Max Strus are low- to mid-tier teams and they are going to be asked to do more on a consistent basis.”
Damian Lillard identified the Heat as a potential destination if he were to ask for a trade, but the Trail Blazers star said that’s “definitely” not happening if Miami wins the title, according to a tweet from NBA Central.

Western Notes: CP3, LeBron, Mavs, Jeter, Blazers

June 7th, 2023 at 8:48pm CST by Rory Maher

The Suns “would like to find a way to financially keep Chris Paul” on their roster, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported on NBA Countdown (Twitter video link).

That said, if Phoenix is unable to find a better alternative and winds up releasing Paul, the longtime veteran would be “very coveted” on the open market, Wojnarowski says. Woj names the Lakers and Clippers as two teams that would be interested in Paul’s services, noting that the veteran point guard lives in Los Angeles in the offseason.

Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated speculates (via Twitter) that the Grizzlies, Celtics and Heat could be among the other teams calling Paul’s agents if he hits unrestricted free agency.

Here’s more from the Western Conference

LeBron James hinted at retirement after the Lakers were swept by the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, whom James passed this season to become the league’s all-time leading scorer, recently touched on the possibility of James retiring, as Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times writes. “At the end of the year, after all that, LeBron and most of the guys looked like they’d been through two seasons, you know? But they still gave it an awesome effort,” Abdul-Jabbar said Monday. “I think it’s up to him. Certainly doesn’t have to prove anything. And it’s just what he wants to do at this point.”
Kyrie Irving reportedly wants the Mavericks to pursue James, but that’s certainly far-fetched. Even if they could pull it off, Tim Cato of The Athletic argues that adding James wouldn’t make the Mavs a title contender, as having three players on max (or near max) deals while trading away all their remaining assets would make it incredibly difficult to build out the rest of the roster. Cato also notes that James’ defensive effort comes and goes at this stage of his career and he isn’t a reliable spot-up shooter to complement Luka Doncic.
Former NBA guard Pooh Jeter is retiring as a player, reports Marc J. Spears of Andscape (via Twitter). Jeter played for the G League Ignite this past season and mentored Scoot Henderson. The 39-year-old has already found a new gig, reaching an agreement in principle to become an assistant GM for the Trail Blazers‘ new G League affiliate. Jeter will also serve as a player development coach for the Blazers, according to Spears.