Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat’s Dedmon Ejected, May Face Additional Discipline Following Sideline Incident

January 11th, 2023 at 9:07am CST by Luke Adams

With only nine players active for the Heat on Tuesday night, center Dewayne Dedmon had an opportunity to rejoin the rotation, but his night didn’t last long.

After being subbed out of the game less than three minutes into the second quarter, Dedmon got into an argument on the sidelines with head coach Erik Spoelstra and assistant Caron Butler, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (subscription required).

When the big man, visibly angry, left the bench and began walking toward the locker room, he swatted at a Theragun and sent the massage device flying onto the court in the middle of play (video link via Bleacher Report). The incident resulted in his ejection from the game, and there’s an expectation that the NBA will fine or suspend Dedmon for tossing something onto the court during play, Chiang writes.

Dedmon, the Heat’s primary reserve center earlier in the season, has fallen out of the rotation as of late despite the ongoing absence of big man Omer Yurtseven (ankle surgery). With two-way center Orlando Robinson assuming backup duties behind Bam Adebayo, Dedmon hasn’t played more than 10 minutes in a game since December 14.

As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes, Robinson’s emergence and the anticipated return of Yurtseven later this season have essentially made Dedmon expendable for the Heat, so the 33-year-old is a good bet to wind up on the trade block once he becomes eligible to be dealt this Sunday.

Dedmon is in the first season of a two-year, $9MM contract he signed with the Heat last summer, but his $4.3MM salary for 2023/24 is non-guaranteed, so it shouldn’t require a significant asset for Miami to move off of his deal.

If they’re able to move him in a salary-dump trade, the Heat would create enough breathing room below the luxury tax line to immediately fill the 15th spot on their roster in addition to replacing Dedmon. Robinson is a strong candidate to be promoted to fill that spot sooner or later.

Robinson Passes Dedmon On Depth Chart?

January 9th, 2023 at 10:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Two-way player Orlando Robinson may have passed Dewayne Dedmon on the depth chart as the Heat‘s backup center. Robinson finished Sunday’s one-point loss to Brooklyn with six points, nine rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes, while Dedmon didn’t play due to coach’s decision for the first time this season. The Heat outscored the Nets by 24 points with Robinson on the court, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald notes.

“I thought he just gave us great minutes,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Even when we had to take (Bam Adebayo) out in the fourth quarter, that could have been an emotional downer, like a real buzz kill. But O had been playing really well and when I turned to him, everybody else was like: ‘Yeah, let’s do this.’ He’s earned the minutes and I think the way he was really sprinting to the rim on some of the pick-and-rolls and creating a little bit of confusion, really helped us generate some clean looks.”

Heat guard Kyle Lowry has been downgraded to out for Tuesday’s game against the Thunder, Chiang tweets. The Heat have a number of injury concerns. Rotation players Caleb Martin (left quadriceps strain) and Duncan Robinson (finger surgery) have also been ruled out, while Tyler Herro (left Achilles soreness) and Adebayo (right wrist contusion) are questionable.

Bam Dealing With Right Hand Injury

January 9th, 2023 at 4:05pm CST by Rory Maher

Heat center Bam Adebayo has a right hand injury, which is why he sat out the final 5:11 of Sunday’s loss to Brooklyn, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (subscriber link). Adebayo said he’s actually been dealing with it for a few days, but the injury was aggravated in the first half. “I don’t know how he’ll feel tomorrow,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “There was a really hard hand contusion in the first half and he tried to gut it out in the second half, and you could see he was basically playing with one hand. It was just extremely sore. So I had to make that tough call and take the decision out of his hands in the fourth quarter and we’ll just evaluate him tomorrow.” Adebayo said X-rays were negative, and an MRI on Monday revealed a wrist contusion, but nothing more serious. He’s officially listed as questionable for Tuesday’s contest vs. the Thunder, according to Chiang (Twitter link).

Pacific Notes: LeBron, R. Jackson, Ayton, Dozier

January 9th, 2023 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

LeBron James is disputing the nature of a weekend report by Sam Amick of The Athletic that he’s becoming impatient for Lakers management to upgrade the roster. The story suggests that James was sending a message to the front office with his comments after Saturday’s game, but in a response on Twitter, James said that wasn’t his intention.

“Hey Sam actually my patience isn’t waning,” he wrote. “You make it sound like I’m frustrated when I’m really not. I told you over and over, my job is focused on the guys in the locker room, my job isn’t the roster. That’s the reality of that conversation. And I said what I said with the Upmost respect and calmness cause that’s the mood I’m in! Your welcome! 5 game winning streak.”

While L.A. has climbed back into the playoff race with its recent hot streak, speculation is starting to build around the league that James may want to finish his career somewhere else, according to Sean Deveney of Heavy. Executives have told Deveney that multiple teams are preparing for the possibility that James will try to force a trade this summer, if only so they don’t get caught off guard like they did with Kevin Durant‘s trade request last year.

One executive tells Deveney that the Lakers are hoping to get through this season without trading their first-round picks in 2027 and 2029 and then use their cap room, which could top $30MM, to acquire free agents who would appeal to James, such as Kyrie Irving or Draymond Green. If that doesn’t happen, league executives see the Cavaliers, Heat and Suns as the most likely destinations if James does force his way out.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Coach Tyronn Lue tinkered with the lineup as the Clippers dropped their sixth straight game on Sunday night, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Reggie Jackson, who has been the starting point guard for the past two-plus seasons, played just eight minutes, all in the first half, as Lue turned to Terance Mann to improve the team’s defense. Lue explained that the change isn’t necessarily permanent. “No, I just think tonight it was Reggie,” he said. “Then tomorrow, it could be somebody else. Just kind of experimenting with different things. When you lose five games in a row, you want to try some different things.”
The Suns were missing four rotation players due to injuries as they fell below .500 Sunday night, so Deandre Ayton is determined to keep playing despite tweaking his left ankle late in the game, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “I finished the jump hook and my left leg just drifted off behind me and twisted it. So it feels like it’s a day-by-day thing,” Ayton said. “No ankle is stopping me right now. I’m on a mission so I’m going to be up on my feet. No worries about that.”
Coach Mike Brown was upset about the Kings‘ defense in Saturday’s loss to the Lakers, and the team sees potential help in PJ Dozier, who’s expected to sign a 10-day contract, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.

Heat Notes: Adebayo, Martin, Oladipo, January Deadlines

January 8th, 2023 at 3:19pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

All-Star Heat center Bam Adebayo beleives he’s the best defender in the league, making the claim in a Q&A with Mark Medina of NBA.com.

“I feel like I’ve been the best defender in the last two seasons,” Adebayo said. “I can guard one through five and I can guard anybody on the court. In past seasons, that’s how I got on the court. Defense is how I got to where I am today. That’s never going to be away. I’m always going to have the mindset of wanting to be in the top five on both units.”

Adebayo is certainly the fulcrum of one of the league’s best defenses. The Heat currently rank second in opponent points allowed per game (109.1) and sixth in defensive rating (111.4). His most seasoned teammate thinks he has also evolved as a leader.

“The more he talks, the less I have to do,” reserve big man Udonis Haslem told Medina. “He takes over the huddles. He holds guys accountable. He’s engaged. He’s building that trust and relationship with guys. That’s what you want from your best player.”

Through 36 games this season, Adebayo is averaging a career-high 21.8 PPG while shooting 54.4% from the field and 81.8% from the charity stripe. He’s also chipping in 10 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.1 SPG and 0.8 BPG.

There’s more out of South Beach:

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra believes 6’5″ starting power forward Caleb Martin is growing more comfortable in his new role, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “His versatility is vital to our group,” Spoelstra said. “Night after night after night, he’s taking on all the different kinds of challenges that this league can present, whether he’s guarding the small, super-quick guys, or whether he’s switching on to centers. And he has great instincts for deflections and steals…. Our defense always just seems to be a whole lot more active and fast when he’s out on the court. He’s a playmaker out there, which really truly fits with Jimmy [Butler] and Bam.” Winderman notes that the Heat still intend to make Martin into a reliable spot-up three-point shooter.
Miami reserve shooting guard Victor Oladipo continues to find his way with the club this season, Winderman writes in a separate story. “He’s been getting more comfortable, more confident, getting his legs under him,” Spoelstra remarked. “And he’s a big-time X-factor for us, on both sides of the floor… And I’ve mentioned this before — his growth and improvement and how he feels comfortable within the system and everything, that won’t be linear. It’ll be some minor ups and downs with it, because he has missed a good deal of time.”
Three notable NBA dates in January aren’t having a huge impact on the Heat, explains Winderman in another article. Because of the league’s proximity to the luxury tax, the club as currently comprised won’t be in the market for 10-day contracts, the window for which opened Thursday. The team opted to guarantee reserve big Haywood Highsmith‘s contract for the season Saturday and also seem destined to guarantee the contracts of intriguing two-way players Jamal Cain and Orlando Robinson at the January 20 two-way guarantee deadline.

Heat To Guarantee Haywood Highsmith’s Salary

January 7th, 2023 at 2:40pm CST by Rory Maher

The Heat are guaranteeing the remainder of Haywood Highsmith‘s salary for 2022/23, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

Highsmith went undrafted in 2018 out of Wheeling University, a Division II school. Now in his third season, the 26-year-old has bounced between the NBA and the G League over the past five years, but appears to have found a nice niche with Miami.

His stats definitely don’t stand out — he’s averaging 4.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG and 1.0 SPG on .383/.310/.375 shooting (only 16 free throw attempts, so a very small sample size) through 27 games (19.5 MPG). However, Highsmith is a strong and versatile defensive player, as head coach Erik Spoelstra noted a couple weeks ago.

The combo forward only had a $50K partial guarantee entering the preseason, but that increased to $400K when he made the Heat’s regular season roster. He signed a three-year, minimum-salary deal with Miami last March, and his salary for next season is non-guaranteed.

Scotto’s Latest: LaVine, Mavs, Heat, Dort, Raptors

January 6th, 2023 at 4:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Rival executives believe the Knicks, Mavericks, Lakers, and Heat would be among the most likely suitors for Zach LaVine if the Bulls were to make him available prior to this season’s February 9 trade deadline, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype said on the latest episode of HoopsHype’s podcast. However, with Chicago still hanging onto the 10th seed in the East despite a disappointing first half (17-21), there’s no indication that the team is on the verge of becoming a seller.

Here’s more from Scotto:

The Mavericks owe their 2023 first-round pick to New York, but control all their future picks and could theoretically move one or more at the trade deadline. However, Scotto has heard the Mavs will be reluctant to give up a first-rounder unless it’s for a player they believe can help make them a title contender this season.
Rival executives are keeping a close eye on the Heat as a team that may be active before the deadline, says Scotto. After finishing with the East’s best record in 2021/22, Miami is just 20-19 so far this season and holds the No. 8 seed. The team never really replaced P.J. Tucker after he departed in free agency and should have some tradable contracts, especially after Victor Oladipo and Dewayne Dedmon become movable on January 15 (though Oladipo will have veto power).
Luguentz Dort is another player who will become trade-eligible on January 15, but don’t expect him to be mentioned in any rumors this season, according to Scotto, who says the Thunder view him as a part of the team’s long-term future alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Some people around the league believe the Raptors will be more active in trade talks beginning in mid-January, Scotto says. Toronto may have a better sense by then of which direction the team’s season is headed.

Duncan Robinson Undergoes Finger Surgery, Out At Least Four Weeks

January 4th, 2023 at 7:45pm CST by Luke Adams

7:45pm: The surgery to repair a ligament in the second finger of Robinson’s right hand was successful, the Heat announced. He will begin the rehabilitation process next week.

1:45pm: Heat forward Duncan Robinson is undergoing surgery on his right hand to address a finger injury, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter links).

Robinson will be sidelined for at least four weeks before being reevaluated, Chiang adds. The procedure is taking place today in Los Angeles.

Robinson initially injured the finger back in November in Washington when it got caught in another player’s jersey during the Heat’s shootaround (Twitter link via Chiang). He has missed 10 games since then, though most of those absences were simply DNP-CDs or were attributed to a left ankle sprain rather than the finger injury, which he has attempted to play through.

A second opinion on Tuesday helped convince Robinson to take the surgical route, he said today, clarifying that he has a ligament tear in the finger (Twitter link via Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel).

A starter from 2019-22, Robinson has seen his role cut back this season. He’s coming off the bench and is averaging just 17.9 minutes per night, his lowest mark since he was a rookie in 2018/19.

The 28-year-old is still a valuable floor spacer for Miami and recently became the franchise’s all-time leader in threes, but his 3PT% has slipped to .331 this season. He’s a career 40.1% shooter from beyond the arc.

With Robinson out for at least four weeks, the Heat now have three players on the shelf with longer-term injuries. Nikola Jovic (back) and Omer Yurtseven (ankle) are also expected to remain unavailable until at least February.

Eastern Notes: Heat, Crowder, Embiid, Magic, Bulls

January 4th, 2023 at 5:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat have frequently been cited as a potential trade suitor for Suns forward Jae Crowder, but a source who has spoken to Miami’s front office believes the Heat may only be interested in Crowder if he’s bought out, reports Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.

Jackson adds that the Heat would likely still have interest in trading for Crowder if the Suns are willing to accept a “bad contract,” which is presumably a reference to Duncan Robinson‘s deal — it still has three years and $57MM+ left after this season. However, the Suns won’t want to take on Robinson and are a good bet to eventually find a deal they like for Crowder without having to resort to a buyout. In other words, if Jackson’s source is right, it sounds like Miami is a long shot to land the veteran forward.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

The Sixers will be without star center Joel Embiid on Wednesday vs. Indiana due to left foot soreness, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Embiid landed on Jaxson Hayes‘ foot during the fourth quarter of Monday’s game vs. New Orleans, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link), who says the big man will be considered day-to-day moving forward.
Magic center Wendell Carter and swingman Gary Harris have played limited roles since returning from injuries on December 23 — neither player has seen more than 25 minutes of action in any of their three games back. However, Carter and Harris will have their minutes restrictions lifted on Wednesday, per head coach Jamahl Mosley. Orlando still has four players serving suspensions and will have just nine players available vs. Oklahoma City, tweets Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel.
Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago evaluates 11 hypothetical – and perhaps far-fetched – deadline trades for the Bulls submitted by fans.

Bam Adebayo Has Claimed A Significant Role In Miami's Offense

January 4th, 2023 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heat center Bam Adebayo has responded to management’s desire for him to take on a larger role in the offense by averaging career highs this season with 21.5 points and 15.6 shots per game, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Adebayo posted his second consecutive 30-point game in Monday’s victory over the Clippers. “I saw him this summer,” Victor Oladipo said. “I saw the work he put in, I saw his growth. It’s no shock to people who’ve seen his grind. So, it’s no shock. I’m not surprised he’s having the year he’s having.”