Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Barnes, Flynn, Heat, Schedule, Haslem

August 21st, 2022 at 3:09pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Young Raptors players Scottie Barnes, the reigning Rookie of the Year, and Malachi Flynn, were able to really strut their stuff at a Toronto pro-am game on Saturday, writes Gilbert Ngabo of The Toronto Star. Flynn scored 54 points and Barnes poured in 34 of his own at Mattamy Athletic Centre, during the first pro-am contest in almost three years due to COVID-19-related delays. The Raptors players’ team would ultimately win the contest, 143-131.

Nbago adds that the pair showcased plenty of chemistry and highlight-reel-worthy output. Barnes, a 6’9″ forward out of Florida State, made several athletic dunks and connected on flashy no-look dishes. Though Flynn started off the game slowly, he eventually showed off an excellent shooting stroke as the contest got cooking.

There’s more out of the East:

While the Heat’s starting lineup remains a bit in flux, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel is fairly confident about who will close games for Miami. In addition to starters Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry, Winderman considers guards Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo likely to round out the team’s closing five.
Winderman also goes on to unpack how he anticipates the Heat will allocate minutes. He expects Butler, Adebayo, Lowry, and Herro to be guaranteed to receive major run this season, with Oladipo, Max Strus, and Caleb Martin also likely to receive significant rotation roles. He thinks either Dewayne Dedmon or Omer Yurtseven will crack the rotation as a reserve big man option, and believes the shooting of Gabe Vincent, Duncan Robinson, or Haywood Highsmith on any given night could dictate which of those three wings sees the floor.
The NBA is aiming to curb road travel in the hopes of limiting load management for star players. Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel writes that, as a consequence, 12 of the Heat‘s 41 home games at FTX Arena will feature pairs of back-to-back contests against the same team, including playoff-level clubs like the Bucks, Raptors, Hawks, Cavaliers and Hornets. Winderman writes that this approach could impede just how much Miami fans will get to see rival teams’ star players, noting that an injury or illness could ultimately mean local fans will miss out on seeing Giannis Antetokounmpo or Trae Young during the regular season. Winderman adds that, in general, the NBA has lowered its travel mileage tally to 41,000 miles per club, 2,000 miles less than the 2021/22 season’s former record low of 43,000.
Longtime Heat power forward Udonis Haslem announced earlier today that he will re-sign with Miami for his 20th, and last, NBA season. Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes that the three-time champ hopes to join the team’s ownership group, led by Mickey Arison, after he retires. Chiang notes that the Heat are just $200K beneath the league’s luxury tax, and expects the team to field a 14-man standard roster, leaving one roster spot available. By avoiding the luxury tax for the third straight season, the Heat would be working towards avoiding the repeater tax, which penalizes clubs that exceed the luxury tax thrice during a four-season window.

Celtics Notes: R. Williams, Roster Spots, Ryan

August 20th, 2022 at 9:38pm CST by Arthur Hill

There aren’t any long-term concerns about the knee injury that forced Celtics center Robert Williams to undergo late-season meniscus surgery, sources close to the team tell Brian Robb of MassLive. Williams experienced soreness and swelling in his left knee throughout the postseason, but was able to take part in 17 of Boston’s 24 playoff games.

No follow-up surgery was needed during the offseason, and Williams is expected to be 100% when training camp opens in about five weeks. Robb adds that Williams has been posting some of his workouts on Instagram, and they include a lot of strength training.

Robb doesn’t expect Williams’ role to change much in the upcoming season, but the coaching staff would like to see him become more aggressive with finishing around the rim on the theory that opposing defenses will be stretched further by the team’s improved outside shooting.

There’s more from Boston:

The Celtics will likely keep one roster spot open at the start of the season due to luxury tax considerations, which sets up an intense battle heading into camp, Robb adds in the same piece. Robb sees Noah Vonleh and Justin Jackson as the most likely candidates to make the final roster, but he expects Bruno Caboclo, Brodric Thomas and possibly other players to make it a difficult decision.
Matt Ryan, who ended last season on a two-way contract, won’t be with the Celtics in training camp, Robb writes in a separate story. A source tells Robb that a “roster crunch” doesn’t leave any room for Ryan. The 25-year-old small forward signed the deal at the end of February and appeared in one NBA game.
Heat guard Duncan Robinson and Bucks guard Pat Connaughton are both critical of the Celtics’ set-up for visiting teams. Appearing on Robinson’s “Long Shots” podcast (hat tip to Thomas Darro of Heavy), Connaughton said the TD Garden is “the worst visiting team locker room in the NBA.”

Can Bam Really Get More Touches?

August 20th, 2022 at 8:40am CST by Dana Gauruder

Finding a bigger offensive role for Bam Adebayo is more complicated than many Heat fans might think, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes in his latest mailbag. If Tyler Herro is moved to the starting lineup, there would be fewer shots for Adebayo with Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry already on the floor. For Adebayo to be effective, he may also need a floor spacer such as Max Strus or Duncan Robinson.

Udonis Haslem To Announce NBA Plans On Sunday

August 18th, 2022 at 2:19pm CST by Rory Maher

Free agent big man Udonis Haslem, who has spent his entire 19-year NBA career with the Heat, will formally announce his future NBA plans at his youth camp in Miami on Sunday, reports Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (via Twitter).

As Winderman notes, the Heat have given Haslem the option to return for a 20th season — if he’s interested. If he re-signs, Miami would have 14 players with guaranteed contracts on its standard 15-man roster and would be approximately $200K below the luxury tax line of $150,267,000, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

The 42-year-old said on Monday that his NBA future as a player was still up in the air, but evidently he’s either given himself a deadline or has arrived at a decision.

Haslem was a valuable on-court contributor in the earlier portion of his career, starting 52 of Miami’s 66 postseason games during the club’s championship runs in 2006, 2012 and 2013. In 872 regular season games, including 500 starts (24.8 MPG), he holds averages of 7.5 PPG and 6.6 RPG while shooting 48.9% from the floor and 75.6% from the line.

Over the past six seasons, Haslem has primarily served as a veteran mentor and leader, appearing in a total of just 58 games with a modest average of 7.0 MPG. Still, the Heat clearly love his ability to get through to his teammates, which is why they keep giving him an open invitation to return every year despite his limited on-court production.

Heat Notes: Schedule, Butler, Herro

August 18th, 2022 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

If the Heat needed any extra motivation heading into the 2022/23 season, the NBA’s newly released TV schedule should provide some, Ira Winderman writes for The Sun Sentinel.

As Winderman outlines, despite making it to within one game of the NBA Finals last season, Miami will make just 11 appearances on TNT, ESPN, and ABC in ’22/23. By comparison, the Lakers, who missed the play-in tournament, will have 27 such games; the Sixers, whom the Heat defeated in the second round of the postseason, will have 23.

The Heat are also the only one of the NBA’s eight teams that made the conference semifinals last season that won’t be in action on Christmas Day, Winderman observes within his breakdown of the club’s schedule.

Here’s more out of Miami:

Could Jimmy Butler emerge as the Heat’s go-to option at power forward following the free agent departure of P.J. Tucker? Winderman explores that subject in a Sun Sentinel mailbag, noting that it could work in certain matchups and would help unlock the team’s perimeter potential, as long as Butler is comfortable with it.
While things could change between now and the October 17 deadline, the Heat are showing no urgency at this point to get a rookie scale extension done with Tyler Herro, Winderman says in another Sun Sentinel article. As we explained on Wednesday, extending Herro would activate the “poison pill provision,” which would make it extremely difficult to trade him during the 2022/23 league year. As Winderman writes, not extending Herro this offseason would leave in-season trade options open and would put the Heat in position to re-sign him as a restricted free agent next summer if he remains on the roster.
Be sure to check out our Miami Heat page for all the latest updates on the team, including Udonis Haslem continuing to weigh his decision for 2022/23 and the Heat and Spurs being scheduled to play a game in Mexico City in December.

Heat, Spurs To Play In Mexico City In December

August 17th, 2022 at 9:15am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA will return to Mexico City this season for the first time since 2019, with the league confirming in a press release that the Heat and Spurs will play a regular season game at the Arena CDMX on December 17.

According to the NBA, the game will be the league’s 31st in Mexico over the last three decades — the Rockets and Mavericks played the first preseason game in Mexico back in 1992. The Spurs, who will likely be the “home” team, have made an effort to market themselves in the country in recent years, having also participated in games in Mexico in 2017 and 2019.

“We have played six games in Mexico City and every time thousands of Spurs fans showed up, making us feel loved and right at home,” Spurs CEO RC Buford said in a statement. “We are grateful for our loyal fans in Mexico and are thrilled for the opportunity to play in front of them as part of our 50th anniversary season. This is one way we continue to purposefully engage and celebrate our growing number of fans in Mexico.”

The COVID-19 pandemic derailed the NBA’s plans to play in international markets during the last couple seasons, but the league appears set to make up for lost time in 2022/23. In addition to the Mexico City showcase, the NBA has also announced a regular season game in Paris, as well as preseason contests in Abu Dhabi and Tokyo.

Ruth Hunter Gets Front Office Promotion

August 16th, 2022 at 8:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Ruth Hunter has been promoted by the Heat to the title of senior director of team development, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. She will be involved with player programs, analytics and basketball operations and report to GM Andy Elisburg. Hunter was added to the Heat’s basketball operations department last offseason while also remaining a broadcaster.

Tyler Herro Unfazed By Rumors, Unsure Regarding Extension

August 16th, 2022 at 7:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Heat guard Tyler Herro shrugged off questions Tuesday about potentially being traded, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes.

Herro was making an appearance for his foundation in Miami. His name has popped up prominently as the potential centerpiece of a Heat trade package for a star like Kevin Durant or Donovan Mitchell.

“I mean ever since I’ve been here, my name has been in rumors. So rumors, they don’t bother me,” he said. “Whether I’m on the Heat or somewhere else, I’m getting ready for the season.”

Herro’s future with the franchise is cloudy, even if he’s still on the roster when training camp opens. He’s eligible for a rookie scale extension prior to opening night.

Miami could offer him a max five-year deal worth up to a projected $193MM or a four-year deal worth less than the max. If he signs an extension, it will be more difficult for the team to trade the reigning Sixth Man of the Year. Herro professed ignorance regarding the state of any negotiations.

“I mean, I know as much as you know,” he said. “I’m just waiting on my turn and we’ll see what happens. There’s a deadline, but I’m going to let my agent take care of that and see what happens.”

If Herro winds up elsewhere, he vows to remains productive.

“Like I said, whatever team I’m on, I’m ready to play,” he said.

Udonis Haslem Still Undecided On Re-Signing With Heat

August 15th, 2022 at 12:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran big man Udonis Haslem, who has been with the Heat since 2003, has yet to make a decision on whether or not he’ll re-sign with the team and play a 20th NBA season, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.

“I don’t know,” Haslem said on Monday during an appearance at Nova Southeastern University. “We’re thinking about it. But either way, I’m always going to be a part of the Heat family. I ain’t going nowhere, whether I play or not. I’m always going to impact that organization.”

The Heat seemingly made their offseason moves with an eye toward saving a spot for Haslem on the 15-man roster. Currently, the team has 13 players on guaranteed contracts and would be able to sign a 14th (but not a 15th) to a minimum-salary contract without surpassing the luxury tax line. That spot will presumably be Haslem’s if he wants it.

Haslem, who turned 42 in June, has spoken in the past about wanting to make it to a 20th NBA season and indicated on Monday that the two-decade mark was something that he and his father used to talk about. Haslem’s father passed away nearly a year ago.

“I had a lot of things that I had to really, really think about,” Haslem said, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “Twenty years was a conversation that I had with my father. But as he passed, we think about now and things change. He’s not here no more and goals change, my vision has changed a little bit. But it’s still something that I battled with because it’s something that we talked about and it’s something that we wanted to do in a specific way.”

As Winderman observes, Haslem made his decision to re-sign with the Heat for the 2021/22 season on August 15, exactly one year ago. Of course, free agency started in early August in 2021 due to the COVID-related changes to the NBA’s offseason calendar, so Haslem’s deliberations are taking a little longer this time around.

While coaching would seemingly be the next step for a veteran who has long served as a mentor to younger Heat players, Haslem hasn’t shown much interest in formally taking on that sort of role. Instead, he has repeatedly spoken about his desire to get involved in Heat ownership.

“Hopefully one day we talk about ownership and being in that situation where I continue to be somewhat of a leader, but more be a hybrid owner,” Haslem said on Monday, according to Chiang. “An owner that gets out there and does more than just sit on the sideline, cross his legs and watch. I want to work. I want to continue to push the culture and continue to impact the next generation of winning for the Miami Heat.”

Southeast Notes: Spoelstra, Oladipo, Durant, Kispert

August 14th, 2022 at 3:18pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra seems likely to let chemistry and on-court fit determine the team’s lineups, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in a reader mailbag. Winderman notes that Miami may even consider Max Strus or Caleb Martin as its starting power forward. The team let starting power forward P.J. Tucker leave for the Sixers in free agency this summer and hasn’t re-signed backup Markieff Morris, also a free agent.

Though the starting roles of All-Star small forward Jimmy Butler, All-Defensive Team center Bam Adebayo, and $85M point guard Kyle Lowry appear secure for opening night, it seems that Spoelstra may be amenable to experimenting in training camp to figure out who fits best alongside that trio. Strus and Tucker closed the 2021/222 season as the other starters.

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

In another mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel writes that a big X-factor in the Heat‘s success this season could be the two-way play of Victor Oladipo, who signed a new two-year, $18.2MM contract. Winderman notes that the handle, defense, and shooting upside of the 6’4″ combo guard out of Indiana could prove to be massive assets for Miami in the East. Since being acquired from the Rockets in 2021, Oladipo has appeared in just 12 regular season games with the Heat, though he proved to be a helpful contributor during Miami’s 2022 run to the Eastern Conference Finals, playing in 15 playoff contests. Winderman wonders if Oladipo may even prove himself to be more valuable to the Heat than extension-eligible Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro, given Oladipo’s defensive skill set.
As chatter of a potential Kevin Durant deal to the Heat looms, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel notes that Durant’s interest in joining the Heat can only go so far in getting him to Miami. Winderman writes that, due to the four years remaining on the All-Star forward’s current contract with the Nets, Brooklyn is in the driver’s seat for a potential trade, looking to extract maximum assets in any deal.
Wizards second-year small forward Corey Kispert could take a big leap in output this season if history is a reliable metric, opines Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. The 6’7″ swingman, 23, was selected with the No. 15 pick out of Washington in 2022. Across 77 games, he averaged 8.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and 1.1 APG, while shooting .455/.350/.871. Hughes writes that, across his final 24 appearances after All-Star weekend, Kispert converted 38.6% of his long-range looks, a significant uptick from the 32.2% of his triples he had nailed in his first 53 NBA games. Hughes takes stock of the first and second-season production of historic three-point specialists like Danny Green, Buddy Hield, Bryn Forbes, Seth Curry and others, and draws comparisons to what Kispert could be able to do in his second year with Washington.