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21 More NBA Players Become Trade-Eligible

January 15th, 2023 at 8:23am CST by Luke Adams

Today is Sunday, January 15, which means that nearly two dozen players who signed free agent contracts meeting specific criteria this past offseason are now eligible to be traded.

Most offseason signees became trade-eligible on December 15, but players who met the following criteria were ineligible to be moved for an extra month:

  1. The player re-signed with his previous team.
  2. He got a raise of at least 20%.
  3. His salary is worth more than the minimum.
  4. His team was over the cap and used Bird or Early Bird rights to sign him.

The following players met that criteria and are eligible to be traded as of Sunday:

(* Players marked with an asterisk have the ability to veto trades.)

Most of the players on NBA rosters are now eligible to be moved, though a small handful still can’t be dealt. That group includes Thunder guard Isaiah Joe, who becomes trade-eligible on Monday, Bucks swingman Pat Connaughton (trade-eligible on Wednesday), and Thunder forward Kenrich Williams (trade-eligible on Friday).

There are also several players who won’t become trade-eligible before this season’s February 9 deadline, including Lakers star LeBron James. Players on 10-day contracts are also ineligible to be dealt.

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Heat Notes: Lowry, Dedmon, Robinson, Vincent

January 14th, 2023 at 4:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat picked up a win over the Bucks Saturday afternoon in a game that was short on star power for both teams, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. While Milwaukee was without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, Miami was missing three starters, including Kyle Lowry, who sat out his third straight game due to lingering discomfort in his left knee. Coach Erik Spoelstra wasn’t able to offer much insight into Lowry, who also missed two games because of the knee in December.

“We’re still treating him day to day and continue to be on that protocol until he’s ready,” Spoelstra told reporters.

When healthy, Lowry has remained the Heat’s starting point guard at age 36, but his shooting numbers have dipped significantly this season to 39.8% from the field and 33.6% from three-point range. Lowry has been the subject of trade speculation, but his age and contract, which has another full year remaining at $29.7MM, make it difficult to move him.

There’s more from Miami:

  • Dewayne Dedmon returned from his one-game suspension, but he didn’t see any playing time, Chiang adds. Orlando Robinson continued in the backup center role, as he has for the past week. If he remains in the rotation, the Heat will likely convert him to a standard deal at some point to make him eligible for the playoffs. Dedmon, whose contract is non-guaranteed for next season, faces an uncertain future in Miami and will become trade-eligible on Sunday.
  • Taking Lowry’s place in the starting lineup, Gabe Vincent made 11-of-14 shots today and fell one point short of the career high of 28 he set Thursday. Vincent will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN, but the Heat own his Bird rights and can go over the cap to re-sign him. Miami is unbeaten in Vincent’s four games as a starter, and he’s averaging 20.0 PPG in that role.
  • The Heat are changing the name of FTX Arena to Miami-Dade Arena, the team announced in a press release. Work will begin soon to replace signs and other branding elements at the facility. Miami-Dade County sought the approval of a bankruptcy judge to have FTX’s name removed after the cryptocurrency company collapsed. The new name may be temporary, as the organization seeks a new naming-rights sponsor.
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Southeast Notes: Isaac, Beal, Hayward, Dedmon

January 13th, 2023 at 1:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Jonathan Isaac‘s return to the court on Wednesday, nearly 900 days after he last played in an NBA game, was a success, writes Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel. Playing on a minutes limit for the Magic‘s G League affiliate, Isaac scored 15 points in just under 15 minutes while also chipping in five rebounds, an assist, and a blocked shot.

The veteran forward – who tore his ACL in August 2020 – referred to the game as a “great milestone” for him, but said he still had some things to work on as he prepares to return to the NBA.

“I’m not going look at it too deep because it was my first game back,” Isaac said. “I’m glad I got a couple of buckets to fall. It was really for my conditioning. I definitely got tired, so that’s something I got to keep working on.”

Isaac will play another game for the Lakeland Magic on Saturday, according to Dan Savage of OrlandoMagic.com (Twitter link). Orlando’s G League team hosts the Westchester Knicks on both Friday and Saturday, but Isaac obviously isn’t cleared for back-to-backs yet, so he’ll play in the second game of the set.

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

  • The Wizards announced on Thursday (via Twitter) that star guard Bradley Beal has been cleared to resume full basketball activities after having his left hamstring strain reevaluated. As Josh Robbins of The Athletic points out (via Twitter), when Beal was cleared following a similar injury to his right hamstring last month, he played in a game six days later. Given Beal’s repeated hamstring issues this season, the team will likely be at least as cautious this time around, Robbins says.
  • Injuries have limited Hornets forward Gordon Hayward to just 21 games so far this season, which he acknowledged is “definitely frustrating,” per Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Hayward has missed Charlotte’s last five contests due to a hamstring strain, but head coach Steve Clifford is hopeful the veteran will be back within the next week, Boone writes. “He wants to be out there so badly, but we’ve just got to make sure that he’s healthy when he comes back,” Clifford said. “A hamstring is a tricky one. The one thing we don’t want is he comes back a little bit early and it’s a month or it’s five weeks. And we can’t afford that.”
  • After serving a one-game suspension for a sideline outburst, Heat center Dewayne Dedmon will have to take on the challenge of winning back the team’s trust, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. As Winderman observes, several former Heat players – including Meyers Leonard, Dion Waiters, and James Johnson – were traded not long after being disciplined by the team in some form or another.
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Heat Suspend Dewayne Dedmon One Game Without Pay

January 11th, 2023 at 9:39pm CST by Rory Maher

After consulting with the NBA, the Heat have suspended backup center Dewayne Dedmon for one game without pay for conduct detrimental to the team, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel notes (via Twitter), Dedmon cannot be sanctioned further by the NBA after being suspended by the Heat due to a “no double-jeopardy” rule.

Dedmon was suspended for an incident during Tuesday’s victory over Oklahoma City. After being subbed out of the game less than three minutes into the second quarter, he got into an argument on the sidelines with head coach Erik Spoelstra and assistant Caron Butler.

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). Dedmon was ejected from the game for the incident.

The 33-year-old has dealt with plantar fasciitis in his left foot in 2022/23, which has limited his effectiveness. Through 29 games, he’s averaging 5.9 points and 3.7 rebounds on .512/.306/.727 shooting in 11.7 minutes per contest.

Dedmon makes $4.7MM this season, so he will lose approximately $32K as a result of the one-game suspension.

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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.

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Southeast Notes: Robinson, Dedmon, Lowry, Clifford, Krejci

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.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

  • 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.
  • Steve Clifford returned for a second stint as the Hornets’ head coach to take them to the next level. The way the season has played out, he now has the task of developing the young players during a rough season. Clifford spoke of trying to strike that balance in a Q&A with Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer in a subscriber-required story. “We need to win and develop these young guys. And definitely this is really a different roster than what we thought it would be, particularly when I first got here,” Clifford said. “But at the end of the day being adaptable as a coach is a big deal, and you want to be the right coach for the team that you are coaching.”
  • Vit Krejci had his contract for this season guaranteed by the Hawks over the weekend when he remained on the roster. Krejci is grateful the front office decided to keep him around, as he told Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Yeah, it’s a good feeling,” Krejci said. “You know, I worked really hard to be in this position. And I’m glad that the team trusts me and the coaches and the staff, everybody trusts me. So, I’m really happy for that.” Krejci has appeared in 17 games this season.
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Southeast Notes: Wizards, Kuzma, M. Williams, Dedmon, Strus

December 30th, 2022 at 10:40pm CST by Rory Maher

The Wizards need to figure out what Kyle Kuzma‘s intentions are ahead of the February 9 trade deadline, writes David Aldridge of The Athletic. If the 27-year-old doesn’t commit to re-signing with the Wizards in advance — technically forbidden, but of course early discussions happen all the time and that’s why dozens of signings occur within minutes of free agency “opening” — then the team would be better off dealing him for assets, according to Aldridge.

Aldridge isn’t opposed to the idea of a swap for John Collins — he thinks Kuzma is a better overall player, but the difference isn’t “prohibitive.” However, the Wizards have more questions to answer about the roster than just Kuzma’s potential future with the team, including what an expensive trio of Kuzma, Kristaps Porzingis and Bradley Beal might mean for the future.

After dropping 10 in a row, the Wizards have now won five of their past six games, including four straight. They currently sit at 16-21, one game behind the Bulls for the No. 10 seed in the East.

Here’s more from the Southeast:

  • Mark Williams‘ emergence has created a “welcomed dilemma” for the Hornets, according to Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. The rookie first-rounder, selected 15th overall in June’s draft, was given backup center minutes in recent games due to an ankle sprain to Nick Richards. With Richards available on Thursday, head coach Steve Clifford continued to use Williams, and he responded with a career night, Boone notes, recording 17 points (on 7-of-7 shooting), 13 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in just 21 minutes. “To me, they’re both developing players,” Clifford said of Richards and Williams. “When you have a roster of a lot of younger players, you do them both. You want to try to develop them and win as many games as we can. And we’re in a place where we need to win. But we’ve got to see. Yeah, it’s not easy. We have a lot of guys at that position. Nick’s going to be a part of things. I like the way he plays. He’s done a good job. But I also want to see what Mark can bring.”
  • Heat backup center Dewayne Dedmon is away from the team as he continues to be plagued by plantar fasciitis in his left foot. On top of that, he has now entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. The 33-year-old might be a trade chip ahead of the deadline if the Heat look for a roster upgrade — his salary for next season is non-guaranteed, and he’s making $4.7MM this season.
  • Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports details how wing Max Strus went from an undrafted free agent to a rotation regular for the Heat, becoming a developmental success story in the process. Strus, an unrestricted free agent in 2023, has been in a prolonged shooting slump this month, posting a miserable .328/.266/.500 slash line leading up to Friday night’s loss in Denver, when he scored 19 points on .539/.500/1.000 shooting. Twenty-year veteran Udonis Haslem, another former undrafted player, says Strus can be hard on himself — a byproduct of having a chip on his shoulder due to his difficult path to the NBA. “My message to Max, a lot of the time, outside of leading and teaching, is don’t be so hard on yourself sometimes. It’s OK to give yourself a break,” Haslem said.
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Southeast Notes: Hawks, Heat, Banchero, Magic, Beal

December 28th, 2022 at 7:21pm CST by Rory Maher

Hawks point guard Trae Young was ruled out of Wednesday’s game against Brooklyn due to a left calf contusion, per Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). Starting small forward De’Andre Hunter will also be sidelined for the second straight game with a left ankle sprain.

Young, who is averaging 27.3 PPG, 2.8 RPG and 9.9 APG on .414/.316/.896 shooting through 31 games, was injured in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s loss to Indiana, which dropped the Hawks to 17-17 on the season.

Here’s more from the Southeast:

  • Heat stars Jimmy Butler (right ankle sprain) and Bam Adebayo (illness) were both out for Monday’s victory over the Wolves, but were back in action for Wednesday’s game against the Lakers, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscriber link). However, point guard Kyle Lowry was ruled out for personal reasons, the first time he’s missed a game with that designation in 2022/23 after missing extended time last season due to personal reasons. Gabe Vincent was moved into the starting lineup in Lowry’s place, Winderman adds.
  • Head coach Erik Spoelstra suggested that backup center Dewayne Dedmon could miss an extended period of time for the Heat as he continues to be hobbled by plantar fasciitis in his left foot, Winderman writes in another subscriber-only story for The Sun Sentinel. “There’s no point in resting him and then if we’re going to be right back to where he is where we’re managing it every single day,” Spoelstra said. “He would like to put it behind you. I don’t know necessarily if he’ll be able to fully put it behind him the way Gabe [Vincent] was with the week or two weeks rest. But our hope is that it will be a lot better than it was.” Still, being down Adebayo and Dedmon on Monday showed the that Heat might have decent depth in the middle, with rookies Nikola Jovic and Orlando Robinson capably filling in, according to Winderman, who notes that Omer Yurtseven shouldn’t be overlooked going forward either, despite being sidelined following ankle surgery.
  • The Magic have won eight of their past 10 games, and No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero has played a big part in their recent surge, as Kelly Iko of The Athletic details. The 6’10” forward says he’s hoping for both team and individual success for the rest of ’22/23. “Hopefully we can make the playoffs or the play-in, get there and win Rookie of the Year. That’s my goal,” he said. The Magic currently trail the Raptors by two-and-a-half games for the final spot in the play-in tournament.
  • Wizards guard Bradley Beal, who exited Tuesday’s win over Philadelphia with left hamstring soreness, likely won’t be out for long, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Beal was officially ruled out of Wednesday’s game against Phoenix (Twitter link via Ava Wallace of The Washington Post), but Charania says he is considered day-to-day and could be back for Friday’s contest in Orlando.
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Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo Out Monday For Heat

December 26th, 2022 at 4:55pm CST by Rory Maher

Heat stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo have been ruled out for Monday’s contest against the Timberwolves, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Butler, who recently expressed his frustration with his inability to stay on the court due to a variety of injuries, suffered a right ankle sprain in Friday’s loss to Indiana. The veteran forward was previously listed as questionable, but was ruled out after testing the ankle during Miami’s shootaround on Monday morning, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

Adebayo is dealing with a non-COVID illness. Unlike Butler, he has been mostly healthy this season — this will be his fourth missed game, with the Heat going 1-2 in his three absences thus far, per Winderman.

Unfortunately, Adebayo’s primary backup at center, Dewayne Dedmon, was also ruled out Monday due to “ongoing plantar fasciitis in his left foot,” Winderman adds. The team will likely lean on a pair of rookies (first-rounder Nikola Jovic and two-way big man Orlando Robinson) to fill minutes in the middle.

The Heat have been dinged up seemingly all season long, and being without their two best players certainly won’t help matters tonight. They are currently 16-17, the No. 9 seed in the East.

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Heat Notes: Rotation, Dedmon, Butler, Injuries, Herro

December 20th, 2022 at 6:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Heat have been unable to play their full roster this season due to injuries. What could happen if the Heat get at or near full strength?

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel explores that question. Gabe Vincent, who has seen some playing time as the backup point guard, could be pushed further down the bench. Coach Erik Spoelstra would have to choose between Max Strus and Duncan Robinson as the backup wing and Haywood Highsmith could also be on the rotation bubble.

The Heat could look to deal backup center Dewayne Dedmon and his expiring contract, along with another player, for some immediate help. In that scenario, Orlando Robinson could be a stopgap as the main reserve until Omer Yurtseven is able to return from ankle surgery.

We have more on the Heat:

  • Speaking of absences, Jimmy Butler was scratched from the team’s game against Chicago on Tuesday due to a gastrointestinal illness, the team tweets. It was the 12th game that Butler missed this season.
  • A trio of other players — Kyle Lowry (left knee soreness), Caleb Martin (left ankle sprain) and Vincent (left knee effusion) — were also sidelined. Two-way player Jamal Cain was recalled from the G League to provide depth.
  • Entering the team’s road trip, Tyler Herro was averaging 15.6 points in the nine wins in which he played and 24.2 points in the 10 losses he played. Herro then averaged a team-high 26.3 points during the Heat’s 4-0 road swing. He debunks the notion that the team tends to do better when he scores less, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “I think it’s a pointless stat. Because the games we’ve won, I’ve shot the same amount of shots and I just ended up missing them,” he said. “So when shots go in, I’ll have above 20. If I miss, I have below 20. It’s make or miss at the end of the day and I don’t think that stat is credible.”
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