Jimmy Butler

Southeast Notes: Butler, Richardson, Coulibaly, Carter

October 27th, 2024 at 9:36am CST by Rory Maher

After struggling mightily in the Heat‘s home-opening loss to Orlando, star forward Jimmy Butler bounced back with a strong performance in Saturday’s victory over Charlotte, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

Butler had one of his worst games in a Heat uniform vs. the Magic, only scoring three points to go along with four rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes. On Saturday, the 35-year-old’s production was closer to his typical norm, as he put up 26 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in 37 minutes.

“Honestly, just doing all of that and it resulting in a win,” Butler said when asked about his big night. “That’s the reason that we all play the game. I’m just happy to get one in the win column.”

The six-time All-Star could be a free agent next summer if he declines his $52.4MM player option for 2025/26. Chiang recently reported that Butler would likely decline a maximum-salary extension even if he were offered it, but there’s no indication at this point that he plans to leave Miami.

Here are a few more notes from around the Southeast:

Heat swingman Josh Richardson, who underwent shoulder surgery in March, is close to making his season debut, Chiang notes in the same story. Richardson was sidelined for training camp and preseason as he recovered from the surgery, and has been dealing with heel inflammation after he was medically cleared to resume practicing. Richardson was upgraded to questionable for Saturday’s contest and warmed up before being ruled out, Chiang adds. “He’s making progress,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said of Richardson on Saturday morning. “So I’m encouraged by it. I know he is, as well. Don’t have a specific date, but he’s practicing and he’s doing everything right now.” Richardson, 31, will be an unrestricted free agent in 2025.
The Wizards dropped to 0-2 after Saturday’s loss to Cleveland, but French wing Bilal Coulibaly continues to show encouraging signs of progress in his second season, per Varun Shankar of The Washington Post (subscriber link). After dishing out a career-high six assists in Thursday’s opener vs. Boston, the 2023 lottery pick scored a career-high 23 points vs. the Cavs, going 9-of-16 from the field, including 4-of-9 from long distance.
Seventh-year center Wendell Carter Jr. displayed in the team’s season-opening victory in Miami why the Magic gave him a three-year extension, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. The Magic were plus-32 in Carter’s 27 minutes during the 19-point win, with the 25-year-old big man recording eight points, 14 rebounds, two assists and two steals. Carter is averaging a career-best 11.7 RPG through three games for the 2-1 Magic.

Heat Notes: Herro, Butler, Offense, Richardson

October 22nd, 2024 at 4:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Heat guard Tyler Herro bristled last season when head coach Erik Spoelstra had him play off the ball more often while attempting more catch-and-shoot three-pointers, but he has bought in on the adjustments to his role ahead of the 2024/25 season, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.

“I mean, I’m actually a really good catch-and-shoot player,” Herro told Winderman. “I didn’t know that last season, when I was being in my feelings about being a catch-and-shoot player. I’m a very good catch-and-shoot player, as well as I am off the dribble. So I think I can do both.”

Herro will be part of a starting five that includes other ball-dominant players, including Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier, so while he’ll have opportunities to handle the ball, he’s also expecting to play off of it more often than he has in the past. He indicated he’s happy to take on whatever role the team asks of him.

“This is already year six for me, so I definitely have matured in my mind,” he said earlier in camp. “Last year, I was coming in like, ‘I’m trying to score 25 per game.’ This year, honestly, I’m just here to play, have fun, be myself. Whatever I end up averaging, I end up averaging.

“… I’m not here to push any agendas of All-Star or anything like that,” he added. “I’m just honestly here to have fun, win a championship with the guys we have, and just go from there.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

Even if the Heat were to offer Butler a maximum-salary contract extension at this point, the expectation is that he’d pass on it, sources tell Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, since the star swingman is focused on playing out his current deal and reevaluating his contract situation next summer. However, there’s still no indication he wants to be anywhere except Miami. Agent Bernie Lee, who spoke to Chiang about his client’s outlook ahead of the coming season, said that the organization supported Butler admirably during a difficult time when his father passed away last season.
In two more stories for The Miami Herald, Chiang looks at what we learned during the Heat’s five-game preseason slate and examines the offensive changes that Spoelstra is implementing this fall. As Chiang notes, Miami has made it a priority to move away from mid-range attempts and to focus more on layups and three-pointers in an effort to make its offense more efficient.
Riley said last week that Bam Adebayo, Butler, Herro, and Rozier “have to be better” for the Heat to take a step forward in 2024/25. What would that look like in practice? Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald takes a closer look at specific potential areas of improvement for each player.
Josh Richardson has been medically cleared in his recovery from March shoulder surgery, but is now battling left heel inflammation and isn’t expected to be ready for the regular season opener, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

Heat Notes: Riley, Butler, Adebayo, Herro, Rozier

October 18th, 2024 at 8:40am CST by Rory Maher

Speaking on Thursday to a small group of reporters, including Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, Heat president Pat Riley said 2024/25 is a critical campaign for the core trio of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, who are entering their sixth season together.

“Six years, yeah, this is a telling year for the team. It should be,” Riley said. “They’ve been together for six years. The core has been together for six years, they’ve all gotten better.

“Everything changes, I think, for the better with continuity and the fact that we believe in this roster. Does it mean that if we don’t win this year or if we don’t go deep this year, there are going to be massive changes? No, it doesn’t mean that. But they should know that this should be a crucial year for them. They want to win. They’ve been [to the NBA Finals] twice, but they want to win.”

Two seasons ago, the Heat went 44-38, advanced to the playoffs as the No. 8 seed via the play-in tournament, and had a Cinderella run to the NBA Finals, ultimately losing to Denver in five games. Last season, the team went 46-36 and once again made the playoffs through the play-in, but dropped its first-round series to Philadelphia without Butler, who was injured.

Oddsmakers — and our readers — are relatively low on the Heat this season. While Riley acknowledged there are other strong contenders in the East, including the defending champion Celtics, he’s still bullish on his team’s upside.

“… I believe in this team, I truly believe in these guys. Bam, Jimmy and Tyler, to some extent maybe Terry [Rozier] have to be better,” Riley said. “It’s always about can you produce more, can you be more, can you be together more. I’ve seen the improvement. … So I think we have a core of really, really great players who need to find another level of greatness. This is their time. So take the challenge.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

Riley reiterated the team’s best players need to try to play as many games as possible in ’24/25 and said he isn’t worried about Butler potentially opting out of his contract after the season, according to Chiang. Riley also acknowledged that ’23/24 was a difficult season for Butler on a personal level — his father passed away in February, causing him to miss some games — and that likely impacted his production, but he’s hoping the 35-year-old has a bounce-back performance in ’24/25.
Riley, 79, is entering his 30th season with Miami, but he has “no idea” when he might decide to retire, Chiang writes.
In another article for The Miami Herald, Chiang provides some takeaways from Wednesday’s preseason victory over Atlanta, which was the second of a back-to-back. As Chiang observes, Butler has suited up for all four of Miami’s preseason games thus far, a stark contrast to last October, when he didn’t play in any exhibition games. The five-time All-NBA forward was dominant on Wednesday, recording 24 points (on 8-of-11 shooting), five rebounds, three assists and three steals in just 21 minutes. Butler and several other rotation members won’t travel to Memphis for Friday’s preseason finale, Chiang adds.
Rozier and Herro didn’t play much together last season due to injuries, but head coach Erik Spoelstra is encouraged by what he’s seen from the starting backcourt duo during practices and preseason, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “They like each other,” Spoelstra said. “All the hard things, they already have those boxes checked. It’s just a matter of getting enough time together. More than anything, I just want the speed. The speed that they’re bringing our team right now is bringing a great deal of life. And I like it.”

Heat Notes: Starting Lineup, Herro, Van Gundy, Smith

October 15th, 2024 at 9:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Heat‘s projected opening-night starting lineup of Terry Rozier, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Nikola Jovic and Bam Adebayo looked good against New Orleans during limited playing time on Sunday. Coach Erik Spoelstra was encouraged by what he saw, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.

“The group has gone at it with the right approach, the right mind-set just to roll up the sleeves and get to work and work on our system, work on getting comfortable with each other, working to each other’s strengths and finding different ways to do that,” Spoelstra said.

Injuries prevented Spoelstra from utilizing that five-man group last season.

“I think we have a great kind of balance between physicality and shooting, game outside of the paint and game inside the paint,” Jovic said. “I feel like that’s what people see. I feel like that lineup will be very versatile. But we for sure need some time like everybody else. Nothing can just happen from the jump. So we’ll see. But we’re really looking forward to playing together.”

We have more on the Heat:

Herro notes that while the projected lineup doesn’t have a true point guard, it features several players capable of handling the ball, so he won’t be forced to bring it up the court regularly. That appeals to him, he told Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “It’s huge,” Herro said. “This is probably my first season besides my rookie year where I kind of don’t have as many ball-handling duties as I’ve had in the past. Obviously, I love having the ball in my hands. But being able to kind of flow into that is going to be easier on me and be more efficient on my game, just being able to play off of Terry, play off of Jimmy and Bam, and not necessarily having to be the main guard handling the ball.”
Former Heat coach and current TNT analyst Stan Van Gundy is baffled by Miami’s offseason approach, believing the club has slipped among its Eastern Conference peers, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald relays. Van Gundy made his comments during a TNT conference call. “I really don’t understand what’s going on there,” Van Gundy said. “They’re really a win-now team, which I respect, and they haven’t given, put a roster around there that has a chance. I think they got lulled into a false sense of security by the run to the Finals two years ago. And it was a great run, but they didn’t have a great team, and they didn’t have a great year. That’s not a very good roster. To me, that’s a play-in roster again.”
Two-way player Dru Smith underwent ACL reconstruction surgery last November but showed he’s made an impressive recovery during Sunday’s preseason game. Smith had four points, three rebounds, two steals, one block and a team-high five assists in 16 minutes off the bench, Chiang notes. “I feel pretty good,” Smith said. “I mean, as good as I could have hoped for at this point. Yeah, I was hoping to be ready for training camp. We kind of jumped into it fairly quickly. I had played live like two or three times before camp started and then jumped right in. So it’s been going good. The knee has been responding really well.”

Southeast Notes: Butler, George, Williams, Carter

October 12th, 2024 at 5:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heat star Jimmy Butler expects to be available for more regular season games this year, although he declined to set a specific goal, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Butler has been limited to 58, 52, 57, 64 and 60 games in his five seasons in Miami, and team president Pat Riley referred to him as “fragile” in a postseason press conference. Butler understands that the only way to change that narrative is to be on the court more often.

“I want to play as many games as possible,” he said. “I’ll leave it at that. I don’t need to put a number on the amount of games that I play. I know the more games that I play, the more opportunities that my squad has of winning. I do know that.”

Chiang notes that Butler has already increased his preseason output, logging 16 minutes in Tuesday’s opener after not playing at all last year. Butler told reporters that he also expects to be in the lineup for Sunday afternoon’s game against New Orleans. Butler has already declared his intention to turn down a $52.4MM player option and test free agency next summer, but he said that’s not his motivation for wanting to play more games.

“If we’re being brutally honest, no matter what, nothing I do now is going to get me paid any more money,” Butler said. “Even though I don’t care about the money. All-NBA, dah, dah, dah, dah, none of that is going to matter. I’m at a point right now that I got more than enough money. I’m just here to win.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Rookie guard Kyshawn George made his first preseason start Friday and responded with nine points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals, per Varun Shankar of The Washington Post. At 6’8″, George has the size to play several positions, but Shankar notes that he looked comfortable running the Wizards‘ offense. “I just try to read the defense and trust my teammates to be at the right spot at the right moment,” George said. “And it’s just on me to make the right read and make the play.”
Mark Williams, who is dealing with a strained tendon in his left foot, no longer needs a walking boot and will be reevaluated before the start of the season, the Hornets announced (via Twitter). Williams was limited to 19 games last season due to a back issue.
Magic center Wendell Carter Jr., who is day-to-day with a sprained left ankle he suffered in Monday’s game, didn’t practice today, but he’s “doing OK,” coach Jahmal Mosley told Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). “We’re going to continue to check and see how he responds to each one of the treatments he does while not being on the court fully through practice,” Mosley said.

Heat Notes: Butler, Adebayo, Jovic, Rozier, Riley, Pullin

October 8th, 2024 at 10:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There were some good signs during the Heat‘s preseason loss to Charlotte on Tuesday, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes.

Jimmy Butler played his first preseason game in two years and contributed 11 points in 15-plus minutes. Bam Adebayo made two of his five 3-point attempts as he looks to expand his offensive game. And Nikola Jovic had nine points in 16 minutes while starting alongside Adebayo up front.

“It was good to get that game conditioning in,” coach Erik Spoelstra said of the preseason opener. “It always feels a little bit different no matter how many years you’ve played. Our guys have been working extremely hard. But it was good to face somebody else.”

We have more on the Heat:

Terry Rozier projects as the starting point guard on opening night. He battled a neck injury late last season and into the offseason. “This whole offseason, when I first got hurt, I definitely appreciated the game way more than I ever did,” Rozier said, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “That’s why I said everything happens for a reason. I really feel like this happened for a reason to make me lock back in, to focus. Now I’m just not looking back.”
All current and future courts at Miami’s home arena will be dedicated to team president Pat Riley, Chiang notes. The Heat’s home court will now be known as “Pat Riley Court at Kaseya Center,” with the new name and Riley’s signature inscribed onto the court. Riley will become just the second coach in NBA history to receive such an honor, Chiang writes, joining Red Auerbach of the Celtics.
Zyon Pullin is participating in camp on an Exhibit 10 contract. The former Florida guard knows he’ll be ticketed to the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. “It’s really just been definitely spend time in Sioux Falls and really just trying that development program, the history and track record it’s had,” Pullin said, per Winderman. “It’s a reason why I wanted to be here in the first place. So I think it’s just continue to lock in once we go down there and keep developing and see where it goes from there.”
In case you missed it, the Heat’s Thursday preseason game vs. Atlanta has been pushed back to next Wednesday (October 16) due to Hurricane Milton.

Heat Notes: Butler, Spoelstra, Herro, Richardson

September 30th, 2024 at 5:31pm CST by Tristan Tucker

After the Heat fell in the first round of the 2024 playoffs to the Celtics, team president Pat Riley drew attention when he challenged star Jimmy Butler to miss fewer games and keep his mouth “shut” instead of trash-talking Boston. Riley was noncommittal about the idea a Butler extension and all eyes turned to the Heat’s six-time All-Star for a response.

That response came during Monday’s media day and Butler’s comments were nothing but professional and team-oriented, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes.

“I always want to hoop, always want to compete with my guys,” Butler said. “I hear him. I see what he’s talking about. I’m going to play as many games as I can.”

As Jackson writes, Butler entered the offseason seeking a contract extension that would have given him a raise on his existing contract and added another year. But with the Heat not wanting to rush to complete that deal, Butler now intends to play out the rest of the season without an extension and turn down his player option next year. Butler confirmed today that he didn’t consider asking for a trade after Miami opted not to extend him.

“No, I’m good,” he said. “An extension is just a couple dollars. I’m cool, I’m telling you. I’ve made enough. I just want to play basketball and want to be available, like Pat was talking about. I plan on being that and plan on us winning a bunch of games and making everybody happy.”

We have more from the Heat:

Asked specifically about Riley’s “keep your mouth shut” comment, Butler downplayed it and suggested he didn’t take offense, Jackson writes. “Not too many things bother me nowadays,” Butler said. “I’m happy. I’m healthy. I’ve got a beautiful family. And I get to hoop. Not too much in the media is ever going to get to me.“
Head coach Erik Spoelstra, who has now spent five seasons with Butler, suggested that the two of them will need to be at their best and work together in order for the team to reach its potential, according to a report from ESPN. “When you get to that many years together, there’s a lot of unspoken understanding,” Spoelstra said. “He’s at a point now where he needs me to really coach this team at a high level. He needs me to coach him at a high level and push him to higher levels. And I need him to be at his highest level as a player and a leader.” Butler expressed similar sentiments, as relayed in Jackson’s story.
Tyler Herro spent the offseason bulking up after an injury-riddled year that limited him to 42 games last year, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald details. Herro gained 12 pounds this offseason and is aiming to be more available, which comes after Riley called him “fragile” in his 2023/24 season-ending presser. “Being able to stay healthy, I think that will help being more durable, having a little bigger frame throughout an 82-game season,” Herro said. “Then just taking care of my body recovery wise and truly being professional. I put the work in on the court and in the weight room. Now it’s all about staying healthy and putting that recovery work in, as well.“
Herro — who has started 107 games over the past two seasons but was named Sixth Man of the Year in ’21/22 — said he’s comfortable in whatever role the coaching staff has envisioned for him. “We’re going to let the best coach in the league decide, we’re going to let one of the best GMs and presidents ever to do this decide if I’m starting or coming off the bench,” Herro said, per Chiang. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to win a championship.”
Josh Richardson is the only player who won’t be a full participant on the first day of training camp, Chiang adds in the same story. Spoelstra said Richardson will eventually participate in camp but he’s still recovering from his season-ending shoulder injury from February.

Heat Notes: Rozier, Questions, Jovic, Christopher

September 25th, 2024 at 5:14pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Terry Rozier spent the past five months recovering from a neck injury that prevented him from suiting up for the Heat‘s first-round playoff series against the Celtics. As Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes, Rozier has been cleared for five-on-five play ahead of his first training camp with Miami.

“I’m still the same old Terry when I play,” Rozier said. “Whatever happened in the past, I won’t let it affect how I play. … I’m going to play how I play. But nothing affects how I go now. I’m still myself, so I feel good.”

The neck injury was first listed as stiffness, but according to Chiang, further tests revealed more “concerning results” that forced Rozier to the sidelines for an extended period.

“I mean, for me just playing fully and then to go to not and having to miss the playoffs, you get to questioning like, ‘Damn, could this possibly be the end for me?’” Rozier said. “But obviously, I’ve been blessed with a really great body and I’ve been able to recover. So I’m going back to the drawing board and do this [thing] again.”

Rozier has two seasons left on his current contract and is owed $24.9MM this season. Rozier admitted it was difficult to be off the court for so long, especially after ramping up his production toward the end of last regular season. In his final 10 appearances, he averaged 18.8 points with a .500 3PT% on 7.4 attempts per game.

We have more from the Heat:

Like Rozier, third-year forward Nikola Jovic spent much of his summer recovering from an injury. In a separate Miami Herald story, Chiang explores Jovic’s health ahead of the season. The third-year forward, who admitted his ankle injury slowed his offseason plans, was impressive in his 38 starts last season, averaging 8.4 points per game on .445/.400/.711 shooting, but he hopes to get even better in 2024/25. “I would say the thing I was working on the most was probably just when I have a mismatch in the low post,” Jovic said. “When I have small guys on me, I just have to punish them, and that’s going to be something that’s going to help our team a lot.“
In a two-part series, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald answers 15 questions about the Heat’s upcoming season. Of note, Jackson writes that the Heat aren’t worried about losing Jimmy Butler next season for nothing even if he opts out of his contract to become a free agent. Brooklyn and Houston are two teams who make sense for Butler on paper, but Jackson writes that both would have to jump through hoops to acquire him. While that’s certainly possible, Miami could explore sign-and-trade options in a worst-case scenario. In the meantime, the two sides are motivated to make this season a memorable one.
Former Rockets first-round pick Josh Christopher received a two-way contract from the Heat after an impressive summer league and Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes that the 6’5″ guard is appreciative of the opportunity. “I think they’ve given me the cheats codes [to] being successful,” Christopher said. Miami has a history of making the most of overlooked two-way/training camp players, helping turn the likes of Duncan Robinson, Max Strus and Caleb Martin into quality role players. Christopher’s former first-round pedigree makes him a different kind of player than the Heat have taken chances on in the past — he’ll join recently signed Nassir Little as recent first-round picks still looking to deliver on their pre-draft potential.

And-Ones: WBD Lawsuit, Top Storylines, G League Trade, More

September 25th, 2024 at 3:53pm CST by Luke Adams

The legal battle between the NBA and Warner Bros. Discovery took another step forward in recent days. Responding to the NBA’s motion to dismiss their lawsuit, TBS and WBD filed a 33-page memorandum last Friday attempting to convince New York Judge Joel M. Cohen to deny that motion, per Michael McCann of Sportico.

The parent company of TNT Sports, filed a lawsuit against the NBA in July, alleging that the league was in breach of contract after it refused to recognize TNT’s right to match Amazon’s new broadcast deal with the NBA.

The latest filing from TBS/WBD insists that the league acted in bad faith to “circumvent” the network’s matching rights by including certain terms in its deal with Amazon that it knew TBS/WBD couldn’t specifically match. For instance, one clause in the NBA/Amazon agreement requires NBA games to be aired on a platform that also broadcasts NFL games. Amazon has a deal with the NFL, whereas TBS/WBD does not.

If the case continues to advance through the legal system, court records suggest a trial would be held sometime in April 2025, according to McCann.

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

Paul George‘s impact in Philadelphia and the Knicks’ potential hole at center are among the key storylines to monitor in the Eastern Conference this season, in the view of Fred Katz and Sam Amick of The Athletic. Katz and Amick also took a look at the top storylines to watch in the West, including whether Victor Wembanyama is ready to take the leap to superstardom, Ja Morant‘s potential redemption tour, and which second-tier team could move into the top group of contenders.
The South Bay Lakers, College Park Skyhawks (Hawks), and Texas Legends (Mavericks) have completed a three-team trade, with South Bay acquiring the returning rights to forward Chris Silva and center Jake Stephens in the deal, per a press release. The Skyhawks received Joirdon Nicholas‘ rights, while the Legends received multiple G League draft picks from the Lakers’ affiliate.
Responding to a pair of U.S. senators who criticized the NBA for partnering with Rwandan dictator Paul Kagame, deputy commissioner Mark Tatum wrote in a letter that the league has followed “the lead of the U.S. government as to where it’s appropriate to engage in business around the world,” according to Mark Fainaru-Wada of ESPN. “If American policies were to change regarding business activities in and relating to Rwanda or any other BAL (Basketball Africa League) market, our actions would of course change accordingly,” Tatum said, adding that the NBA has promoted multiple social impact initiatives in Rwanda.
Sixers center Joel Embiid, Bucks guard Damian Lillard, and Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman are among the individuals across the NBA who are facing the most pressure entering the 2024/25 season, according to Michael Pina of The Ringer, whose top five is rounded out by Knicks forward Julius Randle and Heat wing Jimmy Butler.

Heat Notes: Butler, Rozier, Jaquez

September 22nd, 2024 at 1:34pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

All-NBA Heat swingman Jimmy Butler has been the subject of some trade speculation this offseason after the six-time All-Star decided he would not extend with Miami this summer.

As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes (subscriber-exclusive link), Heat fans may need to press pause on any possible trade chatter and embrace the moment. When he’s available, the 35-year-old superstar remains a productive two-way player as he prepares to enter his 14th season.

The 6’7″ forward averaged 20.8 points per game on encouragingly efficient .499/.414/.858 shooting splits last season, along with 5.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.3 steals per night. The flip-side of that productivity, however, is that Butler was only healthy for 60 contests and missed the entire playoffs with an MCL sprain.

There’s more out of South Beach:

Terry Rozier impressed when he was able to take the floor for Miami last year, but injuries limited his availability and ultimately sidelined him completely for the playoffs. How the veteran point guard performs could go a long way toward determining just how much this Heat team can achieve in 2024/25, writes Winderman in a separate piece. “It sucks the way it ended last year for me, not being able to play in the playoffs,” Rozier noted. “So it’s a fresh start. You get to be around the guys for a full season, be around the coaches for a full season, learn the plays and really just get that camaraderie with the other guys.” The Heat acquired Rozier from the Hornets in January.
During his 2023/24 rookie season, Heat small forward Jaime Jaquez quickly outplayed his draft standing. The former UCLA All-American was recognized for his output with a no-brainer All-Rookie First Team finish. In a reader mailbag, Winderman wonders if Jaquez could be due for more minutes and touches this year. After a capped-out Miami failed to make many new free agent rotation-level additions beyond Alec Burks, it appears the current plan (barring a major trade) is hoping for internal development and better health. Jaquez, still just 23, could be the best candidate to take a major leap.
In case you missed it, the Heat are expected to keep their 15th and final open roster spot unoccupied heading into the regular season, and will thus be able to stay below the league’s second tax apron.

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