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Kelly Olynyk

Heat Notes: Olynyk, Workouts, Herro, Nunn

April 1st, 2020 at 4:55pm CST by Luke Adams

A month ago at this time, Kelly Olynyk appeared to be facing a difficult offseason decision on his $13.2MM player option, says Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. However, given the uncertainty that the NBA’s hiatus has created for the salary cap going forward, Olynyk’s decision may be getting easier.

As Jackson writes, Olynyk’s player option is worth more than the mid-level, and only a small handful of teams project to have the cap room required to match or top $13.2MM. Most of those teams with cap space are in the process of rebuilding, which may not appeal to Olynyk — it’s unlikely that any would even be willing to spend big money on him anyway, since the market will be “saturated with players of similar quality,” Jackson observes. It all points to Olynyk likely opting in for at least one more year with the Heat, barring a trade.

Here’s more on the Heat:

  • Goran Dragic said on Tuesday that Heat coaches are overseeing video-conferencing workouts for Heat players for 90 minutes a day, tweets Jackson. Heat players complete the workouts – including weight-lifting exercises – from home and see their teammates on their screen going through the same drills.
  • In a mailbag, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel acknowledges that the NBA’s suspended season and lost revenue could have a ripple effect on the Heat’s 2020 and 2021 free agency plans. In addition to impacting presumed cap increases, this stoppage could result in more players opting for the financial security of longer-term contracts, Winderman suggests. That might limit Miami’s ability to re-sign veterans like Dragic to one-year deals to maintain cap flexibility for the summer of ’21.
  • Another Sun Sentinel mailbag explores the Heat’s point guard situation, with Winderman writing that he wouldn’t be surprised if Tyler Herro supplants Kendrick Nunn as the starter as soon as next season.
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Heat Notes: Adebayo, Olynyk, Crowder, Herro

March 11th, 2020 at 9:50am CST by Luke Adams

One Heat All-Star was impressed with the other following Sunday’s win over Washington, as Jimmy Butler heaped praise on teammate Bam Adebayo, who racked up 27 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists against the Wizards.

“That’s what future max players do,” Butler said of Adebayo, according to Michael Lee of The Athletic. “He’s definitely all of that and more. We’re glad to have him. Glad he’s the leader of this team.”

After acquiring Butler and developing Adebayo, the Heat have more star power on their roster than they did a year ago, but the team will always be on the lookout for more. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bradley Beal are two players who have frequently been cited as potential Miami targets if they become available, but Adebayo said this week that he doesn’t expect to be too involved in trying to recruit either player.

“I don’t want to pressure a man to make his own decision,” Adebayo said when asked specifically about the possibility of recruiting Antetokounmpo. “At the end of the day, when that situation does happen, if he wants to have a conversation with me, then I will have that talk with him. But I’m not going to try to put pressure on a man to make a decision. This is his life. He just had a child. You don’t want to move your child from city to city. It’s bigger than basketball for him at this point and time in his life, because he’s got kids, he’s got family, he’s got brothers. You want everybody to be together and be happy. It’s up to him.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

  • Kelly Olynyk has $1.4MM in bonuses available this season as part of his contract with the Heat — $1MM for playing at least 1,700 minutes and $400K for a Miami playoff berth. The Heat are on the verge of clinching a spot in the postseason, which will earn Olynyk $400K, but at just 1,084 minutes played, he’s unlikely to get the other $1MM, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sentinel.
  • For his part, Olynyk sounds content to earn the lesser bonus. “Financially, the bigger issue would be missing out on the minutes,” he said, per Winderman. “But for way of life and just as a person, I would say definitely make the playoffs and be part of a team that’s winning and having a vision of where it could go and be something special.”
  • After missing the Heat’s game on Sunday, Jae Crowder was cleared from the NBA’s concussion protocol on Tuesday, as Andre Fernandez of The Athletic tweets. Crowder is listed as probable for Wednesday’s game against Charlotte, so he should be back in action tonight after a brief absence.
  • In that same tweet, Fernandez notes that Tyler Herro participated fully in practice on Tuesday, which is a sign he’s nearing a return. Herro, who has been on the shelf for more than a month due to a right ankle injury, is listed as questionable for Wednesday’s contest.
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Heat Notes: Iguodala, Williams, Winslow, Olynyk

February 10th, 2020 at 11:10am CST by Luke Adams

As Andre Iguodala remained in limbo for months in Memphis, rumors swirled about where he’d eventually land. When he spoke to Iguodala following his trade to Miami, Sam Amick of The Athletic pointed out that teams like the Lakers, Clippers, and Rockets were mentioned more often than the Heat as possible destinations. However, the veteran forward told Amick he was impressed by what he’d seen from the Heat this season.

“I watched them on TV a few times, and they’d been doing so well that they’re on everybody’s radar,” Iguodala said. “Like, ‘Man, these boys can play.’ They’re disciplined, they’re playing the right way, the DNA that’s in the organization, and how they drive the DNA and all the players who come through their system, from seasoned guys to young guys to undrafted guys and all the picks. They’re doing a good job with developing their players.”

A report leading up to the trade deadline suggested that Iguodala may decide to sit out the rest of the season if he wasn’t sent to one of his preferred landing spots, and it wasn’t clear that Miami was on that list. The 36-year-old didn’t confirm one way or the other whether he had to be talked into joining the Heat, but did say that a conversation with team president Pat Riley made him enthusiastic about the move.

“It’s just really getting you excited to play basketball, and getting you excited about what you’re going to do and what you’re bringing to the table,” Iguodala told Amick. “And when someone tells you that this is what you do, and this is what we’ve seen you do historically, and this is what we want you to do for us, it’s like, ‘Man, I can’t wait to do that.’ So that’s always good.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

  • What can Iguodala bring to the Heat? Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald passes along thoughts from Riley, Erik Spoelstra, Kelly Olynyk, Udonis Haslem, and Jimmy Butler on that subject.
  • The Heat were among several teams to inquire on forward Marvin Williams when he was bought out by Charlotte on Friday, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Although Miami missed out on Williams, the team still could be active on the buyout market. Riley said on Friday that the team wouldn’t mind adding a frontcourt player to help with rim protection, if possible.
  • One Heat official told Jackson that Justise Winslow had hoped to have a more prominent role and be one of the faces of the franchise in Miami. Winslow may have more of an opportunity to get that kind of role in Memphis, once he gets healthy.
  • After trading Dion Waiters and James Johnson last week, the Heat can get up to about $27MM in cap room this summer. That number would increase even further if Olynyk declines his $13.2MM player option, as Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes. Olynyk hasn’t made that decision yet, suggesting he’ll have to weigh a handful of factors this spring. “I think it’s an accumulation of everything,” he said. “I mean, obviously you want to play. You want to win. You want to get paid. So, yeah, it’s like an accumulation of everything.”
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Scotto’s Latest: Gallinari, Nunn, Pacers, Nuggets, More

February 10th, 2020 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

When the Thunder and Heat discussed a potential Danilo Gallinari trade leading up to last week’s deadline, James Johnson, Kelly Olynyk, Kendrick Nunn, and draft compensation were among the various assets that came up in talks, league sources tell Michael Scotto of Bleacher Report. Miami reportedly wanted to extend Gallinari’s contract as part of a deal, but couldn’t agree to terms with his camp, which is one main reason the trade didn’t happen.

ESPN’s Zach Lowe wrote last week that he believed the Heat could’ve acquired Gallinari without surrendering any of their young players like Nunn. So even though his name came up in discussions, that doesn’t necessarily mean the Thunder would have insisted on his inclusion, depending on what other pieces were involved.

While Gallinari remained with the Thunder for this season, Scotto suggests the Heat and Knicks could be among his potential suitors this summer. Miami clearly has interest, and created some cap flexibility for 2020/21 by moving Johnson and Dion Waiters last week. New York, meanwhile, will have cap space and is hiring veteran CAA agent Leon Rose as its new president of basketball operations. Gallinari is a CAA client.

Here are a few more noteworthy tidbits from Scotto’s look at the post-deadline landscape:

  • The Knicks and Pacers discussed a possible Marcus Morris trade. According to Scotto, a package that featured Aaron Holiday, Doug McDermott, and T.J. Leaf was “briefly kicked around,” but didn’t end up going far.
  • McDermott’s name also came up in discussions about a potential Pacers trade with the Bucks involving Ersan Ilyasova, says Scotto. It’s not known which team initiated those talks.
  • Before the Cavaliers traded for Andre Drummond, they called the Pacers to ask about Myles Turner‘s availability, per Scotto. Indiana has remained firm on keeping Turner, though many executives expect the team to eventually break up its Turner/Domantas Sabonis frontcourt.
  • The Nuggets discussed the possibility of trading Gary Harris, Malik Beasley, and Juan Hernangomez as part of a package for Bulls guard Zach LaVine or Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday, sources tell Scotto. New Orleans set a very high asking price for Holiday, while LaVine was said to be “off-limits” for Chicago, so Denver didn’t get far on either front.
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Heat Notes: Gallinari, Olynyk, Jones, Iguodala

February 7th, 2020 at 10:13am CST by Luke Adams

For a few hours on Thursday, it looked as if the Heat would end up adding not just Andre Iguodala but Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari as well. However, Oklahoma City ultimately ended up not getting involved in the deal with Miami and Memphis that saw Iguodala, Jae Crowder, and Solomon Hill land with the Heat.

Like they did with Iguodala, the Heat were trying to complete an extend-and-trade deal for Gallinari, but the team’s desire to keep its 2021/22 cap sheet as clear as possible complicated those extensions talks. If the Heat had been willing to do an extension that was guaranteed through 2022, ESPN’s Zach Lowe believes they likely would’ve been able to acquire Gallinari without surrendering any of their key young players.

According to Lowe, talks between Miami and Oklahoma City focused on draft compensation. The Thunder already own the Heat’s top-14 protected 2023 first-round pick and wanted the protections lifted on that selection so that Miami could also trade its 2025 first-rounder to OKC.

As Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald explains (via Twitter), the Heat also probably could’ve acquired Gallinari without extending him, but they felt as if the risk of just renting the veteran forward for three months wouldn’t be worth the draft capital it would require.

Here’s more on the Heat:

  • There was a belief that Crowder and Hill would be re-routed to the Thunder along with draft picks if Gallinari was involved in that Heat/Grizzlies swap. However, that may not have been the only scenario in play — David Aldridge of The Athletic hears from sources that Miami was also willing to discuss Kelly Olynyk and Derrick Jones in potential trades.
  • Jeff Siegel of Early Bird Rights provides some new info on Iguodala’s extension with the Heat, tweeting that the two-year, $30MM deal – which is worth a flat $15MM per year with a team option on year two – features a 7.5% trade kicker. If he’s dealt, that bonus would only apply to Iguodala’s non-option year, unless the option is exercised before the trade.
  • The Heat have newfound flexibility for the summer of 2020 after moving James Johnson and Dion Waiters. Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald explores possible paths Miami could take during the offseason, while cap expert Albert Nahmad of HeatHoops.com takes a more in-depth look at the financial situation facing the team as it considers its options for the next two summers.
  • Count head coach Erik Spoelstra among those impressed with what president Pat Riley has done to revamp the Heat’s roster over the last year, as Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today details. “He’s one of the great visionaries of this Association, and it never ceases to amaze me how he continues to reinvent and think differently,” Spoelstra said of Riley. “That’s what visionaries do. They think way bigger and much differently than we do.”
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Heat Notes: Waiters, Johnson, Robinson, Olynyk

December 5th, 2019 at 9:16am CST by Arthur Hill

Both Dion Waiters and James Johnson remained on the bench throughout the Heat’s 19-point loss at Boston last night, leading Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel to wonder about their futures with the organization. Waiters, who recently returned from his second suspension, hasn’t gotten on the court at all this season. Johnson, who failed to meet conditioning standards at the start of training camp, has appeared in just six games.

Winderman believes management is drawing a “hard line” about conditioning, comportment and sacrifice, which may mean a lot of bench time for Waiters and Johnson going forward. Both players have contracts that won’t be easy to trade, as Waiters is signed for $12.65MM next season, while Johnson has a $16MM player option.

There’s more this morning from Miami:

  • Heat officials were unanimous in their selection of Tyler Herro with the 13th pick in this year’s draft, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Herro is off to an excellent start, averaging 13.6 points per game and shooting 39% from 3-point range. Miami viewed him as an elite shooter who could also contribute to the offense in other ways, and he received a glowing recommendation from his college coach, John Calipari, who said Herro has the gym rat qualities that the Heat look for. “Plus we needed shooting,” an unidentified Heat official said. “It was not a hard decision; he was our guy. We felt he had not only the stroke, but a lot of intangibles that were really unique.”
  • After Duncan Robinson went undrafted in 2018, the Heat were his first choice because coach Erik Spoelstra contacted him the night before the draft, Jackson adds in the same story. “The fact he reached out meant a lot to me,” Robinson said. “He told me about their culture and what they’re all about and how much they prioritize shooting, and guys that come here that are shooters tend to have their best years. He mentioned Wayne Ellington and some other guys. It just excited me. I was pretty adamant I wanted to be part of this place, at least do summer league with them and see where the chips fell.” Robinson said he had a “handful” of offers, and he chose Miami over the Lakers and Bucks.
  • Kelly Olynyk has been loyal to Team Canada for years, but an upcoming contract decision could affect his availability for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in late June, notes Steven Loung of Sportsnet. Olynyk can opt out of his $12.2MM deal for next year and might be without a contract when the tournament begins. He would be risking an injury that could have a significant impact on his future earnings.
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Heat Notes: Butler, Olynyk, Winslow, Haslem

September 27th, 2019 at 5:37pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The culture established by team president Pat Riley was a deciding factor in Jimmy Butler agreeing to join the Heat, according to Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press.

“The winning habits, the winning ways. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?” he said. “I was excited to have an opportunity to come here, to be here, but when I keep hearing about this culture I was like, ‘I need that in my life.’”

Butler, who received a four-year deal worth approximately $141MM as part of a sign-and-trade with the Sixers, has shown that work ethic during early-morning workouts and in pickup games. Riley describes his biggest summer acquisition as a top-10 player in the NBA

“The one thing that I feel that I owe the franchise and this city is to put the most competitive team on the court that we can and one that will compete for championships,” Riley said. “I think having Jimmy Butler here is a step in that direction.”

We have more on the Heat:

  • Big man Kelly Olynyk won’t be available for the start of training camp but he’s expected to be ready for the opener, Reynolds reports in the same story. He suffered a bone bruise in his right knee while playing for Team Canada prior to the FIBA World Cup. Every other player on the training camp roster is expected to be available at the start of camp.
  • Riley wasn’t thrilled that Justise Winslow said publicly he wanted to be the starting point guard, Reynolds tweets. Winslow commented that he wanted to be the team’s floor leader earlier this month. He played well in that role last season after injuries struck but the starter in recent seasons, Goran Dragic, remains on the roster.
  • Butler would consider playing for Team USA in next year’s Olympics if he’s asked, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets.
  • Prior to re-signing veteran forward Udonis Haslem, Riley asked him if he wanted to coach this summer, Reynolds tweets. Haslem said he wasn’t interested in coaching but Riley believes he’ll eventually change his mind, Reynolds adds.
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Heat Notes: Macon, Mulder, Butler, Bonuses

September 20th, 2019 at 11:50am CST by Arthur Hill

Point guard Daryl Macon appears to be the favorite to get the 20th invitation to the Heat‘s training camp, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Macon played for Miami’s Summer League team last year after going undrafted, but turned down the Heat’s offer of an Exhibit 10 contract to sign a two-way deal with the Mavericks. He got into eight games with Dallas, but spent most of the season with the Texas Legends in the G League.

The Mavs waived him in July, and he has spent the past two weeks doing on-court work with the Heat, a source tells Jackson. If Macon does join the team for camp, he will be part of a six-way competition for the two-way contract slots, along with big men Kyle Alexander and Chris Silva, swingman Davon Reed, combo guard Jeremiah Martin and shooting guard Mychal Mulder. Those who aren’t signed will likely be ticketed for the organization’s G League team in Sioux Falls. Jackson notes that because of hard cap restrictions, the Heat can’t sign any of those six players to standard contracts.

There’s more from Miami, all courtesy of Jackson:

  • Bam Adebayo had advance knowledge that the Heat were going to sign Mulder, his former teammate at Kentucky. Mulder is an intriguing physical prospect because although he stands just 6’4″, his hands are larger than Adebayo’s and he has a 44-inch vertical leap. He averaged 13.7 PPG and shot 41.3% on 3-pointers in the G League last season with Windy City. “That’s one of my guys. I kind of knew before he knew,” Adebayo said. “I gave him like a heads up, just so he wouldn’t be surprised or he didn’t expect something.”
  • Appearing on Zach Lowe’s ESPN podcast, J.J. Redick raved about his experiences with former Sixers teammate Jimmy Butler, whom the Heat acquired in a four-team deal as the centerpiece of their offseason. “I love Jimmy and would play with Jimmy again,” Redick said. “I don’t know how much longer I’m going to play basketball, but if there was ever an opportunity to link up with him again, I’d be happy to jump on board with that. He is, I think, in the upper tier of two-way players and really in the upper tier of offensive players, period. … The narrative about Jimmy being a bad guy, I just don’t buy it. It’s not true.”
  • Jackson also passes along a note from ESPN’s Bobby Marks about contract incentives that could raise Miami’s tax bill. Dion Waiters would get a $1.2MM bonus for playing at least 70 games, while Kelly Olynyk has a $400K incentive for reaching the playoffs and another $1.4MM if he plays 1,700 minutes. If all those marks are reached, the Heat’s bill will rise from $3.8MM to $8.3MM.
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World Cup Notes: Olynyk, Canada, Select Team

August 14th, 2019 at 12:22pm CST by Luke Adams

As first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, a knee injury will prevent Heat forward Kelly Olynyk from playing for Team Canada during this year’s World Cup in China. The Heat confirmed as much today in a press release announcing Olynyk’s right knee bone bruise.

According to Wojnarowski and the Heat, Olynyk is expected to be ready for the start of the NBA regular season. However, it’s not clear whether he’ll be healthy enough to fully participate in training camp next month. If he’s not, it could mean added reps for the likes of Meyers Leonard, James Johnson, Duncan Robinson, and/or some camp invitees.

As for Team Canada, their World Cup squad takes yet another hit. It has been overshadowed by all the Team USA withdrawals, but Team Canada has also experienced an exodus of NBA players from its roster, as we detailed last week. Olynyk joins Jamal Murray, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tristan Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Dwight Powell, and many other Canadians on the list of players won’t be participating in the 2019 World Cup.

Here are a few more notes related to the World Cup:

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Heat Notes: Olynyk, Johnson, Waiters, Adebayo

August 11th, 2019 at 9:12am CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat will face an important decision on Kelly Olynyk at some point this season, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Olynyk can opt out of his contract next summer if he believes he can do better than his $13.2MM salary for 2020/21, and his choice will have a significant effect on Miami’s flexibility in free agency.

The Heat can create about $12MM in cap room, assuming James Johnson opts in to his $16MM salary and free agent Goran Dragic is let go. If Olynyk opts out, that number will exceed $25MM, putting Miami in a much better position to add a top name in free agency. After this year’s spending spree, Winderman estimates only about six teams will have that much to spend.

He adds that the Heat may consider dealing Olynyk during the season so they don’t have to wait for his decision. They could also try to negotiate a long-term contract next summer that replaces the option year, but that would effectively take them out of the next free agency bonanza in 2021 when  include Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bradley Beal, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Blake Griffin, Jrue Holiday and Victor Oladipo will all be on the market.

There’s more this morning from Miami:

  • Johnson’s message for those who have lost faith in him and Dion Waiters after down seasons is “doubt at your own risk,” according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Johnson was slowed by a sports hernia, while Waiters was recovering from ankle surgery. “Dion is adamant about his and I’m more silent,” Johnson said. “We’ve been grinding and we’ve been working together on and off. I feel like he’s ready. He looks the best that I’ve seen since he’s been a Miami Heat. And I’m healthy.”
  • Bam Adebayo attended last night’s BIG3 games in Miami, but refused to comment on his release from Team USA, Winderman tweets. A late invite to training camp, Adebayo was among the first round of cuts announced Friday. Adebayo was an awkward fit with this year’s team because he serves as a complementary player and there aren’t many stars to complement, Winderman adds in a full story. His limited offense stands out when the American team will rely on scoring from all five positions.
  • Veteran forward Reggie Evans, who now plays for the BIG3’s Three-Headed Monsters, was in a more talkative mood Saturday, but not about the NBA, Winderman relays in another piece. Evans reacted angrily any time former members of the Heat were asked about playing in Miami or the NBA in general. However, Mario Chalmers, who is holding out hopes of an NBA comeback, said coming to Miami with the league is “just like playing at home for me.”
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