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Heat Notes: Ware, Defense, Love, Little

October 26th, 2024 at 6:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

The positive vibes that the Heat generated by winning the Summer League title in Las Vegas have carried over into the start of the regular season, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. That Vegas team included first-round pick Kel’el Ware and second-round pick Pelle Larsson, along with two-way players Josh Christopher and Keshad Johnson, and coach Erik Spoelstra said they’ve provided youthful energy since the start of training camp.

“What they have shown as a collective group as young guys, they’ve brought us some talent level that we’ve been able to restock our roster,” Spoelstra said. “They’ve given us an exuberance. But they’ve also found a way as a group to win, to impact winning, to find a way to gut out wins. I don’t know what it is, I just know it’s something. I think probably what’s different about this group is it’s been a pack, a pack of wolves. That’s what’s different.”

Ware was one of the stars in Las Vegas, earning a spot on the All-Summer League First Team after being drafted with the 15th pick. However, the 20-year-old center doesn’t have a clear path to playing time in Miami with Bam Adebayo, Kevin Love and Thomas Bryant ahead of him on the depth chart. He played the final 6:15 of a blowout in the season opener and will miss tonight’s game in Charlotte due to an illness.

“He’s put almost 10 pounds on since he’s been with us and he’s embraced how we do things,” Spoelstra said. “That was one of the encouraging things once we dove into his background — that he’s not afraid to work, particularly at [Indiana University].”

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The Heat had two days off to recover from Wednesday’s 32-point loss to Orlando, Chiang adds in a separate story. Spoelstra concentrated on the need to become more aggressive defensively to create open-court opportunities. Chiang notes that Miami led the NBA during the preseason by forcing turnovers on 21.7% of possessions, but only managed five steals and nine deflections against the Magic. “You want them to feel you,” Spoelstra said. “It’s not necessarily going to be the metrics or steals or deflections every single time. It’s more about doing tough things, being physical, getting teams out of what they typically want to do at every point of attack that we’re there, and that wasn’t the case.”
Love will miss his second straight game tonight for personal reasons, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link).
Nassir Little, who was with the Heat in training camp on a non-guaranteed contract before being waived last Saturday, will join the team’s G League affiliate in Sioux Falls, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The 24-year-old forward spent last season with Phoenix after four years in Portland.

Heat Notes: Larsson, Herro, Jaquez, Bam, Backup Centers

October 11th, 2024 at 4:40pm CST by Rory Maher

Former Arizona wing Pelle Larsson, who received a standard contract from the Heat after being selected No. 44 overall in June’s draft, has made a strong impression on his new club ahead of his rookie season, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The 23-year-old recorded 10 points (on 4-of-5 shooting), two assists and a steal in 16 minutes of action during Tuesday’s preseason opener in Charlotte.

“He’s as advertised,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said of Larsson. “I think that’s what is so interesting about the draft process for all the different teams. Each team has their own philosophy, each team values different things. He’s an elite role player. If you mention that to some organizations, they probably think that that’s horrible. I think it fits absolutely with our style of play, our culture, how we view players and how they impact winning.

“He knows how to defend multiple positions, he brings you physicality on that side of the floor. Offensively, he moves very well without the ball, so he could be a connector with whatever unit he plays. And also, he’s been really working diligently on his shooting.”

As Chiang notes, Larsson may not receive consistent rotation minutes when the roster is fully healthy, but he’s doing his best to make it a difficult decision for Spoelstra.

“Just that I can make winning plays,” Larsson said when asked what he wants to prove this preseason. “They’re not going to put anyone out there who doesn’t show that. That’s the first thing they look for. And then if you can knock down open shots, they’ll be really happy. But the main thing is making winning plays — on the ball and off the ball. As a cutter, as a passer, whatever it is, just stack up winning plays.”

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Tyler Herro (right groin strain) and Jaime Jaquez (left groin strain) were both able to practice on Friday and could make their preseason debuts on Sunday vs. New Orleans, Chiang writes in another story for The Miami Herald. Spoelstra previously said the injuries were considered relatively minor, and a little bit of rest seems to have gone a long way.
Three-time All-Star Bam Adebayo, who won his second Olympic gold medal over the summer with Team USA, appears committed to expanding his offensive repertoire, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required). Adebayo went 5-of-9 from the field in 17 minutes on Tuesday, recording 13 points. Notably, he went 2-of-5 from long distance. Adebayo attempted a career-high 42 three-pointers in 71 games last season, converting 15 (35.7%). He should easily set new career bests in makes and attempts if he continues to feel confident from beyond the arc.
In a mailbag column, Winderman says he expects Kevin Love to open the season as the primary backup center behind Adebayo, leaving rookie Kel’el Ware and veteran Thomas Bryant on the outside looking in for rotation minutes. Winderman believes Miami will run various small-ball lineups as well due to the team’s wing depth, which could further limit the opportunities for frontcourt players.

Heat Notes: Bryant, Love, Little, Smith, Quinn

October 3rd, 2024 at 7:13pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Heat invested in the backup center position this offseason, committing two years to 36-year-old Kevin Love and bringing back free agent big man Thomas Bryant despite already having signed Love and drafting Kel’el Ware 15th overall.

Bryant’s decision in particular came under a microscope, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes, as it was assumed that he was asked to opt out of his previous contract that would have paid him $2.8MM with a promise that he could come back on a new minimum deal if no other offers materialized elsewhere.

Bryant will receive a similar salary on his new deal (approximately $2.8MM), but it actually saved the Heat $700K, Jackson explains. Salaries on one-year contracts count at the two-year minimum of $2.1MM for cap purposes. If he had simply picked up his player option, that $700K additional charge would have applied. However, while Bryant said the Heat gave him a deadline to make his free agent decision by, he denies that there was ever such an understanding between him and the team.

“I know it seemed that way but it wasn’t the case at all,” Bryant said, per Jackson. “They basically said: ‘We know you have options and we want you to be able to look at those.’ They said, ‘We would love to have you back here and from the top down, everybody loves what you’ve done here and see the work you put in and everyone wants you around.’ But there wasn’t any promise they would re-sign me.”

It’s an interesting commitment by the Heat, not only due to the resources they already committed to the center spot, but also because Bryant’s playing time for Miami last season was inconsistent. He appeared in just 38 games with four starts and averaged 5.7 points and 3.7 rebounds.

In essence, it seems like one of two scenarios is likely. The first option is that the Heat felt fine with the resources they had at the backup wing position (where they lost major contributor Caleb Martin to free agency) and wanted to bring Bryant back because they valued him. For what it’s worth, president Pat Riley expressed excitement a year ago about bringing in Bryant. The second option, which Bryant denies, is that Miami brought him back at that lower cap hit in exchange for him opting out.

That first option is interesting, because at the time of signing the contract, Miami hadn’t re-signed Haywood Highsmith or added Nassir Little. That would have left them with Jaime Jaquez and rookie two-way forward Keshad Johnson as their only real wing defenders. In other words, Miami seems ready to trust some of its returning players with large roles this coming year.

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As for bringing back Love, Jackson writes in the same piece that the Heat didn’t feel like skill has declined as he enters his late 30s (he turned 36 last month). They believe his two-year, $8MM valuation is correct. Love said his goal is to reach 20 years in the NBA, which would take him two years beyond his current contract. “I feel really good, fresh, fleet of foot,” Love said. “I don’t feel I’m necessarily in the [Udonis Haslem mentorship] role, where he was late in his career.“
Little, a former first-round pick for the Blazers, had other options besides signing a fully non-guaranteed deal with the Heat, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. Little, who averages 5.5 points for his career, has until Oct. 19 to audition for Miami as that’s the league-wide cut-down deadline. “With Miami, I just feel like they valued the type of player that I am the most,” Little said. “Yeah, there were other opportunities. But I just felt like the reputation that Miami has with players like myself and just the conversations that I had with the staff around here, it wasn’t to that extent with any of the other organizations. … I definitely feel like they wanted me the most.“
The Heat see Dru Smith being a capable ball-handler and defender on a two-way contract, Jackson writes in a separate piece. While he’s coming off a major injury, Smith showed promise last season and the Heat showed their value in him by letting him be a part of offseason meetings. His two-way spot might be the one that’s most in jeopardy, since Josh Christopher and Johnson had tremendous summer league stints, but it’s clear Miami cherishes him.
Chris Quinn earned a promotion from assistant coach to associate head coach this offseason, Chiang writes in another story. Head coach Erik Spoelstra said the promotion is more of a formality than anything, but the Heat wanted to reward someone who has been instrumental to their successful development system and who has earned several head-coaching interviews across the league over the years. “It means a lot,” Quinn said. “Obviously, the title is one thing. But the responsibility that comes along with it. … It’s a huge responsibility for me to keep moving in the right direction.”

Heat Notes: Love, Ware, Highsmith, Offseason

July 8th, 2024 at 8:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Love declined his $4MM player option for next season, but staying in Miami was always his first choice, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The veteran big man not only remained with the Heat, he was able to get the deal he wanted — $3.85MM for the upcoming season and $4.15MM for 2025/26 — signing shortly after free agency began on June 30.

“In every free agency, there’s always a chance to look around the league and see opportunity,” Love said. “But in my mind, in terms of how the team operates, who [coach Erik Spoelstra] is, who [team president Pat Riley] is, who [general manager Andy Elisburg] is, it really in the last year and a half has felt like home. It felt like we were always optimistic that we would be able to get this done, get an extra year and just be able to provide as much as I possibly can for the team. I’m very, very happy to be back.”

Love has become a fixture in Miami since joining the organization late in the 2022/23 season. He was inserted into the starting lineup and sparked the team’s surprising run to the NBA Finals, then moved into a reserve role last season, coming off the bench for 50 of the 55 games he played. Love, who turns 36 in September, believes he can remain productive and envisions spending more time at power forward alongside Bam Adebayo.

“Being able to play high-low or being able to space the floor while a traditional five operates in the paint is something that I can add high value to,” Love said. “So I think it’s something that’s there. I’m sure it’s something that we’ll toy with and see in training camp. But I think it could be something that could happen this year.”

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First-round pick Kel’el Ware put on a dominant performance Sunday in his second Summer League game with 26 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and a block, Chiang adds in a separate story. The 20-year-old center said he had to “get the jitters out” after his first contest, and he focused more on controlling the lane area than shooting three-pointers. “Right now, my shot is feeling a little short,” Ware said. “So I wanted to get to the basket more and just be more of a target in my presence, be more in the paint today. I felt like I did that a little bit.”
Several teams remain interested in Heat free agent Haywood Highsmith, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Although he doesn’t identify any of them, Scotto says that Highsmith is getting “recruitment pitches from Hall of Fame players and championship coaches.” Miami, which is $6.8MM away from the second apron, remains in talks with the 27-year-old forward, Scotto adds.
Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald examines some of the criticism being leveled at Heat management in the midst of a disappointing offseason to determine what’s legitimate and what isn’t.

Heat Re-Sign Kevin Love To Two-Year Deal

June 30th, 2024 at 5:06pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: Love is officially back under contract with the Heat, the team confirmed today in a press release.

JUNE 30: The Heat and big man Kevin Love have agreed to a new deal, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Love will sign a two-year contract worth over $8MM, sources tell Charania. The agreement doesn’t include an option year, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.

A minimum-salary contract for Love would be worth in the neighborhood of $7MM, so it sounds like Miami is going a little higher than that to bring him back.

Love, 35, initially joined the Heat on the buyout market during the second half of the 2022/23 season and played a key role on the team that made the NBA Finals that spring. He re-signed with Miami a year ago and averaged 8.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 16.8 minutes per game across 55 appearances (five starts) in 2023/24.

Love held a player option for the 2024/25 season that he decided to turn down on Saturday. That option was worth just north of $4MM, so it appears he’ll be back for around the same price, with an extra year tacked onto his new contract.

Love will provide depth in a frontcourt headed up by star center Bam Adebayo. Big man Thomas Bryant is an unrestricted free agent and Orlando Robinson has a non-guaranteed salary for 2024/25, but the Heat added a center in the draft by selecting Kel’el Ware out of Indiana.

Heat’s Kevin Love Declining Player Option

June 29th, 2024 at 10:07am CST by Tristan Tucker

Heat forward Kevin Love is turning down his player option for next season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Love will become an unrestricted free agent as a result of declining that $4MM option.

Even though Love is declining his option, the two sides are enthusiastic about reaching a new deal in the opening days of free agency, Wojnarowski reports. Love has spent the past season and a half with the Heat after being bought out by the Cavaliers ahead of the 2023 trade deadline.

Love has been one of the more underrated buyout pickups of the last few years, immediately settling into a veteran leader role while averaging 8.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in 76 games with the Heat (22 starts). He was also a big part of Miami’s run to the NBA Finals in 2022/23, averaging 6.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting 37.5% from deep (4.4 attempts) in 20 postseason appearances.

Love, 35, is a five-time NBA All-Star and former champion with the Cavaliers in ’15/16. He has played 929 games (684 starts) while holding career averages of 16.5 points and 10.1 rebounds. According to Basketball-Reference.com, Love has a 73.47% chance to be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

According to the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang, one option could be for Love to re-sign with the Heat at his minimum of about $3.3MM with an additional year attached (Twitter link). That would give the team some extra wiggle room under the second apron to keep some of its own free agents.

Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey Wins 2023/24 Sportsmanship Award

May 16th, 2024 at 11:30am CST by Rory Maher

After being named the league’s Most Improved Player last month, Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey has added another 2023/24 award to his trophy case, having been voted the Sportsmanship Award winner for this season as well, the NBA announced in a press release (Twitter links).

The Sportsmanship Award has been presented annually since ’95/96 and “honors a player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court.”

According to the NBA, each team nominated one of its players. The 30-player list was then trimmed down to six — one player from each division — by a panel of league executives. Finally, current players voted on the six finalists.

As the full voting results show, Maxey received the most first-place votes and most total points, making him the winner. Heat big man Kevin Love was the runner-up, followed by (in order) Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kings forward Harrison Barnes, and Spurs point guard Tre Jones.

The 21st overall pick of the 2020 draft, Maxey will be eligible for restricted free agency this offseason. After his excellent performances this season, there’s no doubt that the 23-year-old will return to the 76ers.

Heat Notes: Wright, Offseason Decisions, Butler, Draft

May 1st, 2024 at 11:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat’s season ended in an appropriate way Wednesday night — with another new starting lineup. Injuries have forced coach Erik Spoelstra to juggle his rotations since training camp, and he unveiled his 37th starting unit in Game 5 at Boston, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

Rookie Jaime Jaquez was unavailable because of a hip injury he suffered in Game 4 and Spoelstra didn’t want to start Duncan Robinson, who has been limited by a back condition since late in the regular season, so veteran guard Delon Wright made the first playoff start of his career. Wright provided eight points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals in 33 minutes, but he had to leave the game briefly to get stitches in his lower lip and chin after being hit by an elbow.

In addition to Jaquez, Miami was without Jimmy Butler, Terry Rozier and Josh Richardson, who all missed the entire series due to injuries. However, Spoelstra refused to use that as an excuse, Chiang tweets.

“We’re not going to put this on the fact that we had some injuries,” Spoelstra said. “Let’s not take anything away from Boston. They’ve been the best team in basketball all season long.”

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The early playoff exit leaves the franchise with a long offseason and a lot of financial decisions ahead, Chiang adds. Part of the future will be determined by player options held by Caleb Martin ($7.1MM), Kevin Love ($4MM), Richardson ($3.1MM) and Thomas Bryant ($2.8MM). Orlando Robinson has a non-guaranteed $2.1MM contract for next season, while Wright, Haywood Highsmith and Patty Mills are all headed for unrestricted free agency.
Miami faces a difficult decision on Jimmy Butler, who will become extension-eligible this summer, Bobby Marks of ESPN notes in his offseason preview for the Heat. Butler will make $48.8MM next season and holds a $52.4MM player option for 2025/26. Beginning July 7, he can sign a one-year extension worth $58.6MM, which would retain his ’25/26 salary, or a two-year, $112.9MM extension that would void the player option. Marks points out that Butler will turn 35 during the offseason and hasn’t topped 65 games in any of the last four years.
Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald examines the Heat’s options in this year’s draft. Players who could still be on the board when Miami picks at No. 15 include Purdue center Zach Edey, Duke power forward/center Kyle Filipowski, Providence guard Devin Carter, Colorado forward Tristan Da Silva, Duke point guard Jared McCain, Baylor center Yves Missi, Kansas small forward Kevin McCullar Jr., Baylor swingman Ja’Kobe Walter, USC point guard Isaiah Collier and Illinois shooting guard Terrence Shannon Jr.

Kevin Love Says He’s Not Ready To Retire

May 1st, 2024 at 5:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

A recent TNT report (video link) indicated that Kevin Love might be considering retirement, but the Heat big man clarified today that he’s not ready to end his career, writes Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.

Chris Haynes relayed the story of a team meeting after the Game 3 loss to the Celtics in which Bam Adebayo “challenged his teammates to bring it.” One of the players who spoke up was Love, who according to Haynes, told the locker room, “Listen guys, I don’t know how much more basketball I have left in me. So we cannot go out like this.” Haynes added that Love’s comments “resonated” with everyone on the team and helped them put the series in perspective.

Speaking to reporters after this morning’s shootaround, Love explained that the meeting actually happened several weeks ago and he didn’t mean to imply that his retirement is imminent.

“I said we have to take advantage of this opportunity and this situation because whether you’re [Nikola Jovic], and you have who knows how many left, or you’re myself, who also doesn’t know how many he has left, we got to take advantage of this,” Love said. “It could be one more year. It could be two years, three years, four years, five years. But the truth is you just don’t really know. You could miss the playoffs. You could get beat in the first round, second round, third round. Like no matter what it is, that was more like what I was saying, is we need to take advantage of the opportunity.”

Love, 35, is in his 16th NBA season and his first full year with Miami. He has a $4MM player option for next season and although he didn’t indicate whether he intends to exercise it, he made it clear that he plans to be in the league somewhere.

Chiang notes that Love’s minutes have been limited during the first-round series because of matchup problems with Boston. He was a useful backup during the regular season, appearing in 55 games and averaging 8.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 16.8 minutes per night.

After coming to Miami in February 2023 following a buyout with Cleveland, Love became part of the Heat’s rotation and had a consistent role during their run to the NBA Finals. He explained that his speech was intended to create the same mindset that led to last year’s playoff success.

“I think my message to the guys was like, ‘Take advantage of the time we have together,’” Love said. “Even last year, too, I felt like we did that and that run is something that will stick out in my mind forever. I think it will for all Heat fans and players who were a part of it.”

Heat Notes: Butler, Rozier, Love, Martin, Wright

April 29th, 2024 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat are trying not to focus on being shorthanded as they look for a way to upset the top-seeded Celtics, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. An already difficult task is being made even harder by the absence of starters Jimmy Butler, who sprained his MCL during a play-in game, and Terry Rozier, who has been sidelined with neck issues. In addition, Duncan Robinson has been limited by a lingering back injury he suffered late in the season.

“We have our guys, we have enough to get the job done,” coach Erik Spoelstra insisted after a 20-point loss in Game 3. “We understand the challenge and that’s what our competitors love about this series. We know we have to play hard and we also have to play well.”

Butler and Rozier have already been ruled out for tonight’s Game 4. Spoelstra told reporters on Sunday that Rozier is considered “day to day,” but no timetable has been set for his return. Butler was projected to miss “several weeks” after getting hurt on April 17, but he sounded optimistic in an interview with TNT’s Chris Haynes during Saturday’s game.

“I don’t know about a timeline, but we’ve been working,” Butler said. “I want to hoop. I want to get out here. I want some of this.”

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Spoelstra appears to be pivoting away from Kevin Love, who is facing a bad matchup against Boston, Chiang adds. The veteran big man, who was limited to one four-minute stretch in Game 3, is minus-24 in his 23 minutes of action in the series. “I was looking for a spark once we were down 20,” Spoelstra said in explaining the decision to bench Love. “This is not an indictment on anybody. Things move fast in a playoff series.”
Caleb Martin plans to “just be assertive and not be passive” tonight after he followed a 21-point Game 2 with five points on four shots in Game 3, Chiang states in a separate story. Martin, who starred against Boston in last year’s conference finals, said he needs to look to score more often. “I think there were sometimes I passed up shots,” he said. “I felt like I was trying to get the ball moving a little bit more, being a little bit less aggressive in letting it go. So that’s on me. I can’t be as passive. I got to let the ball go.”
Delon Wright, who missed Game 3 for the birth of a baby girl, has returned to the team and will be on the active roster tonight, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.