Thomas Bryant

Heat Notes: Ware, Butler, Larsson, Rotation, Herro

November 9th, 2024 at 10:15am CST by Tristan Tucker

Heat No. 15 overall pick Kel’el Ware got his first meaningful action on Wednesday against Phoenix. He was the second-string center for the first time in his rookie campaign, impressing his teammates in 13 minutes of play, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes.

“I think he did great,” Heat star Jimmy Butler said. “Jumping up there, contesting shots, rebounding, he made a three, made a little hook. The more plays, the more reps that he gets, the more comfortable he’s going to get and he’s going to be able to pick his spots a lot better on the floor. That only comes with time and reps.”

The Indiana product is averaging 2.3 points in just 6.0 minutes per game in four appearances this fall. His role is likely to gradually increase as the season goes on.

“He’s been really progressing quickly behind the scenes,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after Wednesday. “He kept himself ready. I thought his minutes were very good. I thought they were encouraging.”

Ware again played ahead of Thomas Bryant in Friday’s loss, but he committed two early fouls, resulting in Bryant seeing more minutes. When Kevin Love returns to the rotation, Ware could be moved back to the end of the rotation, but he’s thankful for getting the chance to contribute early.

“It’s satisfying,” Ware said. “I guess you could say it’s more a dream come true because you put in the work to be able to perform at your best. That’s always good to me.”

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Butler exited the team’s Friday matchup with the Nuggets due to a sprained ankle and was later ruled out for the remainder of the contest, Chiang reports. With the team at 3-5, the Heat are now facing the possibility of being without Butler for a handful of games. The star swingman missed two games with a sprained ankle last season and he did stay in the game immediately after sustaining this injury, so it seems unlikely to result in an extended absence.
Rookie second-round pick Pelle Larsson started the second half in place of Butler. It’s the fourth straight game Larsson has received double-digit minutes, Chiang relays. The Arizona product is averaging 6.6 points this season while making 64.7% of his shots and 45.5% of his three-pointers.
Amid speculation that Haywood Highsmith could replace Nikola Jovic in the starting lineup, the Wheeling Jesuit alum again started the third quarter over Jovic, Chiang details in the same piece. However, Jovic played more than the five minutes he did in Wednesday’s contest, finishing Friday’s game with 19 minutes played. “[Jovic] knows the deal,” Spoelstra said. “Look, I’m not going to change the standards. He knows what the deal is. It has to be a level of energy and effort, make an impact. It’s not just him. That’s an easy target. Look the game gets in a double-digit game, you’re grasping for whatever. And at that point, I have to make decisions. If something is not working, I’m paid to make decisions and go to something else.“
If the Heat make rotation changes, subbing in Highsmith for Jovic would make some level of sense, opines Ira Winderman of South Florida’s Sun Sentinel. Winderman also writes that he’d put Duncan Robinson in the starting lineup over Terry Rozier, allowing Rozier to serve as a spark off the bench and the second unit to consist of Love, Jaime Jaquez, Larsson and Alec Burks.
Herro has served as the cornerstone of consistency for the Heat this season, Winderman writes in a separate piece. With Butler and Adebayo’s offensive production fluctuating in the early part of the season, Herro’s helped the team keep games close by averaging 22.9 points and 5.3 assists while shooting 49.6% from the field and 45.1% from three. “He’s been really focused on that, committed to being efficient,” Spoelstra said. “His profile has been great. He’s got great confidence. But the last couple years, his game has really grown, and now it’s just taking that next step of efficiency, reading defenders, and making the right play over and over and over.“

Heat Notes: Love, Jaquez, Third Quarters, Rotation, Larsson, Ware

November 5th, 2024 at 8:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kevin Love won’t make his season debut on Wednesday. The veteran power forward has already been ruled out by the Heat for their road game in Phoenix due to “return to competition reconditioning,” the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang tweets.

Love recently returned to the team after missing the first few weeks due to personal reasons.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. will also miss Wednesday’s contest due to a stomach illness. Jaquez didn’t travel to Phoenix but is expected to rejoin the group at some point during the team’s six-game trip, Chiang adds in a separate tweet. Love did make the trip to Phoenix and is expected to make his season debut during the road swing.

Here’s more on the Heat:

The team has a third-quarter problem and might need to tweak the lineup to fix it, according to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson. Replacing Nikola Jovic with Jaquez or Haywood Highsmith might be the simplest way to address the problem, according to Jackson, who notes that Miami has outscored opponents by 17 points in the first quarter, 25 points in the second quarter and 17 in the fourth but has been outscored by 52 in the third. The Heat are the NBA’s lowest-scoring team in the third quarter.
Despite the absences of Love and Jaquez on Monday, coach Erik Spoelstra went 11 deep into his bench during the first quarter alone, Chiang writes. Highsmith and rookie Pelle Larsson were the first two players off the bench, followed by Alec Burks, Thomas Bryant, Josh Richardson and Duncan Robinson.
Larsson continues to look like one of the steals of the draft. The No. 44 overall pick had 13 points, two rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes on Monday, Chiang adds. “He is a two way player,” Spoelstra said. “Even though he’s a rookie by NBA standards, he has a great deal of competitive experience. He’s savvy, has the toughness we like, can guard multiple positions.”
The Heat’s first-rounder, Kel’el Ware, has been forced to take a wait-and-see approach. He has only made two brief appearances off the bench. “I can’t control what the Coach does,” Ware told Chiang. “So whenever coach Spo decides to put me in, I’ll be ready.”

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].”

There’s more from Miami:

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.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

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.”

Southeast Notes: Bryant, Wizards, Williams, Bridges

September 26th, 2024 at 10:54pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Trading newly re-signed big man Thomas Bryant isn’t an option for the Heat at present, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscriber-only link).

The 27-year-old big man doesn’t become trade-eligible until December 15, when most players signed to new contracts this offseason can be dealt. Bryant inked a one-year, $2.1MM veteran’s minimum deal to return to Miami for a second straight year.

Bryant appeared in just 38 contests (four starts) for Miami, as he was toggled in and out of head coach Erik Spoelstra‘s rotations. All told, the 6’10” center averaged 5.7 points on 57.7% field goal shooting and 87.2% foul line shooting, along with 3.7 rebounds, in 11.6 minutes of action.

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

The Wizards are fully embracing their rebuild this season, writes Joshua Robbins of The Athletic. During a preseason press conference on Thursday, top Washington executives Michael Winger and Will Dawkins spoke of their long play for relevance this year. “If we’re really to think about it, the phases of the rebuild… there’s the deconstruction phase,” Dawkins said. “There’s the laying-the-foundation phase. There’s the building it back up, and then there’s fortifying what you build. We’re still focused on deconstructing and laying that foundation. And I think that’s important to remind everyone, that we’re still early (in the process).” The team finished 15-67 in 2023/24, and made a pair of lottery picks this summer in big man Alex Sarr and point guard Carlton Carrington. Washington also acquired the draft rights to wing Kyshawn George, selected later in the first round. The Wizards will also be looking for internal growth from intriguing second-year small forward Bilal Coulibaly, their 2023 lottery selection.
The Magic are set to pay tribute to recently deceased co-founder and longtime front office executive Pat Williams this season, the team announced via press release. Orlando players will wear patches with the initials “PW” on their jerseys. Williams served as the Magic’s general manager from their inaugural season in 1989/90 through 1996. He was subsequently promoted to a role as the club’s senior vice president.
Recently re-signed Hornets forward Miles Bridges had options from several other clubs in free agency this summer, but wanted to remain in Charlotte, he told Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “With coach (Charles) Lee and the new coaching staff coming in, new management, I just feel like we are stepping in the right direction. And I just feel like I wanted to be a big part of that.” Bridges named the Clippers and Cavaliers as two of the teams that expressed interest in him. “Yeah, the Clippers are a great organization,” Bridges said. “They wanted me, the Cavaliers wanted me. But at the same time I was just trying to see what was the best fit for me, and what would make me and my family happy.”

Heat GM Discusses Free Agency, Bryant, Roster, Burks, Butler

July 15th, 2024 at 8:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Heat have been relatively quiet this offseason, other than re-signing some of their own free agents. That’s by necessity, rather than by design, general manager Andy Elisburg told the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang and other media members.

The Heat’s in-season trade with the Hornets for Terry Rozier, in which they dealt Kyle Lowry‘s $29.7MM expiring contract and a future first-rounder, essentially eliminated any salary cap flexibility. That transaction put them above the first apron this summer, limiting them to the $5.2MM taxpayer mid-level exception and minimum contracts to offer outside free agents.

“The focus was going to be a little bit more on the draft opportunities and then maybe some other smaller opportunities,” Elisburg said. “Either A, retaining our own free agents, or B, the minimums or some small exception transactions. So that’s how I think we went into the summer with we’re more focused on these types of transactions, maybe not as much on these others, because we’re less likely to be able to do those kinds of transactions.”

Miami wound up re-signing Haywood Highsmith and Kevin Love via Bird and Early Bird rights, respectively, and getting Thomas Bryant back on a minimum deal. The only outside free agent signed was guard Alec Burks, who took the veteran’s minimum.

Here’s more from Elisburg’s media session:

Bryant only appeared in 38 games last season but the Heat wanted depth in the middle despite drafting another big man Kel’el Ware. “Thomas filled that space of having another center onto the roster,” Elisburg said. “You’re having to balance your various needs of the roster.”
The Heat have a 14-man roster and don’t plan on adding a 15th man, at least not until January when a prorated signing would still keep them below the second tax apron. Miami does not want to exceed that apron. “I think we don’t want to have our hands tied,” Elisburg said. “I think we want to still be flexible, so if there’s an opportunity to make an improvement to the team, so you have a little bit more flexibility to do that. I think there are some teams who are over the second apron who feel that their team is in a place to be able to do that.”
Coach Erik Spoelstra and team president Pat Riley have expressed a fondness for Burks over the years and were glad to get him at a reduced price. “It was always in my group of players in that list that came through,” Elisburg said. “So it’s been for a number of years having that conversion. So when the opportunity came this year that he was willing to come to us and willing to come to us at a minimum, we could finally get Alec Burks here.”
In a separate interview with Sirius XM, Elisburg addressed Jimmy Butler‘s contract situation. Butler is eligible to sign a maximum two-year contract extension worth about $113MM but Butler intends to play this upcoming season without signing an extension in hopes of getting a max contract next summer. He would decline his $52.4MM option for the 2025/26 season and become a free agent to make that happen. “As Pat said at his press conference, it doesn’t have to be something you do now,” Elisburg said. “You have an opportunity to do this all year long, so there’s an opportunity to do it at some point in time. And there’s an opportunity if he becomes a free agent next year to sit down and do a contract at that point in time. So there’s always an opportunity to do it.” Riley expressed concerns with Butler’s injury issues during his postseason press conference.

Heat Notes: Butler, Offseason, Johnson, Bryant, Two-Ways

July 11th, 2024 at 12:19pm CST by Rory Maher

If Jimmy Butler decides to leave the Heat when he becomes a free agent in 2025, he’ll still likely need the team’s help to join a viable contender, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.

As Jackson explains, there are currently no playoff contenders who project to have enough cap room to sign Butler outright next summer. There are a few teams who could create enough space in 2025/26 if they make cost-cutting moves, but none fit the bill as of now.

Even a potential sign-and-trade would be tricky, Jackson observes, since an acquiring team would become hard-capped at the first tax apron, limiting further roster-building moves.

There’s no indication that Butler wants to leave Miami in the first place — the opposite has been reported multiple times. And the Heat also aren’t looking to trade Butler, a source tells Jackson.

Here’s more on the Heat:

In another story for The Miami Herald, Jackson examines what’s next for the Heat this offseason following a relatively quiet first wave of free agency. According to Jackson, the team plans to be patient and opportunistic as it waits for players to become available on the trade market. However, Miami has a fairly limited pool of assets, particularly in terms of future first-round picks, which will make acquiring a star-level talent difficult.
Rookie forward Keshad Johnson believes he’s a strong fit with the Heat and he made a strong impression in his third summer league game on Wednesday, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Johnson, who went undrafted before inking a two-way contract with Miami, racked up 21 points (on 8-of-14 shooting), eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks in 30 minutes during the Heat’s four-point victory. “I’m a Heat culture guy,” said Johnson. “Throughout my career, I just want to keep making an emphasis that I’m willing to do everything, that I’m gritty. I just want that to be my identity. I just want to make an example of how much of a Heat culture guy that I am.”
Veteran center Thomas Bryant tested unrestricted free agency by declining his player option, but he ultimately re-signed with the Heat on a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum. He recently discussed his free agency foray, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “Me and my agent, we both talked and we thought just for us was just to look out the market and just see what was available,” Bryant said. “For us, it was never about any misfortune or anything like that. I love the Miami Heat, personally. I love the way their culture is, the coaching staff, the guys that they have around each other. It was just about, for myself as the player and everything, individually, of just what else might have been out there, what potentially could have been out there.”
Due to their proximity to the second apron, the Heat’s standard roster appears to be set for now, with 14 players under contract. However, as Winderman writes in a separate story, Miami’s three two-way spots could see some movement before the ’24/25 season begins. All three two-way slots are currently occupied, but the team also has two-way qualifying offers out to Cole Swider and Alondes Williams, Winderman notes.
[Update: The Heat have withdrawn their QOs to Swider and Williams.]

Contract Details: George, Martin, Wiseman, Isaac, Hield, More

July 8th, 2024 at 6:49am CST by Luke Adams

Following the end of the July moratorium on Saturday, teams wasted no time in officially finalizing many of the contracts they’d agreed to up until that point.

Now that those contracts have been completed, we have the official details on many of them. Here, via several reporters – including Keith Smith of Spotrac, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, and cap expert Yossi Gozlan – as well as our own sources, are some of those notable details:

Players with trade kickers:

Lakers forward LeBron James (15%), Knicks forward OG Anunoby (15%), Sixers forward Paul George (15%), Sixers forward Caleb Martin (15%), Mavericks sharpshooter Klay Thompson (15%), and Mavericks forward Naji Marshall (5%) received trade kickers on their new free agent deals, while Celtics guard Derrick White (15%) got one on his contract extension.

As an aside, James’ exact starting salary in 2024/25 is $48,728,845, which is $1,258,873 below the maximum he could have earned.

Players who waived their right to veto a trade:

A player who re-signs with his team on a one-year contract (or two-year contract with a second-year option) is typically awarded the right to veto a trade, but has the option to waive that option.

Heat center Thomas Bryant, Rockets guard Aaron Holiday, Raptors wing Garrett Temple, and Magic teammates Gary Harris and Moritz Wagner all surrendered their right to veto a trade in 2024/25 and could be moved freely.

Unlikely incentives:

Nets center Nic Claxton ($97MM base + $3MM incentives), Pacers forward Obi Toppin ($58MM +$2MM), Suns forward Royce O’Neale ($42MM +$2MM), and Sixers forward Martin ($35,040,704 + $5,256,106) are among the players whose contracts include unlikely bonuses that would boost the total guaranteed salary if those incentives are reached.

As cap expert Albert Nahmad observes, the structure of Martin’s contract helped the 76ers maximize their cap room, since his unlikely incentives don’t count toward the cap once he signs.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Martin’s “unlikely” incentives are easier to earn than a typical player’s incentives would be — I don’t expect them to be for making an All-Star team or anything like that. An incentive is considered unlikely for cap purposes if the player wouldn’t have met the criteria the year before. For example, as Nahmad suggests, a bonus related to Martin making 24 or more starts would be considered unlikely because he started 23 games last season. Martin’s bonuses – considered “unlikely” for cap purposes but perhaps “likely” to be earned in reality – could have served as a way to strengthen the Sixers’ offer without sacrificing that extra cap room.

It’s also worth noting that a player’s unlikely incentives can’t exceed 15% of his guaranteed base salary, and Martin’s $5,256,106 in incentives represent exactly 15% of his overall $35,040,704 salary.

Partial or non-guarantees and options:

James Wiseman‘s two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Pacers is guaranteed for $500K in year one, with a team option for 2025/26. That team option would be guaranteed for $569,041 if exercised (ie. the same percentage as his first-year salary).

Luka Garza got a similarly structured two-year, minimum-salary deal with the Timberwolves, except his first year is fully guaranteed prior to his second-year team option. That 2025/26 option would be guaranteed if picked up.

As previously reported, Isaiah Hartenstein‘s three-year, $87MM deal with the Thunder includes a team option for 2026/27. It’s worth $28.5MM, with $58.5MM in guaranteed money across the first two seasons.

Magic teammates Harris ($7.5MM) and Wagner ($11MM) each have second-year team options on their two-year deals.

The Rockets used their full bi-annual exception to give Holiday a two-year deal worth $9,569,400 that includes a second-year team option ($4,901,400).

Neemias Queta‘s three-year, minimum-salary contract with the Celtics is fully guaranteed in year one with a partial guarantee of exactly 50% ($1,174,789 of $2,349,578) in year two, plus a third-year team option for 2026/27. The third-year option ($2,667,944) would be guaranteed for 50% ($1,333,972) if exercised. Since his minimum deal covers more than two years, a team wouldn’t be able to acquire Queta via the minimum salary exception if he’s traded down the road.

Jonathan Isaac‘s new long-term deal with the Magic is partially guaranteed ($8MM of $14MM) in 2026/27, with non-guaranteed salaries of $14.5MM in 2027/28 and $15MM in 2028/29. However, each of those salaries would become fully guaranteed if Isaac plays at least 52 games in the prior season. For instance, if Isaac were to appear in 54 games in 2026/27, his $14.5MM salary for ’27/28 would be fully guaranteed.

Sign-and-trade contracts:

Interestingly, Kyle Anderson‘s and Buddy Hield‘s new contracts with the Warriors have the exact same salaries for the first three seasons: $8,780,488, $9,219,512, and $9,658,536. Anderson’s three-year deal is fully guaranteed for the first two years and non-guaranteed in year three.

As for Hield, his four-year contract is fully guaranteed for the first two years, with a partial guarantee of $3MM for year three. His fourth year is a $10,097,560 player option that would be partially guaranteed for $3,136,364 if exercised.

Klay Thompson’s three-year contract with the Mavericks comes in at exactly $50MM, as reported — it starts at $15,873,016 and features 5% annual raises.

Jonas Valanciunas‘ three-year contract with the Wizards is worth $30,295,000 in total, beginning at $9.9MM (which is the amount of the trade exception generated for the Pelicans). It’s fully guaranteed for the first two seasons and non-guaranteed in year three.

Cody Zeller got a three-year, $11,025,000 deal in the sign-and-trade that sent him from New Orleans to the Hawks. The first year is guaranteed for $3.5MM, with two non-guaranteed seasons after that.

Finally, as part of the Mikal Bridges trade, new Nets guard Shake Milton got a three-year, $9,162,405 contract that has a guaranteed first-year salary of $2,875,000, with two non-guaranteed years after that ($3MM in 2025/26 and $3,287,406 in ’26/27). His teammate Mamadi Diakite, who was also sent to Brooklyn in the trade, had his $2,273,252 salary partially guaranteed for $1,392,150.

Milton’s $2,875,000 salary, Diakite’s $1,392,150 partial guarantee, and Bojan Bogdanovic‘s $19,032,850 salary add up to $23.3MM, which is equivalent to Bridges’ salary — the exact amount of outgoing salary the Knicks needed to send to avoid being hard-capped at the first tax apron.

Heat Re-Sign Thomas Bryant

July 3rd, 2024 at 7:54pm CST by Luke Adams

7:54pm: Bryant has officially re-signed with the Heat, the team confirmed in a press release.

12:49pm: The Heat and Thomas Bryant have reached an agreement on a new one-year contract for the free agent center, league sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link). The deal will be worth the veteran’s minimum, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

Bryant, who initially signed a two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Heat last summer, averaged 5.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in just 11.6 minutes per game across 38 appearances.

Miami had envisioned him as the backup at the five behind Bam Adebayo, but the fit wasn’t quite as smooth as either side has hoped, and the 26-year-old was in and out of the rotation for much of the season.

Because the second year of that initial contract was a player option (worth $2.85MM), Bryant was able to opt out and talk to other potential suitors on the open market. However, it seems as if he wasn’t offered any opportunities he liked more than one to remain in Miami for another season.

Bryant will earn slightly less ($2.8MM) on his new contract than he would have on his option, while the Heat’s charge for cap and tax purposes will be just $2.09MM. He’ll join a group of centers that features Kevin Love (who also agreed to a new deal with the Heat) and rookie Kel’el Ware.

Orlando Robinson also remains on the roster on a non-guaranteed contract, but the new deals with Bryant and Love, along with the selection of Ware, make it less likely that he’ll be back, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.

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