July 7, 7:47pm: The Heat have officially re-signed Johnson, the team announced over Twitter.
July 6, 10:00 PM: Johnson’s deal will be for four years and $60MM, Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter links). Scotto adds that the contract contains a player option in the fourth season.
7:59 PM: The Heat and James Johnson have agreed on the framework of a four-year deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Johnson was widely expected to return to Miami.
Johnson floated around the league before signing a one-year deal with the Heat last offseason. He played a key role for Miami, earning 27.4 minutes per contest while serving as the team’s top perimeter defender.
The 30-year-old averaged double-digit scoring for the first time in his career (12.8 PPG) in 2016/17, and set new career-highs in RPG (4.9), APG (3.6), and 3PT% (.340).
The Heat struck out on bigger stars, such as Gordon Hayward, but rebounded by bringing in Kelly Olynyk and re-signing their own free agents.
The organization needs to clear cap space to accommodate lucrative deals for Olynyk, Johnson and Dion Waiters, and the team is working on moving Josh McRoberts to the Mavericks in order to do so.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Hell yeah. I know the heat aren’t competing for a championship with this roster, but they’re damn fun to watch
And then we threw our money away on Olynyk for no reason…
Dude, relax. Just think about the Heat now and the depth we have:
C Whiteside, Bam, and UD
PF Olynyk, JJ, Okaro
SF McGruder, Ellington
SG Waiters, TJ
PG Dragic, Richardson
Based on our top 12, I don’t think we’re as talented as Cleveland, Boston, Toronto, and Washington, but remember, Atlanta, Chicago and Indiana will all regress, and I think we’re a 5 seed IF all these guys stay healthy and play to their potential.
We have a deep bench, great 3 PT shooting, and youthful players who have ability to get better.
Remember how the heat got their first championship in 2006. They struck gold with Wade who complimented the youthful core, then we went out and got a “whale” in Shaq to take us to a championship level. As a Heat fan, i feel very confident that we will be serious contenders by the time the 2010s end… Lets go Heat!
Olynyk will never be a 4 in his life…I don’t understand what Kelly Olynyk is supposed to have anything to do with our 2006 championship
Udonis Haslem was our starting PF in 2006. Averaged roughly 10 and 5 and was a hustle guy. Olynyk is going to fill the same role for the next four years hopefully. Expect he can shoot the 3. In all honestly, the Heat are missing a superstar to compete for a championship but with today’s NBA, you never know who’s gonna become available from year to year… Maybe LeBron comes back next year… lol
Well the Heat wouldn’t have the flexibility to do anything about that b/c even though their other contracts are movable, Olynyk’s isnt…
UD is also an exponentially better defender than Olynyk, and that was also at a time where you could still afford to play 2 bigs. It’s 11 years later
He can play 4 you spas
You forgot Justice Winslow
For a bad team, ya. He can play the 4
Yeah celtics were so bad last year
He played the 5 next to a bunch of really good defenders, but for brief amounts of time, and they weren’t nearly as good when he was on the floor. Amir Johnson was way more valuable for them than he was
And we have good defenders to..
But Horford is also a much better defender than Whiteside
Amir Johnson and inside player that’s completely different
Winslow??
Waiting for the number, but I’m glad to have him back, obviously. I’m just really dumbfounded by the abhorrent Olynyk signing
Chill dude. You are usually the level headed one. Olynyk is a baller and can be a solid rotation piece. A bit of a overpay but they didn’t lose Waiters, Johnson and he takes Willie’s minutes. This lineup is all about versatility as everyone on the roster can play multiple positions. Kelly is one of the only stretch options the Heat have and will be valuable
If not they can try to trade him. He has trade value and teams were able to move the Plumlee contract which is way worse so its possible
Plumlee can at least protect the rim, which is why he got the deal in the first place, and he got sent out for what is perceived as a worse contract…but you’re right. I am usually good about not overeacting and seeing the underlying stuff, but this is a terrible deal every single way you look at it…and him taking Willie Reed’s minutes is really bad. Reed was part of our best lineups last year for a reason. Even if you believe he’s going to provide spacing with his shooting, and he’s going to play hard, and he might improve defensively…why mess around? We know what Willie Reed is and does. Why mess around on what could be a thing? We’re usually really good at not doing that type of stuff. That’s a knicks move
Shut up formerlyz you have no idea what you’re talking about… heat are going to be so much better than last year
Is this guy for real right now? Lol is Kelly Olynyk your brother or something? If they magically keep Reed, than I’m not as bothered by this, but it does kill our flexibility moving forward…also we won’t be able to retain Reed, so they’re pretty much relying on Adebayo to be Serge Ibaka/young Dwight, at least on defense, right now
You’re so dumb, reed is not better than olynyk
Reed moves like 70 year old
Wow, now you’re just trolling or you really are Olynyk’s brother…
Espn reporting 60 mil
Depends on the number here, but I’m starting to question some of the Heat’s moves. Tying up a decent amount of money (and four year deals) to a bunch of average players might come back to haunt them. The Olynyk deal is horrible and is the type of deal that the Heat will likely dread in a year or be forced to part with another first rounder to get rid of. While the Waiters deal did come in cheaper than I expected, he’s still an undersized 2 who is really a volume scorer and could be another hard contract to move if/when he starts struggling. If the Johnson deal doesn’t surpass $10m per, it won’t be too bad, but the term on this deal (and the other two contracts) would make it hard to move if he regresses within the next two years. I get that the Heat don’t have much to “tank” for since they’re not in full possession of all of their future first rounders, but it also seems like a mistake to make deals that turn the team into a fringe playoff team.
The waiters and Jj deals will be movable. Olynyk will never be movable. That’s a trash contract
You’re a trash supporter
Miami will be good? Lol looking forward to what this team can do…
In the East..top 4 IMO
I don’t know if the Johnson deal will be movable, or at least be movable until the final year. Roughly $15m per is a lot for a guy who does a bunch of things good, but isn’t great at one particular thing. I think even if he plays like he did last year, its still 1-2 million too much per year. He’d really have to take another step and turn into a lockdown defender or a sharpshooter to be worth the AAV.
He was a lock down defender last year. He was tops in the league in opponent FG%. I thought it was arguable for him to get any where from $11-17 million per. I was hoping for $12 million, but that was just wishful thinking. The 4th year is the only thing I semi-question, but I’m not sure it matters by then, with him.
Riley is hurting his flexibility with these deals. Next year is a good free agent class too.
Only deal that hurts the flexibility is the Olynyk deal, which kills it, but at least they can stretch provision him in 2 years
Miami spent a ton of money on average players this offseason. Maybe time to stop pretending Riley is a genius. He gets credit for the Big 3 but he never sold Lebron. Lebron put that team together with his boys. Without Lebron, Riles can’t even field a team capable of winning one playoff round.
Average players cost this much.. and we’re still getting decent deals considering miles plumlee got 4yrs 52 last year and Tim hardagay is getting 71 million… Johnson for 60 and waiters for 52 looks cheap compared to them
Tim Hardagay? You know he’s the son of one of the greatest Heat players in franchise history? Show some class to the son of one of one of your greatest players who played for the Heat. And you call yourself a Miami fan?
I hate the Hardaway Jr contract as much as anyone else
And this dude is calling me a non heat fan…lol
Also, Tim Hardaway is much better than Tyler Johnson. He’s getting paid more, but his potential is so much higher than Johnson.
Yeah and I’d get rid of Johnson in a salary dump. Who cares
4 years/$60 million makes sense. I was hoping for closer to $50 million, but after they paid Olynyk….that being said, I was kind of hoping for a 2+1 deal, but even though he is 30, he doesn’t have much mileage on him, and his deal is movable if he plays like he did last year…and he’ll also have to play some small ball 5 this year b/c we currently don’t have a backup 5, besides UD, and we’re likely losing Willie Reed