The Heat continue to make changes at the back of their 20-man preseason roster, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed guard Rodney Purvis and forward Raphiael Putney. The club waived Charles Cooke and DeAndre Liggins in order to open up the necessary roster spots.
The latest series of transactions by Miami appears designed to award Purvis and Putney a little bonus money. The Heat already held both players’ G League returning rights, with the Sioux Falls Skyforce acquiring them in a pair of September trades. However, assuming both Purvis and Putney signed Exhibit 10 contracts, they’ll now be in line for bonuses worth up to $50K if they stick with the Skyforce for at least two months.
It has been a busy offseason for Purvis, who was traded from the Magic to the Thunder and then later to the Celtics before being waived by Boston. The former UConn standout appeared in 16 NBA games last season for Orlando, averaging 6.0 PPG, 1.7 RPG, and 1.1 APG in 18.1 minutes per contest. His numbers were more impressive in the G League, where he posted 20.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 3.5 APG in 39 games for the Lakeland Magic.
As for Putney, he recorded 16.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 2.3 BPG in 36 games (36 starts) for the Erie BayHawks, Atlanta’s G League affiliate, last season. The former UMass big man, who went undrafted in 2014, has played in several international leagues over the last few years, spending time in Saudi Arabia, Australia, Venezuela, Italy, France, and Puerto Rico.