5:57pm: Leonard underwent surgery on Tuesday, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets.
4:33pm: Heat center Meyers Leonard will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
Leonard has only appeared in three games this season, most recently on January 9. He strained his left shoulder in that game against the Wizards.
Injuries have dogged Leonard since he entered the league in 2012/13. He’s never played in more than 74 regular-season games. In his first season with the Heat last year, he started 49 of 51 regular-season contests and averaged 6.1 PPG and 5.1 RPG in 2o.3 MPG. He only saw action in three games during Miami’s postseason run to the Finals.
Leonard re-signed with the Heat on a two-year deal in November. He’s making $9.4MM this season but the team holds an option for 2021/22 worth $10.152MM. Leonard’s season-ending injury makes it even more unlikely the organization will exercise that option.
Miami has a full roster but could apply for a disabled player exception with Leonard sidelined for the season. It’d be worth $4.7MM if granted.
Oh oh …. now they have to get a rim protector.
And the season of injuries continues. When will it stop.
After the finals
Meyers Leonard averaged 0.3 blocks last year while playing 20 minutes a game. He makes Olynyk look like Bill Russell.
They won’t miss Leonard, he didn’t play at all in the playoffs last year.
Too flip. This isn’t the playoffs last year. They will wear down faster for the playoffs to come, if they go smaller. And if they go to big FAs, they won’t get 43% floor-stretching. Meyers was re-signed on purpose… The injury matters.
No, it really doesn’t. They have Olynyk and Harkness, who is currently injured, as well as Achiuwa. Before Leonard was hurt he was averaging 9 minutes a game and was racking up DNPs
achiwa is also injured…dam…the rookie was like one of their best defenders and rebounders.
they can get dedmon for floor spacing and shooting or udoh for pick and rolls and shot blocking
Nobody has done that despite all the opportunities. They are apparently finished.
Meyers injured his shoulder a month ago (per article) so there are all the absences. That he did not get surgery faster is maybe due to a lack of depth (?). From the outside, that is the biggest issue IMO.
If it was Olynyk or Harkless with the surgery, Curtis would be saying so what about them also, so it’s not like alternatives are great. Achuiwa came on, but Iguodala came “off”, & Crowder left.
It’s all about optimizing Adebayo, not equaling him. Olynyk is a solo type, Meyers a sacrificial type seems to me, so more valuable. Riley had every excuse to phase him out after the bubble but opted to pay him again.
Nope, I like Olynyk a lot even though he has had a slow start. . I also think Harkness is fine. Good guess though. Tell me what else I think?
Heat lived in Floor 129 last year, now they live in nba basement
Heat will be the most aggressive on trade market
Knicks can help Heat by trading Randle for Kelly O and Herro
Knicks have to keep Mavs pick
Mavs pick could be Cade C
Lol the only way they move Herro is for Beal. And I’m against that even.
Herro for Randle. El Oh El.
Too bad for Him. If thats the same shoulder he already had surgery on, this is really a bummer for him, & the Heat.
Hope he’s able to rehab & get back on with a club when he returns. Well wishes Meyers
Victor Oladipo and PJ Tucker for Andre Iguodala, Duncan Robinson, Kendrick Nunn and a pair of second round picks.
Get the DPE for Leonard of 4.2 and sign Kennith Faried and with the extra roster spot from the trade promote Gabe Vincent to a full time deal.
1. Bradley. Dargic. Vincent
2. Oladipo. Herro
3. Butler. Harkless
4. Tucker. Achiwura
5. Adebayo. Faried. Olynyk
Pride yourself on defence, you’ll be starting 5 good defenders and offensively you’ll have a three man game of Butler Oladipo and Adebayo with Bradley and Tucker spacing. Then off the bench you have a good mix of experience and youth for impact
PJ Tucker has no value outside of Houston or back with D’Antoni in Brooklyn. If Faried still had value, Brooklyn would have already signed him. Oladipo does not fit with Miami roster. Brad Beal is definitely something Miami would like to do, but will be unable to make it happen without giving up both Tyler Herro and Achiwura and whatever draft picks that they have left. If Washington moves Beal it will then become the full blown rebuild that the owner said he would not do.
Tucker certainly has value, heaps of teams were apparently interested when the Rockets made him available for trade. I think their current asking price (a first or 3 seconds) is a bit high but he’s still a good player. Is a solid defender and one of the best corner shooters in the league. He’s not got a huge ego, doesn’t want lots of touches, will be a good guy for the locker room and is suited for a contender.
As for Faried like I’ve said multiple times, he was a beast not so long ago averaging 13-8 in 24 minutes for the Rockets and was shooting threes. He’s worth the vets minimum as a back up PF/C.
Thirdly Oladipo definitely does suit their roster, he’s a great defender, good playmaker and good enough shooter. Former all star level player, but doesn’t have a huge ego and won’t make much noise he’s very humble. Not to mention he’s going to hit FA and says he wants to go to Miami and Jimmy also wants him to come.
Bradley Beal won’t end up in Miami cause they don’t have enough assets to give to Washington in a trade. Plus it would mean giving up Herro, getting Oladipo means they can keep Herro.
Is this a spot for a Hassan Whiteside reunion? He is on a veteran minimum in Sacramento sitting behind Richaun Holmes and Bagley.
This dude made like 50 something million the last 5 years and hasn’t done a damn thing…
yup hes a liability on both ends pretty much…only thing he brings to the table is 42% shooting
So Miami’s hot start last year starting him made no difference with them… didn’t allow the Heat to start Adebayo at forward where he could get some space and ramble like Julius Randle is now except longer in length.
Of course everybody wants to jam Bam at center and go small all year (so they all wear down).
We all know Bam is same size as Bron, right. Heat get a rim protector. It allows Bam to concentrate on O more. He can always backup on D. Don’t get why Heat didn’t sign McGee or Whiteside, freakin less than 5 mill. Heat could be waiting for Drummond to get bought out. Rylie loves rebounding big men.
Myers has become so injury prone yet not missed by his team. I raised eyebrows when they kept him…