APRIL 8: The Heat have officially signed Dedmon, the team announced in a press release.
APRIL 6: The Heat intend to add veteran free agent center Dewayne Dedmon to their roster, according to Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
After Miami missed out on eventual Nets additions Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge and new Laker Andre Drummond on the buyout market, Dedmon is an interesting consolation prize. The big man has not appeared in an NBA game since his last pre-bubble bout with the Hawks on March 11, 2020.
One dimension that makes Dedmon a unique catch is that he boasts a solid career 33.3% (155 for 466) on long-range looks. Dedmon can thus help replace some of the frontcourt floor-spreading the club lost when it dealt power forward/center Kelly Olynyk to the Rockets in a trade deadline deal for shooting guard Victor Oladipo. The 31-year-old out of USC will also provide some athleticism that could make him a nice defensive fit for the reigning Eastern Conference champs.
Dedmon was sent by the Hawks to the Pistons in exchange for wing Tony Snell and shooting guard Khyri Thomas in November, and subsequently released by Detroit on November 24.
The Heat will be the seventh NBA franchise for the well-traveled seven-footer across eight seasons. Last season, Dedmon appeared in 44 games between the Kings and Hawks (including 18 starts), averaging 5.8 PPG, 5.7 RPG and 0.9 BPG in just 17.6 MPG. He has also suited up for the Magic, Spurs, Sixers and Warriors.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel adds that the Heat’s agreement with Dedmon is expected to be a full-season deal, not a 10-day contract. Dedmon must clear the league’s COVID-19 protocols and undergo a team physical before a deal is official. Miami has to add a 14th man to its roster by Thursday.
Jackson and Chiang note that the Heat could remain just under the NBA’s luxury tax if they add a 15th player further into the 2020/21 season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Love this move. Underrated. This guy will prove to be more helpful than you think.
Dedmon isn’t bad. He seems to work hard, is reasonably skilled, can hit the three.
Not sure why he was sitting around all year, unless he was asking for more than the miminum.
He was sitting around because he was viewed as high maintenance for a backup. Sometimes backups lose minutes (maybe all of them) based on their play (or that of others), and a team can’t have them acting out when it happens. You can’t the way he did with Kings and not expect other FO’s to take notice. Miami is rolling the dice after missing out on LMA, with 20 some games left. Parameters under which it might work out OK.
That the only reason? Not a very good one.
I wanted him or OQuinn for the Cavs in 17/18. Muscala until I saw his video song stylings.
I disagree, I think it would be a very good reason. The locker room matters, and so does roster stability. In putting a team together, talent differences among veteran players are often less important than their ability to accept and perform available roles, particularly if the roles turn out to be lesser roles than the player might have envisioned upon signing. Especially true of backup bigs. There’s an oversupply right now. Being flexible is being smart.
Finally Dedmon is back in the league!
Thought MIL should pick him up. I guess they are bringing back Larry Sanders, he is still on the payroll.
I had to look that up, they’re still paying him next year too.
I liked his TV show back in the 90’s, especially Rip Torn’s character.
Lol Rip was the man, love the LS show
Man I always thought he would get another go with the bucks, especially how they have improved so much since he last played.
Another big signed …….. well well.
Heat needed one so it helps.
I never once said they dont need a big after they made multiple trades, after they needed one last year as well. That never was said. The opposite was said several times. I also had him on the list of 4 potential options. Now you’re just bsing.
Weren’t you the one who posted this is not 1997. You wasted three days trying to tell me Knicks don’t need a Big. Tried every lie you could come up with. Yet it’s so simple. We lose Mitch, we sign a big. You thought this was worth going to battle. Playoffs are coming all teams are trying to load up best they can. It’s what they are suppose to do.
The Heat arent the Knicks, and dont already have 4 other bigs that actually get minutes/can contribute/play very well; and you’re trying to play multiple centers together as if its 1997, claiming multiple 5s arent 5s and are 4s, like its 1997. You’re also just deciding that it doesnt matter what certain 5s do b/c their size is all that matters, when those multiple 5s you want dont do any of the things you talk about them doing. Again, you’re taking your own bs narrative.
Multiple centers. Your a lost child. Read every teams roster and tell me how many real centers they have. Knicks can’t be top 3 in defense without Mitch. And for the 200th time. We don’t have any centers. Noel is closest one. But at 6’10 and 216 LBs he is not a starter in this league. Or he would be starting somewhere. Not a center I want.
Whiteside is 7’ long wingspan and 265 LBs. Great rebounder. That’s a real center got Noel by 50 LBs. Your weight lol ……..
The Big Standard: If you can hold your own with Embiid, you are a big.
I brought up how many true centers are really around, so now that only furthers my point that you have the bigs to fill in just fine, which they have
Let me know when Whiteside cares enough to show up, but I’m just saying, many people have fallen into the trap of hoping for that, which is why nobody wanted him in free agency, and why nobody traded for him at the minimum, and why he doesnt even see many minutes right now, and why sacramento uses Chimezie Metu over him, and why they traded for Chris Sliva, and why they signed Damian Jones
I feel like I’d be more confident in this within the last couple of years, but hopefully he gives what he can theoretically give them. He was on my list of options, but I feel like I may have been a bit more confident in 1 of those other 3 guys. I liked him when he was woth Orlando, before he went to the Spurs. Was also a Heat summer league guy a long time ago. Heat still have an open roster spot, so that should be interesting to see what happens there, although I could see them giving it to 1 of their 2 way guys
Just 6 more fouls for jojo to abuse.