Vlad Goldin Discusses Signing Two-Way Deal With Heat

Viewed as a potential second-round pick heading into last month’s draft, former Michigan center Vladislav Goldin didn’t hear his name called, making him an unrestricted free agent. He quickly agreed to sign a two-way contract with the Heat, a move that became official earlier this week.

According to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, the 24-year-old Russian said he didn’t work out for the Heat leading up to the draft because the team didn’t have a second-rounder and he thought he’d be selected. While he drew interest from other teams, Goldin was happy to land with Miami.

“As soon as I talked to my agent and he explained to me how things are going, he explained to me that we’re probably going to sign a two-way and we’re probably going to look for the best opportunity,” Goldin said. “Then Miami came into the conversation and that was the best option I could dream about.

“Everybody knows about Miami and how they develop their players and they give chances to young players. It’s something that they’re known for. So it wasn’t the hardest decision of my life, but there were different options.”

Goldin started his college career at Texas Tech and then played three years at Florida Atlantic before finishing up at Michigan. His time at FAU gave him a level of familiarity with the Heat, Chiang writes.

“I’ve kind of been around Miami because they had training camp at Florida Atlantic,” said Goldin. “So that’s something that we’ve been watching, to be honest, all their practices and how they practice and how they act. It was definitely something that taught me and taught probably a lot of guys on that team — how the NBA looks like and what it takes to be in the NBA.

“We could watch it from the stands. So the only thing we could do was watch and take pictures after.”

Goldin is expected to make his Heat debut on Saturday afternoon against San Antonio when Miami plays its first summer league game at the California Classic, Chiang notes.