Following the trade of Haywood Highsmith to the Nets and the signing of Dru Smith to a standard contract over the weekend, the Heat have 14 players on the standard roster and can’t sign a 15th player without crossing the luxury tax threshold, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald notes.
Miami currently stands approximately $1.7MM under the luxury-tax threshold and $7.2MM below the first apron. Miami would need to wait until early December to sign a 15th player to a prorated standard minimum deal and stay below the tax. However, they could achieve that earlier by making another trade or using the waive-and-stretch provision on a contract, most likely Terry Rozier‘s deal if they choose that route.
Miami also has another two-way spot available on their roster.
Here’s more on the Heat:
- By swapping out Highsmith for Smith, the roster is even more imbalanced, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes. They are thin at center, power forward and the point but filled with wings. Kel’el Ware is the only true center on the roster, while Tyler Herro — who has spent a good portion of his career at shooting guard — projects as the team’s floor leader.
- Regarding the Highsmith trade, Winderman notes that Smith’s contract will count less than half against the tax/cap this season than Highsmith’s deal. That was the primary motivation for the trade. It also give the front office the opportunity to add another big down the line. Ultimately, it could come down to how Smith performs in his return. Smith is expected to be ready early in the upcoming season after suffering an Achilles tear in December.
- Did you miss the Smith signing? Get all the details here.
They could sign a minimum rookie deal and stay under the tax, but they probably will stay at 14 for a month or two.