Oct. 3: Jovic’s four-year extension with the Heat is now official, per the team’s Twitter account.
Oct 1: Nikola Jovic has agreed to a four-year, $62.4MM rookie scale extension with the Heat, agents Jeff Schwartz, Sean Kennedy and Jared Mucha of Excel Sports Management tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). It’s a straight four-year deal with no option for either the team or the player, a source informs Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel (Twitter link).
The 22-year-old power forward is coming off his best statistical season — averaging 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game while shooting 45.6% from the field and 37.1% from three-point range — but he was limited to 46 appearances after breaking a bone in his right hand in February. He was able to return for the playoff series against Cleveland and scored 24 points in Game 4, Charania states in a full story.
Jovic was primarily used off the bench last season, starting just 10 games after making 38 starts the year before. He said at Monday’s media day that he hopes to have a chance to compete for a starting role in training camp.
Jovic will make $4.4MM this season in the final year of his rookie contract. The extension will run through the 2029/30 season, and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald notes that he’s currently the team’s only player who’s under contract past ’28/29.
The Heat selected Jovic with the 27th pick in the 2022 draft, but he battled injuries as a rookie and only appeared in 15 games. His role has expanded over the past two seasons, and the extension appears to cement his status as part of the team’s foundation moving forward.
Jovic is the fifth member of the 2022 draft class to receive an extension, joining Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith Jr. and Jalen Williams, as our tracker shows. Teams have until October 20, the day before the start of the regular season, to finalize rookie scale extensions. Players who don’t receive them will become restricted free agents next summer if their teams extend qualifying offers.
As Winderman recently noted, Miami also has important extension decisions upcoming with Tyler Herro and Norman Powell that will determine the team’s financial flexibility for at least the rest of the decade.
The Jover gets paid!
The Heat should start Jovic at small forward, so Kel’el Ware doesn’t have to get benched.
Kel’el Ware
Bam
Nikola Jovic
Andrew Wiggins
Tyler Herro when healthy, for now Davion Mitchell
so powell is a bench player now? lol
This is what I would do
PG. Powell (learn) or Mitchell starts
SG. Hero
SF. Wiggins
PF. Bam
C . ? Find a veteran C to start. You don’t need a 21 year old C starting out there
you say some weird things my dude
Yeah and I honestly want to take back my comment about Larry Bird and defence. Top 5. Sorry Larry about that comment on this site in the article I cannot find.
I forgot Rozier but they need to trade him for a better PG
What did I say that was weird in my other comment? Miami does need a veteran C starter so Ware can develop for one year but play high minutes. You have a veteran starting PG, SG, SF, PF but a 20 year old who was thrown in the fire last year. Ware can start next year and he will blossom because of it.
Overpay!
Lol it’s basically the midlevel. Keep up.
4/38m is what he should get
These kinds of contracts (amounts) should be on par for these flawed, defense-deficient yet promising young ones.
Many teams took many lessons from the master class Matt Ishbia held on how not to run an NBA team, in this new CBA.
Just gotta hope the scouting department has a good read on him
If anything this probably (finally) fully unleashes him mins wise….you’d hope . IF he can stay healthy, thats been a tad of a concern so far too
I get the fear but if he progresses with the extra given minutes the contracts probably in the green come Xmas when teams are playing Yankee swap around the league
Grimes and Cam Thomas out there singing “I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller”
They need a better starting PG and a veteran C. Also find a young SF and SG (19-22). Give Ware high minutes off the bench
Trade Rozier, Simone Fontecchio, Keshad Johnson and many 2nds for a better PG and C starters. Hopefully find a young SG and SF.
Let Young, Thompson, Keels, and Dainja go
Golden and Gardiner they like alot. Sign Jaylen Martin. Look for a super young SG too
who tf are “Young, Thompson, Keels, and Dainja”???
Lol players on exhibit contracts
This kid has barely scratched the surface on how good he can be.
Great bargain for MIA!!!
I think this deal is a hedge on potential not for merit.. and that bothers me 1) He’s a stretch wing with a sub 14 PER… meaning he’s below bench value so far in his career 2) Though he’s shown progress… he hasn’t shown 15+ mill a year progress.. even in this bloated NBA 3) If he lives up to the contract, he’s gonna hold out in 2-3 years saying he’s underpaid…. this is frustrating as a heat fan…. they had the most cap space in the NBA next summer.. they don’t now
Trade for picks and tank