The Heat‘s Kasparas Jakucionis wasn’t named to the All-Rookie team, but he already has his sights set on another target.
The 6’5″ point guard was recently called up by the Lithuanian national team for July’s European World Cup qualifying tournament, reports Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel (via Twitter).
The competition will overlap slightly with the start of Summer League, as it will occur on July 2 and July 5, but will not interfere with the Las Vegas summer league. Winderman adds that the team expects Jakucionis to be a participant in the Las Vegas portion of Summer League.
Jakucionis played 53 games for Miami this season, including 12 starts, and averaged 6.2 points and 2.6 assists in 17.8 minutes per game while hitting 42.3% of his threes.
We have more notes from the Heat:
- Miami has pick number 13 in the 2026 draft, and is preparing for all possibilities, Anthony Chiang writes for the Miami Herald. The team has done well with late lottery picks in the past, with Tyler Herro being selected at 13 and Bam Adebayo at 14, respectively. “I think you’re just zooming in on your range,” said vice president of basketball operations Adam Simon. “I think the further back you go, the bigger the range of players. The closer you go to the top, the range gets smaller. Otherwise, it’s the same process.” The Heat are also open to using the pick in a trade, though such a deal would have to happen on or after draft day, due to the rules preventing teams from trading away consecutive first-round picks.
- The Heat missed the playoffs entirely this season, after losing consecutive first-round series in the two previous years. This inability to position themselves as a true threat in the East has them at something of a crossroads this summer, Keith Smith writes in his offseason preview for Spotrac. They will undoubtedly look at a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, but they are also a year away from opening up substantial cap space. They also have free agency decisions to make on Andrew Wiggins, who has a player option, and Norman Powell, two veterans who helped keep the ship afloat at times this season. With Adebayo approaching 30, Smith writes that while this summer isn’t a “now or never” situation, it’s getting closer.
- While the Heat are watching the playoffs from afar, the various series outcomes could still impact the team’s future, Barry Jackson writes for the Herald. The Cavaliers and Knicks have both gotten to the conference finals, which could convince team leadership that they don’t need to go all-out for an Antetokounmpo trade. On the other side of that coin, the disappointing endings for the Pistons and Celtics could push either team to make a big move. The Rockets and Wolves could also send a compelling offer to the Bucks after bowing out earlier than expected, Jackson writes.