Heat Rumors

Heat Sign Four Players To Exhibit 10 Contracts

September 11th, 2025 at 4:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat have filled out their 21-man offseason roster by signing guards Jahmir Young, Gabe Madsen, and Trevor Keels, as well as forward Dain Dainja, the team announced today in a press release.

All four players signed Exhibit 10 contracts, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required). The expectation is that they’ll compete for a two-way contract in training cap, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.

A 6’1″ point guard who went undrafted out of Maryland in 2024, Young opened his first professional season with the Grand Rapids Gold, before signing a two-way deal with Chicago in February and finishing the year with the Bulls.

Although he logged just 30 total minutes in six games at the NBA level, but starred in the NBAGL, averaging 21.7 points, 7.0 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game in 43 total outings for the Nuggets’ and Bulls’ affiliates. The 24-year-old was named to the G League’s All-Rookie team and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting.

Madsen spent the past four years playing for the University of Utah. In his final college season in 2024/25, the 6’6″ guard averaged 15.2 PPG, 2.6 RPG, and 2.5 APG in 29.7 MPG, with a .371/.322/.854 shooting line.

Those subpar shooting numbers were uncharacteristic for Madsen, who had made 38.2% of his career three-point tries prior to last season. He showed off his long-range ability while playing for the Warriors’ Summer League team, averaging 9.2 PPG with a .519 3PT% in just 14.0 MPG across six appearances.

Keels was the No. 42 overall pick in the 2022 draft, but appeared in just three games as a rookie for the Knicks and has been out of the NBA since then, with the exception of a couple preseason Exhibit 10 deals. A 6’5″ guard who suited up for the Pistons at this year’s Las Vegas Summer League, Keels has spent the past two seasons with the Iowa Wolves in the G League. In 2024/25, he averaged 19.8 PPG, 3.8 APG, and 3.3 RPG on .440/.369/.786 shooting in 46 contests for Iowa.

Dainja went undrafted out of Memphis this June. The 6’9″ forward averaged 14.6 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.7 APG, and 1.3 BPG in 27.2 MPG across 35 outings (19 starts) as a senior. He was productive in a modest role for Miami’s Summer League team in July, averaging 9.2 PPG and 2.6 RPG in just 13.4 MPG (five games).

The Heat’s agreements with Madsen and Young were previously reported. The team was also said to have a deal in place with undrafted rookie Steve Settle III, but that agreement either fell through or won’t be completed until closer to the season for G League purposes.

Miami is carrying 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts, two (Terry Rozier and Pelle Larsson) on partially guaranteed deals, a pair (Vladislav Goldin and Myron Gardner) on two-way contracts, and five on Exhibit 10 pacts — Ethan Thompson is the other player on an Exhibit 10 deal.

While there’s ostensibly just one two-way spot open for the training camp invitees on Exhibit 10 contracts, the Heat wouldn’t face any sort of cap penalty for waiving Goldin or Gardner if they decide they want to convert more than one of those camp invitees to two-way deals.

EuroLeague Standout Roman Sorkin Drawing Interest From NBA Teams

September 9th, 2025 at 4:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Maccabi Tel Aviv big man Roman Sorkin, who excelled in the EuroBasket tournament for Israel’s national team, has garnered interest from the Trail Blazers, Knicks and Heat, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets.

Sorkin was one of the top bigs in the EuroLeague last season, averaging 12.9 points and 4.1 rebounds, and he opened even more eyes in the tournament. He averaged 16.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in six games, including a double-double against Slovenia.

Sorkin is no stranger to the U.S., having played four seasons for Oregon from 2014-18. He has played in Israel throughout his professional career.

Whether Sorkin will be able to leave Maccabi is another issue. He reportedly signed a five-year extension with the club last year, which puts him under contract through 2029, according to BasketNews.com. Sorkin would need to have some sort of out clause or buyout agreement to pursue an NBA opportunity.

Portland has 15 players under guaranteed contracts, so it would have to waive or trade one of those players to open up a roster spot.

The Heat only have 12 players with fully guaranteed contracts, but have two players with partial guarantees and can’t sign a 15th man while remaining below the luxury tax line.

The Knicks have 12 players on standard contracts, but only have room for one veteran’s minimum contract and another on a rookie minimum deal due to salary cap restrictions. Sorkin wouldn’t be a candidate for the Knicks’ rookie minimum roster slot. Since they don’t hold his draft rights, his salary would count as the veteran’s minimum for tax/apron purposes even if his cap hit was the rookie minimum, due to tax variance.

Heat Open To Exploring Norman Powell Extension

September 9th, 2025 at 1:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Norman Powell will likely open the 2025/26 season on an expiring contract, but the Heat are open to the idea of extending the veteran wing if the start of the season goes well, a source tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.

The Heat acquired Powell in July from the Clippers in a three-team trade that sent Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love from Miami to Utah. While the move helped push the Heat into luxury tax territory (they later got out of the tax by trading Haywood Highsmith), the outgoing package was a modest price to pay for a talented offensive player coming off arguably the best season of his career.

In 60 games (all starts) for the Clippers in 2024/25, Powell averaged 21.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 32.6 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .484/.418/.804. He set career highs in points and minutes per contest, as well as three-pointers made (3.0 per game; 179 in total).

Powell, 32, will make about $20.5MM this season in the final season of the five-year, $90MM contract he signed with Portland as a free agent during the summer of 2021. He’s eligible to sign an extension at any point between now and June 30 — if he doesn’t complete a new deal by that time, he’ll reach unrestricted free agency next offseason.

The Heat’s salary cap situation going forward isn’t too bad, with nearly $35MM for Terry Rozier and Simone Fontecchio set to come off the books at the end of the 2025/26 season. However, Miami will also need to figure out whether Tyler Herro (UFA in 2027) and Andrew Wiggins (player option for 2026/27) are part of the long-term plans — and if so, at what price.

Given that Powell has yet to suit up for the Heat, it makes sense that the front office would prefer to wait until after the season begins to assess his fit and perhaps to get a clearer sense of what the team’s future cap situation will look like (Herro will be able to sign an extension between October 1 and the start of the regular season).

Lakers Reportedly Looking For Wing Upgrade

September 8th, 2025 at 3:58pm CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers are open to upgrading on the wing if they can find a player who contributes on both ends of the court and is capable of helping the team raise its ceiling, Marc Stein reports for The Stein Line (Substack link).

Stein cautions that Los Angeles isn’t looking to trade just for the sake of revamping the roster, but the Lakers are hoping the right opportunity presents itself in the coming months.

According to Stein, the Lakers were believed to be reluctant to take on anything more than expiring contracts earlier in the offseason, but that stance has “thawed somewhat.” Several weeks ago, multiple reports stated that L.A. was prioritizing preserving cap room for the summer of 2027.

Stein points to Andrew Wiggins as the type of player the Lakers are likely to be interested in, though it’s unclear if the Heat would move him, having recently sent signals that the team expects the former No. 1 overall pick to open the season in Miami. But if the Heat eventually decide to trim their payroll, Wiggins is a name to watch.

Wiggins will earn about $28.2MM in 2025/26, with a $30.2MM player option for 2026/27.

Stein hears the possibility of Wiggins being pursued by the Lakers gained steam after Luka Doncic signed a three-year extension in early August.

Reporting earlier this summer indicated that the Lakers had checked in with the Heat about Wiggins, but found Miami’s asking price to be “pretty high.” Dan Woike of The Athletic reported in mid-July that he was “pretty confident” the Lakers weren’t interested in Wiggins, though that was a few weeks before Doncic’s extension.

Heat In Contact With Precious Achiuwa

September 8th, 2025 at 12:04pm CST by Luke Adams

12:04pm: According to Jackson’s source, the Heat have not made a contract offer to Achiuwa due to their proximity to the luxury tax but expressed a possible interest in doing so in the future.

Jackson hears that Achiuwa “would welcome” a return to Miami, noting that the Nigerian big man still has a home in the area. The Heat will remain in contact with Achiuwa, who has received interest from “several other teams,” Jackson adds.

10:49am: The Heat have been engaged in ongoing discussions with free agent forward/center Precious Achiuwa, reports Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required). According to Winderman, Achiuwa is one of multiple big men the team has been in touch with as it considers ways to upgrade its frontcourt rotation.

As Winderman details, Bam Adebayo has expressed a desire not to play significant minutes at the five, but Miami doesn’t have many other established options in the middle, with second-year center Kel’el Ware and rookie two-way big man Vladislav Goldin among the only alternatives. Nikola Jovic and Keshad Johnson are other frontcourt candidates for the Heat, but both are somewhat undersized for the center spot.

Reports last month indicated that the Heat were considering free agent big men, including Kai Jones and Trey Lyles. Former Heat center Thomas Bryant also remains unsigned, Winderman notes, though the club’s level of interest in him is unclear.

While Miami currently has an open spot on its projected 15-man regular season roster, adding a 15th man on a minimum-salary contract would push the team’s salary over the luxury tax line. As a result, the front office has considered the idea of waiving Terry Rozier, Winderman writes.

Buyout talks with Rozier haven’t gained any traction, Winderman clarifies, but the guard’s $26.64MM salary isn’t quite fully guaranteed — Rozier’s partial guarantee is worth $24.92MM, so waiving him would generate about $1.72MM in extra cap flexibility, which would give the Heat enough room below the tax line to replace him with a new 14th man.

According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter links), the idea of cutting Rozier has been discussed “a lot” internally, but there are other pathways the Heat could take. Waiting until December, when a prorated veteran’s minimum contract would fit under the tax line, is one possibility.

Miami could also temporarily exceed the tax line by signing a 15th man now, then duck back below the tax by waiving Rozier on or before January 7, since his partial guarantee won’t increase at all by then. However, as Winderman points out, if Rozier were to suffer a season-ending injury, the Heat would be required to pay his full salary, which would mean they’d need to find another way to get out of tax territory.

Achiuwa, who will turn 26 later this month, began his career with the Heat as the No. 20 overall pick in 2020. He was sent to the Raptors as part of the Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade during the 2021 offseason and has spent the past season-and-a-half with the Knicks after being traded from Toronto to New York along with OG Anunoby in December 2023.

Achiuwa is a bit undersized for a center and isn’t a threat as an outside shooter, but he’s an athletic, high-energy player who rebounds well and is a versatile, switchable defender. In 57 games in 2024/25, he averaged 6.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 20.5 minutes per contest, with a .502/.278/.594 shooting line.

Doncic, Slovenia Advance In EuroBasket With Win Over Italy

September 7th, 2025 at 1:39pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite a mild injury scare during the first half of Sunday’s game, Lakers star Luka Doncic led the Slovenian national team to an 84-77 victory over Italy at EuroBasket 2025, securing the country’s spot in the quarterfinals.

After pouring in 22 points in the first quarter, Doncic left the court to get his quad muscle stretched out in the Slovenian locker room, a league source tells Dan Woike of The Athletic. However, he returned to the floor a few minutes later and finished the first half with 30 points, en route to a 42-point, 10-rebound performance.

It was the first time in the tournament that Doncic has scored at least 40 points in a game, but he got close a couple times during the group stage and is now averaging 34.0 points per contest, making him this year’s leading scorer at EuroBasket by a considerable margin. He’s just the third player in the past 30 years to have at least 40 points and 10 rebounds in a EuroBasket game, per Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops, joining Germany’s Dirk Nowitzki (2001) and Spain’s Pau Gasol (2015).

Shooting guard Klemen Prepelic (11 points on 3-of-10 shooting) was the only other Slovenian player to score in double-digits.

Heat forward Simone Fontecchio led the way for the Italians with 22 points, five rebounds, and three steals. Italy was a +11 when Fontecchio was on the court, but was outscored by 18 points during his time on the bench.

Sunday’s game may be longtime NBA forward Danilo Gallinari‘s last for Italy, as he has suggested he plans to retire from the national team after EuroBasket. He had 10 points and three rebounds in 12 minutes of action.

Italy’s head coach Gianmarco Pozzecco also confirmed after Sunday’s loss to Slovenia that he plans to step down from his role with the national team, as Edvinas Jablonskis of BasketNews.com relays.

“It’s my last game with Italy,” Pozzecco told reporters. “I want to thank my president, Giovanni Petrucci, for giving me this honor to become coach of the national team. From deep of my heart, it’s like… Maybe, for sure, the best moment of my life. It was a real honor to have this role in Italian basketball.”

Three of the EuroBasket quarterfinals have now been set. Turkey will face Poland on Tuesday, while Slovenia matches up with Germany and Finland plays Georgia on Wednesday. Lithuania, which will play on Tuesday, awaits the winner of today’s showdown between Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s Greek team and Deni Avdija‘s Israeli squad.

Heat Notes: Arison, Training Camp, Jakucionis, Highsmith

September 6th, 2025 at 7:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

In advance of tonight’s induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Micky Arison participated in Friday’s media session and spoke about his memories from three decades as majority owner of the Heat, per Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Under Arison, who was elected in his first year as a finalist, Miami has made seven trips to the NBA Finals and captured three titles.

“I would just say I’m appreciative. It is an honor… It was never a goal,” he said of the Hall of Fame selection. “Our goal was to win championships. Was fortunate enough to win three. Our goal was to create a fantastic atmosphere in Miami. Most great NBA players, coaches it’s a goal for them. It’s never been a goal for me. Despite that, I’m extremely appreciative.”

Hall of Fame weekend marks a rare moment in the spotlight for Arison, as Jackson and Chiang note that he hasn’t spoken with beat reporters since 2013 and declined interview requests regarding his election. As his presenters, he chose Heat president Pat Riley and franchise legends Alonzo Mourning and Dwyane Wade.

“They were three key elements to our history for 30 years,” Arison said. “Pat was with me almost from the very beginning. Zo (was acquired) the first year. From there the culture was created. Dwyane Wade helped take it to the top. Obviously the greatest player in Heat history; (he has) a statue on the top steps (of Kaseya Center). I’m glad those three will be with me.”

There’s more on the Heat:

Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel (subscription required) previews several battles to watch when training camp opens later this month, including Kel’el Ware vs. Nikola Jovic for a potential starting spot and Tyler Herro vs. Davion Mitchell to be the crunch-time point guard. Winderman expects Andrew Wiggins and newly acquired Norman Powell to both be in the starting lineup, but coach Erik Spoelstra‘s decision on how to use them could factor into their long-term future with the team. Powell has an expiring contract, and Wiggins holds a player option for next season.
The fate of Kasparas Jakucionis is also worth keeping an eye on, Winderman adds. The first-round pick struggled during Summer League games and seemed like he might need some time in the G League, but Winderman suggests he may be able to avoid that fate with a strong showing in camp and the preseason.
Haywood Highsmith, who was traded to the Nets last month, recently offered a heartfelt farewell to the Heat organization and fans on his Instagram account. “You gave an undrafted kid from Baltimore a chance and I’m forever grateful for the journey, challenges, and growth I’ve experienced here,” he wrote. “Miami will always have a special place in my heart.”

Turkey, Germany Advance To EuroBasket Quarterfinals

September 6th, 2025 at 11:59am CST by Rory Maher

After trailing by a slim margin for the majority of the game, Turkey eventually defeated Sweden, 85-79, to advance to the quarterfinals of EuroBasket 2025, writes Semih Tuna of Eurohoops. The game was surprisingly competitive, considering Sweden went just 1-4 during the group phase while Turkey was 5-0, including Wednesday’s victory over Serbia.

Rockets big man Alperen Sengun was once again the standout performer for the Turkish national team, recording game highs of 24 points and 16 rebounds to go along with six assists and two blocks. Heat wing Pelle Larsson finished with 15 points, four rebounds, four assists and a steal in Sweden’s loss.

Head coach Ergin Ataman complained both before and after the game about Turkey having to compete at noon local time despite being the top seed from Group A, as Tuna relays in another story for Eurohoops.

“We didn’t wake up for the beginning of the game. After we understood we were in a difficult situation, in the third quarter, and came back in the game with very good defense, but we gave back this confidence to Sweden,” Ataman said. “Finally, we found a way to win. Now, we will think about the quarterfinal, which I think we will play in regular time, if they don’t want to change again and play in the morning at 11 o’clock.”

Turkey will face the winner of tomorrow’s matchup between Poland and Bosnia-Herzegovina in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

Germany, which won the 2023 World Cup, was the only other undefeated team during the group phase and is the top seed from Group B. The Germans struggled mightily from three-point range on Saturday against Portugal, starting out just 1-of-24 before finishing 10-of-36, and only had a one-point lead entering the final period, according to Tuna.

However, Germany dominated the final frame, 33-7, to emerge with a 27-point victory.

“Obviously, you can improve in every game. I saw the first game with Sweden; they gave a great fight to Turkey, like Portugal gave a great fight to us,” said AS Monaco center Daniel Theis. “It’s the knockout stage. There are no easy games anymore.”

The German national team had five players — including Dennis Schröder, Franz Wagner, Tristan Da Silva and Isaac Bonga — finish with double-digit points. Portugal was led by Celtics center Neemias Queta, who finished with game highs of 18 points and 11 rebounds in 27 minutes.

Germany will face the winner of Sunday’s matchup between Italy and Slovenia on Wednesday.

Free Agent Notes: Giddey, Lyles, Bacot, Gallinari

September 4th, 2025 at 7:23pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls‘ have increased their offer to restricted free agent guard Josh Giddey since they reportedly proposed a four-year deal worth $20MM annually the start of free agency, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (YouTube link). However, it remains well below the price that Giddey and his camp are reportedly seeking.

“He was offered four years, $80 million when free agency started,” Marks said. “That number has gone up to four years, $88MM.”

As Marks points out, that $22MM-per-year figure would be at the low end of the spectrum for starting point guards. Giddey’s representatives have reportedly been seeking $30MM annually since they discussed a potential rookie scale extension with the Bulls last fall. While Giddey may not ultimately get that sort of commitment from Chicago, Marks believes the team should be willing to further increase its offer if it views the 22-year-old as an important long-term building block.

“If you think that he’s your point guard of the future, then you sign him to what point guard money is,” Marks said. “And I’m not saying you sign him to Immanuel Quickley money at $32.5MM (per year) or five years, $160MM. But you sign him in that $26-28MM (per year range) and you do it for three years or four years. And if it’s four years, $100MM or four years, $110MM, it’s still good value going forward.”

Some sort of resolution is expected within the next few weeks for Giddey and the Bulls, since training camps open by the end of the month and October 1 is the deadline for a restricted free agent to accept his qualifying offer.

Here are a few more notes on free agents from around the basketball world:

While the exact terms are unclear, veteran forward Trey Lyles has an NBA out clause in his new deal with Real Madrid that “ensures he retains flexibility should an opportunity arise to return during the 2025/26 season,” Grant Afseth writes for RG.org. Before agreeing to sign a one-year contract reportedly worth $3MM with the Spanish club, Lyles drew interest from the Heat, Kings, and other EuroLeague teams, including Fenerbahce, sources tell Afseth.
Speaking of Fenerbahce, the Turkish club has signed former North Carolina standout Armando Bacot to a one-year contract, according to a press release. Bacot, who inked an Exhibit 10 contract with the Grizzlies and then played for the Memphis Hustle last season after going undrafted out of UNC, will be paid more than $1MM on his deal with Fenerbahce, per Jeff Goodman of Field of 68 (Twitter link).
Although Danilo Gallinari has stated his intention to retire from the Italian national team after this year’s EuroBasket tournament, the longtime NBA forward is leaving his options open when it comes to extending his professional career beyond this summer, as Michalis Gioulenoglou of Eurohoops relays. “I said anything is possible,” Gallinari replied when asked about the possibility of playing in the EuroLeague again. “I’m not thinking about anything. I didn’t think about anything yet. I didn’t make any plans, so we’ll see.” The 37-year-old, who has made 777 career regular season appearances, recently expressed some interest in the idea of joining an NBA team as a veteran leader.

Heat Notes: Riley, EuroBasket, Fontecchio, Jovic, Ware

September 3rd, 2025 at 10:16pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

With Heat owner Micky Arison set to be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend and team president Pat Riley among the prior honorees slated to present him, Riley reflected on his 30 years with the organization, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

“Micky and I had that kind of relationship back and forth, but always positive about what we’re trying to do,” Riley said. “If he didn’t like something, he would tell me, ‘I don’t think we should go that way,’ and I wouldn’t go that way. If he said, ‘Go for it. Damn right, let’s go for it,’ we had the same mentality.

“But if you don’t take a risk — a big-three type risk [signing free agent All-Stars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in 2010], Lamar Odom type risk or Shaquille O’Neal type risk or Jimmy Butler type risk or whatever it is — then you’re too afraid and there’s a fear of failure there,” Riley continued. “So when you make a calculated risk, he has made a lot of them with me — some of them haven’t worked, some of them have worked big time.”

With Riley running its front office, Miami has made a total of seven NBA Finals, winning three championships.

There’s more out of Miami:

While playing for their respective national teams at EuroBasket this year, Heat role players Nikola Jovic, Pelle Larsson and Simone Fontecchio are all showing out in larger roles than they’ve had in Miami so far. Still, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel cautions that their production shouldn’t necessarily indicate that they’re capable of taking a leap with the Heat in 2025/26.
There had been “strong rumbles” last month that the Heat were looking into trading Fontecchio, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link). Stein notes that this buzz happened before Miami traded Haywood Highsmith to Brooklyn. Now that the Heat find themselves below the league’s luxury tax following the Highsmith deal, there is likely little urgency to offload Fontecchio.
With Jovic playing an outsized role for his native Serbia in EuroBasket, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald considers whether Miami would be served better by starting the young forward in the frontcourt next to Bam Adebayo over center Kel’el Ware. Jackson notes that shifting Adebayo to the four spot while starting Ware at the five last year proved statistically more effective than keeping Adebayo at center and starting Jovic.

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