Heat Notes: Richardson, Dragic, Reed, Winslow
The Heat are starting to focus on the future as this season continues to unravel, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Dwyane Wade‘s departure for Chicago and Chris Bosh‘s ongoing battle with blood clots robbed Miami of two huge talents. On top of that, second-year forward Justise Winslow is out for the year after shoulder surgery and veteran big man Josh McRoberts is sidelined indefinitely with a foot problem. While this appears to be a lost season, Miami is in position to rebuild quickly. At 11-27 and third in our Reverse Standings, the Heat will have a high draft pick this summer. The final two seasons of Bosh’s contract will probably be cleared away by a medical hardship, making Miami a player on the free agent market again. “It’s a competitive league and everybody wants to be that last team, but who has a coherent plan? Who’s committed to that plan? Who’s disciplined for that plan when there’s a lot of noise and it’s not necessarily getting the results that you want?” said coach Eric Spoelstra. “We’re able to see great promise, hope, and progress with this team. If you know anything about our organization, we have a plan.”
There’s more news out of Miami:
- An MRI performed Saturday on guard Josh Richardson‘s left ankle was negative and he is listed as day-to-day, according to Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald. Center Hassan Whiteside, who has missed four games with a bruised retina, is expected back today.
- Willie Reed made an impression on Spoelstra with his play during Whiteside’s absence, Navarro writes in the same piece. The performance of the second-year center, who signed with Miami over the summer, “definitely earned him more minutes, more opportunities,” Spoelstra said.
- If the Heat are able to get two draft picks for point guard Goran Dragic, one may come well in the future, speculates Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. A scout told Winderman the Heat are unlikely to get a pick anywhere near the top of this year’s lottery by dealing Dragic.
- Miami shouldn’t hesitate to pick up Winslow’s $3.5 million rookie-scale salary for 2018-19, Winderman argues in a separate column. He notes that Winslow, the 10th pick in the 2015 draft, will only be 21 when training camp opens, and although he is coming off a poor shooting season he can contribute as a rebounder, defender and playmaker.
Stein: Asking Price For Dragic Too High For Serious Trade Talks
- The Heat‘s asking price for Goran Dragic remains “too high to encourage any serious trade discussions,” according to Stein.
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Heat Apply For Disabled Player Exception
The Heat have applied for a disabled player exception in light of the recent injury to forward Justise Winslow, tweets Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald. The news comes on the heels of Winslow’s successful but presumably season-ending procedure to repair a torn labrum that he suffered last week.
Although the surgery went well according to a release published on the team’s website, the club will look to add an extra body heading into the second half of the season. Teams have until January 15 to apply for one of the disabled player exceptions and if approved are free to sign a replacement player making up to either 50% of the injured player’s salary or the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, whichever is lower.
In Miami’s case, should the application be granted, they’ll be free to sign somebody worth up to approximately $1.3MM due to Winslow’s $2.6MM deal without it using up cap space. Though not applicable in this scenario, the non-taxpayer mid-level exception for 2016-17 is $5.6MM.
The Heat are currently down a roster spot already considering that Chris Bosh has yet to be medically cleared to play for the team. In Bosh’s case, the Heat retain the option to apply for a disabled player exception worth the full non-taxpayer MLE, but appear instead to be holding onto Bosh with the intent of waiving him and potentially clearing his contract from their books altogether. More on Bosh’s contract situation in this October feature by USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt.
With Winslow out, one potential replacement that has been mentioned by The Palm Beach Post’s Anthony Chiang is Briante Weber. Weber has thrived this season with Miami’s D-League affiliate and was one of the last cut from the team after training camp. As of Thursday, Chiang notes, teams have been eligible to sign players to 10-day contracts.
Salary information from HoopsHype was used in this report.
Heat Notes: Dragic, Bosh, Roster, Waiters
The Heat already owned the NBA’s third-worst record, and announced on Wednesday that they will likely be without forward Justise Winslow for the rest of the season. While the team looks like a prime tanking candidate, don’t tell that to Erik Spoelstra, who tells Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel that Miami remains focused on winning games.
“We’re always going to play our games to win,” said the Heat head coach. “It’s been tough to be in this situation right now. But we’re developing. Guys are getting better. The team is progressing and that’s all we’re focusing on right now. The mentality won’t change.”
With so many young players on their roster, the Heat could engage in a sort of “natural” tank this season, leaning heavily on those young players who might not be ready to lead the club to many victories. However, Spoelstra added that he doesn’t intend to play anyone based on anything “other than merit, and earning it.”
Here’s more from out of Miami:
- Heat sources have suggested to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders that the idea of rebuilding around Goran Dragic has some appeal. However, Kyler adds that there’s a “growing sense” that Miami will seriously explore the idea of moving Dragic and other veteran players on expiring deals prior to the trade deadline.
- Appearing on a panel at a conference in Las Vegas, Chris Bosh admitted that he’d getting a “taste of retirement” this year, though he didn’t suggest he has given up on the idea of making a comeback. Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (via NBA.com) has the details and the quotes from Bosh.
- Although the Heat have three players on their roster – Winslow, Bosh, and Josh McRoberts – who might be out for the rest of the 2016/17 season, the team isn’t eligible for the hardship exception to add a 16th player, as Winderman explains in a Sun Sentinel story.
- With Dion Waiters back in action for the Heat after missing 20 games with a groin injury, the team will have to determine how he fits in the rotation, Winderman writes in another Sun Sentinel piece. Waiters is eligible to opt out of his contract and return to the free agent market in 2017, so it’s possible Miami will look to move him prior to February’s trade deadline.
Justise Winslow Likely Out For Season
Heat sophomore Justise Winslow will probably miss the rest of the 2016/17 season, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. The versatile forward injured his shoulder tangling with Al Horford on Friday and will undergo what’s presumed to be season-ending surgery this Thursday.
The news that Winslow had in fact torn his labrum was announced by head coach Erik Spoelstra prior to Miami’s tilt with the Kings on Wednesday.
Winslow had missed the last two games with what the team had listed generically as a “right shoulder injury.” Earlier in the season he missed 16 games with a wrist injury that was said to potentially warrant surgery in its own right.
In 18 games with the Heat this season, Winslow has averaged 10.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, up from 6.4, 5.2 and 1.5 respectively in his rookie year.
Heat Notes: Richardson, Draft, McGruder
Thursday is the first day that NBA teams can sign players to 10-day contracts this season, and it’s a tool that the Heat have used frequently in the past, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. For now though, Miami remains in “roster gridlock,” with the maximum 15 players under contract. It’s unlikely that all 15 of those players will finish the season with the Heat, but the team will be in no rush to cut ties with veterans, since their contracts might be required to make trades work at the trade deadline. After the deadline passes in late February, Miami will likely be more inclined to take fliers on players on 10-day contracts.
Here’s more on the Heat:
- The NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement will impact a number of Heat players on rookie contracts or minimum salary deals, giving them a salary bump beginning in 2017/18, Winderman notes in a piece for The Sun Sentinel. That’s welcome news for players affected by the change, such as Josh Richardson. “I was excited,” Richardson said. “Any time you say more money to a young fellow like us, I’m like, ‘Oh, yeah,’ I’m going to jump all over that. They told me I was going to be getting paid a little bit more and I was like, ‘Sounds great to me. I’m going to go to the gym right now.'”
- With the Heat projected to land a lottery pick of their own for 2017, one of Winderman’s readers wonders if the team could go all-in on the draft, trading Goran Dragic in a deal that secures another top pick. However, Winderman is skeptical that Pat Riley would lean too heavily on the draft – which would likely mean adding multiple teenagers to the roster – when the Heat president prefers a rapid rebuild.
- In a separate mailbag, Winderman explores whether a reunion with Mario Chalmers could be in the cards for the Heat, and discusses the impact that Rodney McGruder has had on the team. McGruder is on a non-guaranteed deal, but appears to be in little danger of losing his roster spot before the upcoming salary guarantee deadline.
- Chris Crouse of Hoops Rumors took an extended look at Tyler Johnson‘s fantasy basketball value in his weekly Fantasy Hoops feature on Tuesday night.
Reed's Increased Role Could Impact Free Agency
Heat big man Willie Reed has seen his role increase with Hassan Whiteside out nursing an eye injury and the sophomore’s yeoman-like play could very well earn him a spot in the team’s long term plans. This summer, with the salary cap slated to rise dramatically, Reed could opt out of his player option for $1.6M and look to cash in.
Such a decision, coupled with Josh McRoberts‘ player option for $6M and Dion Waiters‘ for $3M, could factor heavily into how the Heat approach the offseason. As Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes, clearing cap space is a top priority for the club given the Chris Bosh situation, and the time is fast approaching that Pat Riley and company “accept the reality that the long view might be the only remaining perspective for this season.”
In 11.9 minutes per game for the Heat, Reed has averaged 3.9 points and 4.0 rebounds, figures that translate to 12.2 and 12.5 per 36, respectively.
- Head coach Erik Spoelstra signed a contract extension to remain with the Heat last week and Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders has written about just how important continuity can be in NBA clubhouses. Spoelstra is already the second-longest tenured coach in the league behind only Gregg Popovich.
Latest On Paul Millsap
The NBA’s 2017 rumor mill got off to an interesting start on Sunday, with an ESPN report suggesting that the Hawks are listening to offers on Paul Millsap, among other players. Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution takes a closer look at that report today, noting that Atlanta is indeed doing its due diligence on Millsap, along with Kyle Korver, Thabo Sefolosha, Tiago Splitter, and Kris Humphries. However, just because the team is willing to listen, that doesn’t mean a deal is imminent or even likely. Atlanta hasn’t put Millsap on the trade block, per Vivlamore.
Vivlamore also addressed a separate report from ESPN, which indicated that Millsap has already decided to opt out of his contract and become a free agent in 2017. That report is simply “not true,” according to Vivlamore, who heard from a source on Sunday that no decision has been made on that front. It’s certainly likely that Millsap will turn down his player option and explore the open market, but a serious injury or another unexpected factor could impact that decision, Vivlamore writes.
Here’s more on Millsap, as rumors begin to swirl in Atlanta:
- The Hawks‘ asking price for Millsap will be high, and will likely outweigh what suitors are willing to give up for a player on an expiring contract, says Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter links). Kyler expects there to be plenty of trade talk surrounding Hawks players like Millsap and Korver, but he isn’t anticipating a ton of action by the deadline.
- Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders identifies the Raptors, Trail Blazers, and Nuggets as a few teams that would make sense as trade partners for Atlanta if the Hawks get serious about moving Millsap.
- Within his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel discusses the possibility of the Heat making a play for Millsap via trade or free agency.
Heat Rumors: Dragic, Spoelstra, James Johnson
The Heat should wait to see how the draft plays out before deciding whether to trade Goran Dragic, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Miami is tied for third in our latest Reverse Standings, which gives the organization a decent shot at landing one of the top point guards in the draft such as UCLA’s Lonzo Ball or Washington’s Markelle Fultz. However, Dragic will make $17MM next season and the Heat probably couldn’t find a similar talent in free agency for the same price. Also, he could be a valuable piece to keep in place if team president Pat Riley’s plans for a quick rebuilding project work out. Winderman concludes that Dragic should be dealt this season only if a team is willing to pay a premium price in return.
There’s more this morning out of Miami:
- Dragic has been dealing with soreness in his back for more than a week, according to Anthony Chiang of The Palm Beach Post. The problem began with back spasms in a December 23rd game, and the pain has been lingering ever since. Dragic sat out Friday’s game and is hoping a prolonged absence won’t be necessary. “The back is kind of tricky,” he said. “The only thing that I can say is I’ll go day-by-day and see how I’m going to feel.”
- Coach Erik Spoelstra sees progress even though the Heat closed out 2016 with a 10-24 record, Chiang writes in a separate story. Spoelstra has tried to build a winner without longtime stars Dwyane Wade, who signed with Chicago over the summer, and Chris Bosh, who has probably played his last game in Miami because of blood clot issues. Despite a revamped roster, Spoelstra doesn’t like to consider this a rebuilding year. “This is my 22nd year with the Heat. We’ve been to the Finals five times and won three championships,” he said. “So what about all those other years? There’s a lot of other years that you’re not winning it or you’re not the last team or where you want to be. So, whatever word you want to use, we’ve had to do it before several times — retool, rebuild — and we’ve done it quicker than most. That’s because of the commitment to developing and building these standards.”
- James Johnson has played well enough to earn consideration as the starting power forward, Winderman contends in a separate column. Spoelstra has been reluctant to make the move because Johnson has been a valuable member of the second unit. Johnson will be back on the free agent market again in July after signing a one-year, $4MM contract with Miami.
Heat Confirm Erik Spoelstra Signed Extension
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra signed a contract extension during the offseason to remain with the franchise, the club officially confirmed today, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. The deal wasn’t announced at the time of its completion, though summer reports indicated it was considered a formality.
“I would like to thank the Arisons and Pat [Riley] for their continued confidence in me and my staff and are humbled in their trust in me as head coach,” Spoelstra said in a statement. “It has been an incredible 22 years being part of the Miami Heat family and we will look to continue our goal of winning NBA championships.”
The announcement may be a belated one, but it doesn’t come as any real surprise. As Winderman notes, Spoelstra’s voice within the organization has grown in recent years, as he has become more involved with personnel decisions and filled out the team’s coaching staff with his own hires. The team didn’t reveal the terms of Spoelstra’s new extension, but it’s safe to say that the Heat view him as the long-term fit for the job, even as they go through a rebuilding phase.
Spoelstra – who was an assistant for more than a decade in Miami before his promotion – is currently the NBA’s second-longest-tenured head coach, trailing only Gregg Popovich in San Antonio. Over the course of his career with the Heat, Spoelstra has led the team to a 673-409 (.608) mark during the regular season. He has also enjoyed significant success in the playoffs, with a career postseason record of 70-43 (.619), including four Finals appearances and two titles.
Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical first reported in June that Spoelstra and the Heat were nearing an extension, while Riley confirmed in July that the two sides were working toward a new deal.