Heat Rumors

Heat EuroBasket Notes: Jovic, Spoelstra, Larsson, Fontecchio

August 24th, 2025 at 6:02pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Heat should have several prominent roles available for the taking this fall. While Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins, and Bam Adebayo all seem to have their starting spots locked up and Davion Mitchell and Kel’el Ware made strong cases for themselves last season, there are still plenty of regular minutes in the rotation to be won.

Nikola Jovic could get a head start on staking his claim during this summer’s EuroBasket competition, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Winderman writes that head coach Erik Spoelstra wants to see Jovic step into a leadership role as one of the Serbian team’s leading men.

Last season, Jovic saw his responsibilities dip as Ware came on strong. The Serbian forward started just 10 games after making 38 starts the season before, though he was still productive, averaging 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists while shooting 37.1% from three. A strong EuroBasket could help Jovic hit the ground running next season and carve out a key role with the Heat.

In a recent exhibition win against Slovenia, Jovic scored 18 points on 7-8 shooting with Spoelstra in attendance.

We have more from the Heat’s EuroBasket players:

Speaking of Spoelstra, the Heat head coach has been on a European tour, checking in on his international players, Winderman writes in a separate article. Prior to watching Jovic help lead Serbia to a 34-point victory over Luka Doncic‘s Slovenian squad, Spoelstra dropped in on Pelle Larsson as Larsson and the Swedish squad battled Estonia.
EuroBasket offers Larsson a chance to spread his wings and show his complete skill set to the Heat, who already like the approach he takes to the game. “What he does are the things that we value,” Spoelstra said of Larsson, per Winderman. “He’s so tough. He makes winning plays. He’s a great role player. He fits around guys, the best players. And he will continue to get better, because he has a great work ethic.” Spoelstra has been interested in watching how the second-year guard fares as a ball-handler, but declined to put Larsson in a box as far as his role, citing the variety of ways in which the 6’5″ wing can impact the game. Winderman adds that Spoelstra’s comments seemed to indicate that Larsson had already won himself a role in the rotation for this coming season.
EuroBasket is also a chance for new addition Simone Fontecchio to bounce back and show what he can bring to the Heat after he followed up a strong 2023/24 performance with a disappointing ’24/25 in Detroit. With the long-tenured Duncan Robinson heading to the Pistons this offseason, Winderman notes that there’s hope Fontecchio can get back to the 40% three-point shooter he was two years ago in an effort to replace some of what Miami lost.

Nikola Jokic Headlines Serbia’s Roster For EuroBasket

August 23rd, 2025 at 12:03pm CST by Rory Maher

The Serbian national team has officially announced its roster for the upcoming EuroBasket tournament, according to FIBA. The 12-man group is headlined by Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic, the three-time NBA MVP who won Finals MVP en route to Denver’s first title in 2023.

While Jokic is the most noteworthy name on Serbia’s roster, the team has three other active NBA players in captain Bogdan Bogdanovic (Clippers), Nikola Jovic (Heat) and Tristan Vukcevic (Wizards). The roster also features a handful of European stars, some of whom have NBA experience.

Here’s the full 12-man roster:

Aleksa Avramovic
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Ognjen Dobric
Marko Guduric
Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jovic
Stefan Jovic
Vanja Marinkovic
Vasilije Micic
Nikola Milutinov
Filip Petrusev
Tristan Vukcevic

Thunder guard Nikola Topic and former Warriors big man Alen Smailagic were on Serbia’s preliminary roster but did not make the final cut.

Serbia is considered the favorite for the tournament, which begins on August 27 and ends on September 14. The team went 7-0 in exhibition games leading up to EuroBasket, per FIBA, defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, Greece, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany and Slovenia.

The Serbian national team won a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris and a silver at the 2023 World Cup (Jokic didn’t play after the Nuggets’ playoff run), but was surprisingly eliminated by Italy in the round of 16 during the last European championships in 2022. Spain won that edition of the tournament.

Dru Smith ‘On A Great Trajectory’ In Return From Achilles Tear

August 20th, 2025 at 5:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

After landing a new contract with the Heat over the weekend, the next challenge for Dru Smith is to be ready to participate without restrictions when training camp opens September 30, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

Smith is recovering from an Achilles tear that ended his season prematurely in December. He tells Chiang that he has already been involved in some contact work and hopes to be cleared soon for five-on-five scrimmages.

“Honestly, it’s all been going really well,” Smith said. “I feel like I’ve been on a great trajectory as far as the rehab stuff goes. I’ve started to do some contact stuff now. I haven’t jumped fully back into five on five. I would say probably here in the next few weeks or so. I think it’s all just basically going to be how I respond to the more and more live sessions that I get in. I think the goal, obviously, is to be ready by camp. And I think that as of right now, with no setback, that’s kind of what we’re looking at.”

Smith had established himself as an important part of Miami’s rotation before the injury and appeared to be on the verge of being promoted from a two-way deal to a standard contract. The 27-year-old guard averaged 6.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.5 steals in 14 games last season, and coach Erik Spoelstra was regularly using him as part of his closing lineup.

The Heat kept Smith on the roster following the injury, even though it wouldn’t have affected the team’s salary cap to replace him with a healthy player. He became a restricted free agent when Miami extended a qualifying offer in late June and continued to work out with the team throughout the summer. A roster opening emerged last Friday when Haywood Highsmith was traded to Brooklyn.

“It was obviously a little stressful and things like that,” Smith said. “I think any time, whenever you have nothing signed and nothing set in stone, I think it’s just a little worrisome. But overall I think we love this organization and we’re just excited to be able to be back and be a part of this.”

Smith’s relationship with the Heat dates back to 2021, when he signed a training camp contract. He got his first two-way deal the following year and has spent at least part of every season with the team despite injury setbacks and other obstacles. Miami has waived Smith four times, but keeps bringing him back.

“I’m extremely appreciative of an organization that believes in me the way that they have up to this point,” he said. “But also I think, obviously, this hasn’t been easy. There have been a lot of days where I’ve questioned whether this is what I’m supposed to be doing. I have amazing people around me.”

After playing 38 combined games in his first three seasons — 10 of them with Brooklyn — Smith is hoping to remain healthy enough to finally prove himself as a full-time NBA player. Offseason moves have left Miami with a crowded backcourt, but Smith is eager to seize the opportunity after recovering from two serious injuries (he tore his ACL in November 2023).

“Honestly, the biggest challenge from this rehab specifically was just the mental part of it,” he said. “Just really having to lean in on my faith and things like that and just understand for whatever reason, this is where my story was supposed to go. So just continuing to attack with a positive attitude. I think that was probably the toughest part because there are definitely days in there where it just seems like I’ve been rehabbing for two years at this point.”

Categories:
Miami Heat
Dru Smith

Heat To Sign Jahmir Young

August 20th, 2025 at 2:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat and free agent guard Jahmir Young have reached an agreement on a deal, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

According to Scotto, Young will get a chance to compete for one of Miami’s two-way contract slots. That suggests he’ll sign an Exhibit 10 contract, which can be converted to a two-way deal prior to the start of the regular season.

A 6’1″ point guard who went undrafted out of Maryland in 2024, Young opened his first professional season with the Grand Rapids Gold, Denver’s G League affiliate, before signing a two-way contract with Chicago in February and finishing the year with the Bulls. He was waived in July to open up a two-way slot for Yuki Kawamura.

Young 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 Gold and the Windy City Bulls. The 24-year-old struggled with his outside shot for Grand Rapids, but finished the season strong by making 39.7% of his three-point tries in 13 games for Windy City. He was named to the G League’s All-Rookie team and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting.

Young reportedly drew interest from the Perth Wildcats of Australia’s National Basketball League this offseason, but will look to continue his career in the NBA. Vladislav Goldin and Myron Gardner currently occupy two-way slots for Miami, but it appears the team will hold a competition in training camp for its third and final opening.

Former Heat Employee Pleads Guilty In Stolen Memorabilia Case

August 20th, 2025 at 8:35am CST by Dana Gauruder

A former Heat employee accused of stealing millions of dollars in team merchandise pleaded guilty on Tuesday to transporting and transferring stolen memorabilia across state lines, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced, according to David Lyons of The Sun Sentinel.

Marcos Tomas Perez, 62, “stole hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other valuable memorabilia belonging to the Miami Heat and sold them to online brokers,” the government said in a statement.

Perez entered the guilty plea to a single count of a criminal information before a district judge in Miami. He was arrested on Aug. 5 after investigators searched his home.

The judge scheduled a sentencing hearing for Oct. 31, according to court records. Perez faces a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250K fine but a pre-sentencing investigation by the court’s probation office will produce a recommendation under sentencing guidelines for the judge, Lyons adds.

According to a plea agreement, Perez has cooperated with the government, which could lead to a sentence reduction.

Among the items Perez alleged stole was LeBron James’ jersey from Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals, which he sold for approximately $100K. The jersey was later sold in 2023 at a Sotheby’s auction for $3.68MM.

The federal investigation was launched in early 2024 after game-worn jerseys from James, Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade — among many other items — went missing from the Heat’s arena, the Kaseya Center.

Perez worked the City of Miami Police Department in November 1992 until he retired in April 2016. He was employed by the Heat as a security officer from 2016-21, then worked for the NBA as a security employee from 2022 until this year.

“During his tenure, Perez worked on the game-day security detail at the Kaseya Center, where he was among a limited number of trusted individuals with access to a secured equipment room,” the DOJ’s press release from earlier this month read. “This equipment room stored hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia that the organization intended to display in a future Miami Heat museum.

“During his employment, Perez accessed the equipment room multiple times to steal over 400 game-worn jerseys and other items, which he then sold to various online marketplaces. Over a three-year period, Perez sold over 100 stolen items for approximately $2 million and shipped them across state lines, often for prices well below their market value.”

Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Perez’s home in April and seized almost 300 items that the Heat confirmed had been stolen from their arena.

Categories:
Miami Heat

Eastern Notes: Bane, Heat, Magic-Heat Rivalry, Bulls

August 19th, 2025 at 9:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Magic made one of the biggest moves of the offseason, trading multiple assets and veteran players to acquire Desmond Bane from the Grizzlies. John Schuhmann, the senior stats analyst for NBA.com, examines how Bane can impact Orlando’s offense.

Using a film study approach, Schuhmann lays out Bane’s strengths and details how he can blend with Orlando’s roster. Bane should help the Magic get more easy buckets on the break, increase off-the-ball movement and provide more off-the-catch opportunities for star forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.

We have more from the Eastern Conference:

The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson takes a deep dive into the Heat‘s asset management over the past decade, breaking them down into regrettable, commendable and defensible decisions. Jackson notes that the reason why the franchise hasn’t hoarded first-round picks is that it would go against its philosophy of never tanking or intentionally taking steps back with the hope of a brighter future. The Heat’s yearly goals also include trying to win as many games as possible every season, even if the roster isn’t championship-caliber.
Orlando Sentinel Mike Bianchi opines that the Magic must resurrect their rivalry with the Heat. The Southeast Division foes play against each other on opening night and Bianchi urges Orlando fans to muster up passion and hatred toward their in-state opponent.
The Bulls have promoted Austin Dufault to director of player development and Isiah Price to coordinator of player development, K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network tweets. Dufault was an assistant coach with the Pistons from 2021-23.

Heat Notes: Roster, Highsmith, Smith, Ware

August 18th, 2025 at 8:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

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 to a veteran minimum contract 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 its roster.

Here’s more on the Heat:

By swapping out Highsmith for Smith, Miami’s roster is even more imbalanced, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes. The Heat are thin at center, power forward and the point but heavy on 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 for cap/tax purposes than Highsmith’s deal would have. That was the primary motivation for the trade. It also give the front office the opportunity to add another big man 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.

Heat Sign Dru Smith To Three-Year Contract

August 16th, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

10:00pm: Smith has officially re-signed with Miami, per a team press release.

5:49pm: Restricted free agent guard Dru Smith will remain with the Heat on a three-year contract, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The deal has a total value of $7.9MM, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), which suggests it’ll be worth the veteran’s minimum ($7,898,151). A source tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald that the first year of the deal is fully guaranteed, while the final two seasons carry conditional guarantees (Twitter link).

Miami opened a roster spot to sign Smith by trading Haywood Highsmith to Brooklyn on Friday. Unloading Highsmith’s $5.6MM salary enabled the Heat to add Smith and stay under the cap, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).

The 27-year-old guard appeared to be on his way to a standard contract with a strong start to last season, but he suffered an Achilles tear in December. Even though he remained inactive, the team kept him on a two-way contract for the rest of the season.

Heat officials are optimistic that Smith will be fully recovered from the injury in time for the October 22 season opener or shortly afterward, Jackson adds in a full story on the signing.

Appearing in 14 games last season, Smith averaged 6.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.5 steals in 19.1 minutes per night with .508/.533/.750 shooting numbers. His improvement as a three-point shooter led to his expanded role, and Jackson points out that he logged double-digit minutes in eight straight games before the injury and played the entire fourth quarter in five of his last seven games.

Smith began his career with Miami in 2022 on a two-way contract, then went to Brooklyn later that season on a two-way deal after being waived. He returned to the Heat in the summer of 2023 and was converted to a standard contract before the start of the season. However, that campaign was cut short by his first untimely injury, as he suffered a third-degree ACL sprain in November.

Miami extended a qualifying offer to Smith in June, but league rules prevented him from signing another two-way contract with the team.

A report earlier today suggested that the Heat had interest in adding size to their roster, with an eye on free agents Trey Lyles and Kai Jones. Jones reportedly made a good impression during workouts in Miami this week.

Jackson believes Smith’s signing will put an end to any pursuit of Lyles or Jones. The Heat don’t have much depth in the frontcourt, but Jackson states that the need might be addressed with a trade rather than another free agent signing.

The Heat are back to 14 players with standard contracts and won’t be able to add a 15th player until later in the season without moving back into tax territory.

Jackson notes that Smith, newly re-signed Davion Mitchell and first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis are all natural point guards. However, they could all come off the bench if coach Erik Spoelstra decides to use Tyler Herro and Norman Powell as his starting backcourt.

Southeast Notes: Jaquez, Highsmith, Wizards Roster Imbalance

August 16th, 2025 at 3:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Heat added Simone Fontecchio, Kasparas Jakucionis and Norman Powell this offseason while moving on from Kyle Anderson, Alec Burks, Haywood Highsmith, Kevin Love and Duncan Robinson.

Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. believes it’s going to take a while for the team to build chemistry, considering all the roster moves.

“It’s starting to become the reality,” Jaquez said, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “I think your rookie year, you go through it and it’s an adjustment. Now your second year, I think you really start to understand what it means to be in this business. Guys that you’ve built a relationship with are no longer going to be there. It’s definitely going to be an adjustment period, but we’re just really excited to get new guys and have this new team and try to win games.”

Jaquez had a disappointing second season as his playing time declined. He’s focused on securing a rotation spot once again.

“Just going back and watching some film,” Jaquez said. “I think that’s a big one. Just remembering what it was that put me on the floor, what it was that got me to this position. Just kind of leaning into my strengths, as well as working on things that I need to work on like shooting and defense. And just bringing it all together as a whole, I think is one of the biggest things for me this offseason.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

While the Heat valued Highsmith, it was more essential for the franchise to get under the luxury tax, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel explains in his latest mailbag. Highsmith was dealt to the Nets this week in what can be classified as a salary dump. Given where the Heat are in the Eastern Conference pecking order, it would be hard to justify them being a tax team and risk paying repeater penalties going forward. The move also opens up more playing time for some of the younger players on the roster.
The Wizards‘ roster is top-heavy with wings while having few traditional bigs or point guards. Josh Robbins of The Athletic believes the roster imbalance is not a big concern for the Wizards front office. Their aim is to bring in as many high-upside players as possible and then develop them into solid pros, while hoping one of them becomes a franchise player and a couple others can reach All-Star level production.
The Hawks gave an offer sheet to a restricted free agent on Saturday. Get the details here.

Heat Reportedly Eyeing Big Men, Including Trey Lyles

August 16th, 2025 at 10:50am CST by Rory Maher

After sending Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love to Utah in a three-team deal last month, the Heat traded Haywood Highsmith to Brooklyn on Friday in a salary-dump move. Those transactions have left Miami thin in the frontcourt, with Bam Adebayo, Kel’el Ware and Nikola Jovic figuring to receive the bulk of the minutes at the four and five.

According to Grant Afseth of FastbreakJournal.com, Miami is exploring ways to add at least one more big man ahead of the 2025/26 season, with free agents Trey Lyles and Kai Jones among the players the team has expressed interest in. Jones impressed the Heat with his “energy and activity” during his workouts this week, sources tell Afseth.

A ten-year NBA veteran who was a lottery pick (12th overall) back in 2015, Lyles has spent the past three-plus seasons in Sacramento. In 69 appearances with the Kings last season, the 6’9″ power forward averaged 6.5 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 34.0% from three-point range in 19.6 minutes per game.

Jones, meanwhile, played 40 games for the Clippers and Mavericks in ’24/25, averaging 5.0 PPG and 3.1 RPG while shooting 79.8% from the field in 11.7 MPG. The 24-year-old center was the 19th pick of the 2021 draft.

As Afseth observes, Lyles and Jones provide different skill sets, with the former being a more proven depth piece and the latter offering more athleticism and upside. But either player could theoretically help the Heat as they prepare for the upcoming season.

In addition to moving below the luxury tax line, trading Highsmith also created an opening on the standard roster. Lyles or Jones could fill that 14th spot (Miami is unlikely to add a 15th man to open the season due to its proximity to the tax), but Afseth states multiple times that the Heat are considering other options as well.

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