Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Lakers, Wiggins, Bazley, Kings, Carter, Livers

July 15th, 2025 at 12:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Heat forward Andrew Wiggins was linked to the Lakers earlier in the offseason as a potential trade candidate, but Dan Woike of The Athletic suggested during an appearance on The Zach Lowe Show podcast (YouTube link) that he’s not anticipating Wiggins to be sent to Los Angeles.

“(The Lakers) are not interested in Andrew Wiggins,” Woike said when Lowe brought up the subject (hat tip to HoopsHype). “I think I can put that to bed. I’m pretty confident on that front.”

Those aforementioned reports on the Lakers’ apparent interest in Wiggins suggested that the Heat would be seeking Dalton Knecht or a first-round pick in addition to Rui Hachimura‘s expiring contract. As Lowe observes, the idea that L.A. would entertain that asking price never made all that much sense, given that Wiggins is coming off an up-and-down season in which both his teams (Golden State and Miami) were better when he was off the court than when he was on it.

“I didn’t understand those rumors,” Lowe said. “They were suddenly giving up a lot of s–t for Andrew Wiggins. Like, is Rui Hachimura just as good as Andrew Wiggins? Why am I adding a lot more to that?”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Former first-round pick Darius Bazley spoke to Matthew Valento of Lakers Nation about playing for the Lakers‘ Summer League team in an effort to “revamp” his career. The 25-year-old forward/center averaged 17.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in three California Classic outings and averaged a double-double (10.0 PPG, 10.5 RPG) through his first two games in Las Vegas before struggling on Monday, with just one point and four rebounds in 22 minutes.
Kings star Zach LaVine is enthusiastic about what newly signed point guard Dennis Schröder will bring to the team next season, as Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee relays. “Me and DeMar (DeRozan) have a track record for being able to put the ball in the basket and do the things on the court that we need to,” LaVine said. “But I think we need an overall team concept to where everything’s working the right way. Sometimes roster construction helps out a lot with that. So having Dennis, a veteran point guard who’s been in a lot of places, can come off the bench, has started. He can calm things down. He’s been in pressure situations. I think it’s going to help a lot.”
After making just 2-of-14 shots in his first Las Vegas Summer League game on Thursday, second-year Kings guard Devin Carter has bounced back admirably in what could be a trade showcase. As Jason Anderson details in a pair of stories for The Sacramento Bee, Carter led the Kings to a victory over Chicago on Saturday with 30 points on 10-of-13 shooting, then racked up another 17 points and three steals in a Monday win over Phoenix.
New Suns two-way player Isaiah Livers spoke on Sunday about his long journey back to the NBA following a reshaping procedure on his right hip, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “They said I was probably playing on it for about a year, straight bone on bone,” Livers said of his hip injury. “It just kept getting worse and worse. I tried to go to L.A. last summer and do conservative rehab. We found out we got to do this special surgery. I was very upset. … (But now) I kind of feel like a whole new player, to be honest.”

Eastern Notes: Robinson, Richardson, Embiid, Dadiet

July 14th, 2025 at 7:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons defeated the Heat three times last season in hotly contested games and that made a strong impression on Duncan Robinson, who was acquired from Miami by Detroit in a sign-and-trade.

“Heat versus Pistons, it feels like every single one had some sort of crazy finish,” he told Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. “The thing that sticks out about this group is the physicality, the toughness and how hard they play. And honestly how they share the ball. That’s the type of system you want to play in, those are the types of guys you want to be around.”

Robinson will be joining forces with Caris LeVert, who was signed to a two-year deal as a free agent. They were teammates at the University of Michigan.

“Caris and I were really good friends in college and we’ve kept up that way pretty much across our entire careers,” Robinson said. “He’s an incredible player obviously. One of the best people I’ve ever been around in terms of a teammate. I’m excited to be back with him. Outside of competing against him I didn’t really know any of these guys too well and they’ve been super welcoming. It is nice to have somebody joining me who also will be new who I do know really well. So that’ll be good.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Jase Richardson is making his presence felt in Summer League competition. The Magic rookie guard has averaged 16.5 points, 2.5 assists and 1.5 rebounds in two games. Richardson slipped to the No. 25 pick after some believed he might go in the lottery. “I can do a lot of things in that [position],” Richardson said about driving downhill, per Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. “I can score for myself, I can get my teammates involved and a lot of different ways I can get a bucket for the team.”
The Sixers‘ roster is being built with the notion that the team will have to overcome inevitable absences of superstar center Joel Embiid, Tony Jones of The Athletic writes. That includes the drafting of VJ Edgecombe in the lottery, the addition of free agent power forward Trendon Watford and the injury return of Jared McCain. Those additions should provide additional offensive versatility to complement star guard Tyrese Maxey.
Knicks 2024 first-rounder Pacome Dadiet had an injury scare in Summer League. The 19-year-old wing departed a contest with left foot soreness. It turned out to be a big toe issue but there was no structural damage, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post tweets.

Southeast Notes: Simpson, Ware, Toppin, Magic Coaches

July 13th, 2025 at 9:58pm CST by Eli Cohen

Hornets guard KJ Simpson is embracing his role as the primary initiator on Charlotte’s Summer League team after missing the event as a rookie a year ago, writes Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer. The Hornets’ roster is loaded with guards, and Simpson is aware he needs to become more consistent with his offense if he wants to find a role with the team this season.

“I know I’m a way better shooter and way better efficient scorer than I was during the season,” Simpson said. “Just being more efficient, taking better shots and better decision making, that can always improve.”

Simpson also knows he has to be a pest defensively if he wants to earn his place on the court. One player he’s looking to for inspiration is T.J. McConnell, whose game tape he has been watching for inspiration — that includes the Pacers guard’s tendency to pick up full-court defensively.

“T.J. is a good example that he just goes out there heart over height, and I just want to go out there and prove I can do the same thing at that same level,” Simpson said.

We have more from around the Southeast division:

After being called out by Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra for his lackluster Summer League start and overall approach, second-year big man Kel’el Ware responded in a major way on Sunday evening, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Ware racked up 21 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks in his fourth Summer League outing while making two of three three-point shots, though Jackson notes that more is still needed in terms of attention to detail on the defensive glass and transition defense. “He’s the coach and he has that trust in me and he wants to see me be the best I can be,” Ware said after the game. “So I took it as motivation.” Summer League coach Eric Glass liked what he saw from Ware. “When he comes in with that focus and that intensity, the rest of his game blossoms,” Glass said. “He has that potential and we want to see him do it again tomorrow.”
Jacob Toppin is hoping to build off a strong start to Summer League with the Hawks, writes Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Toppin’s speed and athleticism with the ball has stood out during his play, and Summer League coach Bryan Bailey has noticed. “Obviously, his size, his length and ability to shoot the ball,” Bailey said. “We even saw (Friday) in the game, just in the fourth quarter, he can push the ball. He can dribble. So we got him as a weapon in transition. Just keep developing those things.” The Hawks have a roster loaded with athletic wings, but Toppin knows what he needs to do to prove himself worth the investment. “On the defensive end, being a menace, being able to guard one of four, keeping guys in front,” he said. “Offensively, being that athletic wing who’s going to run the floor space, make open shots and stuff like that.”
Losing in the first round for a second consecutive season helped convince Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley that additional help was needed, not just on the roster, but on the coaching staff as well, writes Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. That led the team to hire God Shammgod and former Bucks’ assistant Joe Prunty. “What they bring is experience,” Mosley said. “They bring a level of player relationship that they’ve developed over time throughout being in the league all these years. For our staff, they continue that connectivity that we have.” Mosley has worked with both coaches before – Shammgod in Dallas and Prunty in Cleveland – and is excited about what the duo can bring to the team. “Sham, more on the coaching side, being able to dissect some of the offense, the individual movement and plays of guys,” Mosley said. “Joe’s going to be tasked more with the offensive focus, offensive flow of the way in which we’re playing.”

Erik Spoelstra Talks Heat Youth, Expectations

July 13th, 2025 at 5:03pm CST by Eli Cohen

In their first full season without Jimmy Butler since 2020, the Heat are counting on some of their young players to help bridge the gap to the new era. As Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes, head coach Erik Spoelstra has faith that Jaime Jaqu ez Jr. and Nikola Jovic are up to the task.

Spoelstra has been impressed with the Jovic’s improved approach during his nascent career with the Heat.

“If you look at where Niko was as a rookie to where he’s becoming right now, it’s night and day, the work ethic and it’s a consistency of approach every single day,” Spoelstra says. “I think the last two summers have been really good because it’s been a strong balance of the Miami Heat player development program and then going to play for his national team.”

As for Jaquez, Spoelstra is unconcerned with the 24-year-old’s below-average shooting numbers and is more focused on how he reads the floor.

“He’s clever, when he gets into all of his spins and fake spins and putting the shoulder down. Now it’s about making the paint-decision reads when you get in there,” Spoelstra said. “But I don’t want it to be his whole game based on whether he’s making a three-point shot or not. That’s not him at his best. Him at his best are these plays that are unscripted, getting downhill.”

Another Heat neophyte who is set to make an impact going forward is their 2025 first-round pick, Kasparas Jakucionis. Jakucionas recently shook off a brutal start to Summer League, exploding for 24 points on 7-of-12 shooting (including 5-of-9 three-pointers) on Friday against the Hawks. However, he’s not satisfied with the performance, writes Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.

“It felt good, yeah,” he said. “But eventually we still lost. I didn’t do a great job on the other side like rebounding, getting out on transition defense.”

Jakucionas said that he’s been watching a lot of film and talking frequently with Heat legend Udonis Haslem and the rest of the coaching staff. Spoelstra has been encouraged by the 19-year-old’s play and suggests his early struggles could be a positive in the long term.

“He had a lot of turnovers, some mistakes,” Spoelstra said. “All the intangibles — the defense, the hustle plays, the passing, all of that he was able to do while having some uneven offensive play. Sometimes that can take a spirit or confidence away from a player, but he found a way to impact the game, impact winning.”

The Heat have a solid guard rotation in Davion Mitchell, Tyler Herro, and the newly acquired Norman Powell, among others, but none of them bring quite the same skill set that Jakucionas can. Given the rookie’s size and play-making, his ability to play alongside any one of those guards could help unlock different lineups for Miami.

Heat Notes: Ware, Wiggins, Jakucionis, Butler Trade

July 12th, 2025 at 5:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kel’el Ware‘s underwhelming Summer League performance drew a stern reaction from head coach Erik Spoelstra, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Ware took over as the Heat’s starting center midway through last season and earned second-team All-Rookie honors. The organization values him highly enough that he wasn’t included in its offer for Kevin Durant, but there’s disappointment in how he has looked so far this summer.

“A big part of this is he has to really embrace and improve his professionalism, his consistency, his approach every single day,” Spoelstra said. “He has to get better with that. It’s learning how to become a pro. I understand that he was 20 last year and he’s 21. But we have bigger expectations. It’s not your normal growth and growing pains of a young player learning how to become a pro. But that’s what this summer is about. Learning how to become a pro, learning how to be consistent every single day.

“The talent is there. The professionalism and consistency has to improve, and it is. Our standards are not going to change and our expectations and how fast we want that to improve for him are not going to change. But he has to get better at it, he has to take ownership of it.”

Through two games in the California Classic and one in Las Vegas, Ware is averaging 12.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 39.4% from the field and connecting on just 1-of-10 three-point attempts. He posted a team-worst plus-minus rating of minus-21 in Friday’s loss to Atlanta.

Ware acknowledged to Chiang that he needs “to do better with definitely boxing out, a little bit more defensive end and just finishing the ball.”

There’s more on the Heat:

Andrew Wiggins has been linked to the Lakers in trade rumors, but Spoelstra considers him to be an important part of the rotation for the upcoming season, Chiang tweets. A source tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link) that none of the offers Miami received for Wiggins were tempting. “We got Wiggins to get Wiggins,” the source said, referring to the February trade with Golden State. “He’s a good player. He’s been a big part of winning teams.”
After two rough games in California, Kasparas Jakucionis displayed his potential with 24 points in his Las Vegas debut, Chiang adds in a separate story. However, the No. 20 overall pick was disappointed with other parts of his game on Friday. “Basketball is a lot more than just shooting,” he said. “It felt good, yeah. But eventually we still lost. I didn’t do a great job on the other side like rebounding, getting out on transition defense. So yeah, but I definitely felt better with the shot.”
Five months after sending Jimmy Butler to Golden State, the trade seems more like a win than it did in February, observes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Drafting Jakucionis with the pick they got from the Warriors and using Kyle Anderson, who was also part of the deal, to obtain Norman Powell have helped to balance the scales, according to Winderman.

Heat Notes: Powell, Clutch Shooting, Cap Space, D. Robinson

July 9th, 2025 at 6:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

Norman Powell called it a “childhood dream” to play for the Heat during an introductory news conference conducted via Zoom on Wednesday, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. That dream was realized on Monday when the Clippers agreed to send Powell to Miami as part of a three-team trade that also included Utah. Powell wasn’t exactly expecting to be dealt after a career-best season, but it wasn’t a complete surprise.

“I didn’t know what to think at first,” he said. “It has been a crazy last couple of weeks, from talking to [Clippers general manager] Lawrence Frank at my exit meeting and what they were telling me. It was something I knew was a possibility, from them communicating teams were interested, inquiring about me. But it was made to seem like it wasn’t a high possibility of it happening and they valued me and wanted me to be a Clipper and we were going to figure out … extension talks.”

Powell’s love for the Heat comes from being a fan of Dwyane Wade while growing up. He believes he has the work ethic to fit right into Heat culture and said he can provide scoring punch in whatever role he’s given.

“I see myself as a plug and play,” Powell said. “I see myself as a key guy, a one, two option that can help carry a team to win. … I’ve always seen myself as a go-to guy that can help carry a team, help a team win. I don’t have a big ego of ‘I have to be the main guy.’ I want to win.”

There’s more from Miami:

Powell should help the Heat improve their clutch shooting, which cost them several games last season, Jackson states in a separate piece. Miami posted the league’s worst record in close games after January 1 and ranked in the bottom two for shot-making in clutch situations throughout the entire season. Jackson notes that Powell was 12th in the league in clutch three-point shooting among players with at least 10 attempts, going 7-of-14.
The trade won’t have an immediate effect on the Heat’s cap space beyond next season, Jackson adds. Powell has a $20.5MM expiring contract, while Kevin Love also had an expiring deal and Kyle Anderson‘s $9.4MM salary for 2026-27 was non-guaranteed.
Powell represents a clear upgrade from Duncan Robinson, who was sent to Detroit in a sign-and-trade deal, contends Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Winderman views Powell as a more complete offensive threat than Robinson, who is primarily an outside shooter. He adds that it would have cost close to $20MM per season to keep Robinson, so there’s not much salary difference in acquiring Powell.

Eastern Notes: White, Langdon, Beasley, Johnson, Jakucionis

July 9th, 2025 at 1:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics traded away two starters this offseason and Derrick White‘s four-year, $118MM extension has kicked in for 2025/26. But he was reasonably sure he wouldn’t be dealt, he told Chris Forsberg of the Celtics Talk Podcast (hat tip to Brian Robb of Masslive.com).

“I think every summer is pretty crazy, especially nowadays,” White said. “But I didn’t feel too worried about anything. My agent and Brad (Stevens) had been talking and all the other rumors and stuff, I wasn’t really too worried about. I mean, I feel like it’s cool to be wanted by other teams, but I wanted to stay in Boston, and I was glad they wanted to keep me.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Pistons top exec Trajan Langdon admitted that the gambling investigation involving Malik Beasley news left them “not much time” to pivot,” Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press tweets. The Pistons pulled their three-year, $42MM offer to Beasley, an unrestricted free agent, when the news broke. “I was able to communicate with Malik and his agent Saturday, which was obviously right before we could start talking to free agents on Sunday,” Langdon said. “It was disappointing for us, because we were excited to get him back.”
Lottery pick Tre Johnson strives for greatness, which is one big reason why the Wizards are excited about his future, Josh Robbins of The Athletic writes. “I really don’t have too much of a life outside of basketball, and that was literally a choice up to me because of just how good I wanted to be,” Johnson said.
Kasparas Jakucionis, the Heat‘s first-round pick, had a rough time at the California Classic Summer League, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. He score just 12 points on 1-of-15 (6.7%) shooting from the field, including 0-of-11 from three-point range, in his first three summer league games. However, he’s not panicking over his showing. “I think I need to just settle in more, play at my own pace, don’t get sped up too much as I was these three games,” Jakucionis said. “I didn’t feel myself in those games. But I think that’s normal. It’s a process, so I’m just happy to be here, happy to be able to learn from coaches, from other guys by working out, watching film and just understanding the game.”

Groups Set For 2025 NBA Cup

July 9th, 2025 at 1:44pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially announced the six groups of five teams apiece for the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup, also known as the in-season tournament (Twitter link).

In order to set the groups, the league splits the Western and Eastern Conferences into five three-team tiers based on last season’s regular season standings, with one club from each tier randomly drawn into each of the conference’s three groups.

For instance, the top three teams from the West will all be in separate groups, with each of those three groups also featuring one team in the 4-6 range, one in the 7-9 range, and so on.

Here are the groups for the 2025 NBA Cup:

West Group A: Oklahoma City Thunder (1), Minnesota Timberwolves (6), Sacramento Kings (9), Phoenix Suns (11), Utah Jazz (15)
West Group B: Los Angeles Lakers (3), Los Angeles Clippers (5), Memphis Grizzlies (8), Dallas Mavericks (10), New Orleans Pelicans (14)
West Group C: Houston Rockets (2), Denver Nuggets (4), Golden State Warriors (7), Portland Trail Blazers (12), San Antonio Spurs (13)
East Group A: Cleveland Cavaliers (1), Indiana Pacers (4), Atlanta Hawks (8), Toronto Raptors (11), Washington Wizards (15)
East Group B: Boston Celtics (2), Detroit Pistons (6), Orlando Magic (7), Brooklyn Nets (12), Philadelphia 76ers (13)
East Group C: New York Knicks (3), Milwaukee Bucks (5), Chicago Bulls (9), Miami Heat (10), Charlotte Hornets (14)

The round-robin group play games will be starting a little earlier than usual this season and will run from October 31 to November 28. Each team will face the other four clubs in its group once, with the winners of each group and one wild card team from each conference advancing to the eight-team, single-elimination knockout round.

The full schedule of group play games can be viewed right here.

The quarterfinals will be played on December 9-10, with the semifinals and final to follow on Dec. 13 and Dec. 16, respectively, in Las Vegas. The knockout round games will all be aired by one of the NBA’s new broadcasting partners, Amazon Prime.

The Bucks won last season’s NBA Cup, with star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo earning MVP honors after leading Milwaukee to a victory over the Thunder in the championship game.

Heat’s Larsson, Johnson Headline All-California Classic Team

July 9th, 2025 at 7:02am CST by Luke Adams

A pair of players from the Heat‘s 15-man standard roster earned spots on the All-California Classic Summer League team after the four-team event wrapped up on Tuesday night, with second-year wings Pelle Larsson and Keshad Johnson both making the cut (Twitter link).

The full five-man team of California Classic standouts is as follows:

Pelle Larsson (Heat): 16.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, +17 (two games)
Keshad Johnson (Heat): 12.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.5 BPG, .563 FG% (two games)
David Jones-Garcia (Spurs): 22.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, .471 3PT% (three games)
Jackson Rowe (Warriors): 9.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.0 SPG, 1.7 APG, 1.3 BPG, .579 FG% (three games)
Cole Swider (Lakers): 19.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.3 BPG, .455 3PT% (three games)

The Heat and Lakers each went 2-1 at the four-day, round-robin tournament, with the Spurs and Warriors posting 1-2 records.

While both Larsson and Johnson are on standard contracts in Miami, Rowe is on a two-way deal with Golden State and Jones-Garcia and Swider don’t currently have contracts in place with their NBA teams beyond the Summer League.

The California Classic, which took place at the Chase Center in San Francisco, is a prelude to the NBA’s main Summer League event in Las Vegas — all 30 teams, including the Heat, Lakers, Spurs, and Warriors, will compete in the Vegas Summer League, which tips off on Thursday.

Heat Notes: Mitchell, Powell, Beal, Lillard, Fontecchio, Ware

July 8th, 2025 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Davion Mitchell, who re-signed with the Heat this week after playing the best basketball of his NBA career following a trade-deadline deal that sent him to Miami, said on Tuesday that the organization is “completely different” from the other NBA teams he has spent time with (Sacramento and Toronto).

“One, coach (Erik Spoelstra) is one of the greatest coaches of all time,” Mitchell said when asked what makes Miami different, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “So just learning from him, just asking questions, you won’t get any better answers from anybody else, I think. And just my teammates, my teammates wanted me here, they embraced me here, they wanted me to be myself. If I can be somewhere and be myself, I know I can be the best player I can be.”

As good as Mitchell was in during his 30 regular season games with Miami, the team struggled during those contests, posting a 10-20 record. He’s optimistic that working together this offseason will help put the Heat in a better position to open the 2025/26 season.

“It’s going to be good for me and the team, just the chemistry that we can build,” Mitchell said. “We won a couple games, we even made it to the playoffs with very little chemistry, especially with injuries and just getting traded here. So we didn’t really know how to jell with one another. I feel like we kind of figured it out a little bit (near the end of the season. But to have a training camp with one another, just to go at each other, just to learn from one another, spend time outside of basketball with each other, I think is going to build a lot of team chemistry.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

Mitchell is excited about Miami’s addition of Norman Powell, noting that the veteran wing will bring championship experience to the team. “He’s a winning player, he plays both sides of the ball, he can score with the best of them,” Mitchell said. “He kind of does it all. Even if he’s not shooting the ball well, he can disrupt defensively. So you want guys like that on the floor that can help you win like that.”
While the acquisition of Powell makes a Bradley Beal signing a long shot, the Heat are still in play as a possible Damian Lillard landing spot, Chiang writes in another Miami Herald story. However, Chiang believes Miami’s odds would increase if Lillard waits until midway through the season or next offseason to sign his next contract.
New Heat forward Simone Fontecchio, acquired from Detroit in the Duncan Robinson sign-and-trade, is hoping to fill a similar offensive role to the one Robinson played in Miami, according to Chiang. “I watched a lot of Duncan Robinson in the last three years, because I think our skill set is pretty similar,” Fontecchio said. “Of course, he’s a tremendous shooter and he did an amazing job all the years in Miami and I was always kind of looking at him, the way he was getting off shots and I always kind of wanted to do the same thing. I think I can try to play like a little bit off handoffs, running off screens, do a little bit of that.”
Sharing his takeaways from the Heat’s second Summer League game at this week’s California Classic, Chiang writes that the team will want to see more going forward out of second-year center Kel’el Ware, who put up an underwhelming stat line of 12 points (on 4-of-10 shooting) and three rebounds in 28 minutes in Sunday’s loss to the Lakers. As we noted last week, the Heat’s coaching staff had hoped Ware would “dominate” Summer League play ahead of his second NBA season.