Norman Powell

Heat Notes: Jaquez, Powell, Up-Tempo Approach, Jovic

November 9th, 2025 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Norman Powell both played through injuries on Saturday as the Heat picked up a win over Portland, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Miami was already short-handed with Bam Adebayo missing his second straight game due to a sprained big toe and Tyler Herro still recovering from offseason ankle surgery, so Jaquez and Powell were both needed despite suffering sprained ankles on Friday. Jaquez wound up with 14 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in 29 minutes, while Powell contributed 22 points, two rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes.

“Jaime at three o’clock was not cleared to play,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I mentioned that to the team, and he put himself out there. He spent three hours just trying to get his ankle ready. He even skipped the walkthrough just to continue to get treatment. And then he got cleared after that, gave us everything he had.”

After regressing during his second NBA season, Jaquez has emerged as one of the early favorites for Sixth Man of the Year honors, according to Chiang. He ranked third in the league in points off the bench entering Saturday’s game and has become one of the leaders of a potent reserve unit.

“We want to really take pride in being that energy booster for our team,” Jaquez said. “And so when we see the first unit, whether they’re going good or things are going slow, regardless, we want to just take that energy up to that next level.”

There’s more from Miami:

The Heat and Trail Blazers combined for 267 points in a battle of the league’s two fastest-paced teams, Chiang states in the same story. Spoelstra introduced the up-tempo style during training camp and believes his players have done a good job adapting to it. “Obviously, our guys are getting pretty comfortable with it,” he said. “Embracing the unknown, that was the first thing from media day. And both teams were attacking. This was a heck of a basketball game.”
Nikola Jovic has been through an up-and-down start to the season, so it was encouraging to see him produce 29 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals on Saturday. The Heat are counting on the young forward to be part of their foundation after giving him a four-year, $62.4MM extension last month. “I would have lied if I said that the last two weeks were easy because I felt like everything I did was wrong, and I was not helping this team at all,” Jovic tells Chiang in a separate story. “And I want to thank the coaches and everybody from the team for supporting me and letting me know that I’m important for the team. But my head just wasn’t there. I didn’t know how to help the team.”
With the Heat preparing to host the Cavaliers on Monday and Wednesday, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel looks at how the playoff sweep last spring revealed the need for change. Spoelstra was humiliated by the defeat, particularly in the two home games, which Miami lost by 37 and 53 points. “We were done at the end of April, and it was a very painful, embarrassing first-round loss,” Spoelstra said. “We had done a lot emotionally to earn that ticket to get into the playoffs, and we felt really proud about that, back-to-back (play-in) games on the road to earn that ticket. And it was just — it was embarrassing. And you had to credit Cleveland with that.”

Southeast Notes: Hawks Employee Indictment, Young, Larsson, Ball

November 4th, 2025 at 10:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

A former Hawks employee has been charged with fraud and embezzling $3.8MM from the franchise, according to an indictment brought last week by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov, Joe Vardon and Sam Amick report.

Lester Jones, who was the team’s senior vice president of financial planning and analysis, reportedly charged trips to the Bahamas, Hawaii, Thailand, Switzerland and other countries; paid for a Porsche; and bought tickets to concerts and other events on corporate credit cards. Jones was in a romantic relationship with another team employee and allegedly bought her expensive gifts via corporate funds.

Evidence of his alleged crimes was uncovered through a team-backed audit. Jones pleaded not guilty and was released on a $10K bond last week.

We have more on the Southeast Division:

Hawks star guard Trae Young has a sprained MCL and will miss at least four weeks, but head coach Quin Snyder said the team was relieved that there’s no major structural damage, which would have sidelined Young for even longer, ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk tweets. Snyder added that “other guys will have to be more involved as play-makers, and that requires different actions,” Brad Rowland of Locked On Hawks tweets. Young excels in the pick-and-roll game, but Atlanta will alter its schemes until he returns.
Norman Powell returned to the Heat lineup after a three-game absence on Monday, but his fill-in Pelle Larsson remained in the starting five. Head coach Erik Spoelstra moved struggling big man Kel’el Ware to the bench as the Heat went small against the Clippers, a game which Miami won by a point. “I know probably people will point to Kel’el and say it’s a demotion. It’s not,” Spoelstra said, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “I know there will be some teams that it makes more sense to play big. We have a team that it makes more sense to use our versatility. Sometimes it changes the starting lineup to do that.”
LaMelo Ball was sidelined for the Hornets’ game against New Orleans Tuesday due to a right ankle injury, according to NBA.com. Ball also missed the Hornets’ previous game, a 23-point win over Utah on Sunday. He is averaging 23.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists per contest while shooting 43% overall and 33.3% on three-pointers. Charlotte lost to the previously winless Pelicans, 116-112.

Heat Notes: Ware, Defense, Powell, Lawsuit, LaRoche

November 3rd, 2025 at 1:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Heat second-year big man Kel’el Ware is experiencing growing pains and his playing time has been shaved. He was on the court for just 11 minutes and 30 seconds in a loss to the Lakers on Sunday, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald notes.

“I wouldn’t say it’s frustrating,” Ware said of his usage. “I feel like you got to trust the coach and the decisions that he comes up with. And then you got to go from there and be ready when your name is called.”

Entering Monday’s matchup against the Clippers, the Heat have been outscored by 10 points per 100 possessions with Ware on the court this season, according to Chiang. No other Miami rotation player has a worse net rating.

“We’re not going to give up on him,” frontcourt partner Bam Adebayo said. “We know how great he can be. He moves the needle for this team.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

The Heat’s defense in general was poor against the Lakers, as they gave up 130 points. They are 0-2 on their current road trip. “It really boiled down to a lack of effort on plays that we’re accustomed to doing and making, and/or mindless plays,” coach Erik Spoelstra said, per Chiang. “Either fouls or just things that we haven’t been doing. So you do have to credit them, but we’re much better defensively than we showed (Sunday). That’s probably what’s really frustrating.”
Norman Powell missed his third straight game on Sunday because of a right groin strain, Chiang adds. Powell was listed as questionable for Sunday’s contest before being ruled out a few hours before tip-off. He’s considered questionable to play against the Clippers, who dealt him to the Heat in July as part of a three-team trade.
Will the Heat sue the Hornets for their failure to disclose gambling allegations against Terry Rozier before they traded him to Miami in January 2024? The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson believes it’s unlikely, noting that Heat owner Micky Arison and his son, team CEO Nick Arison, are not predisposed to filing lawsuits. The NBA was immediately informed of the suspicious betting activity the day it happened and did not inform the Heat at that time or before it approved the trade, according to Jackson’s sources. However, the Arisons have a strong relationship with commissioner Adam Silver.
Noah LaRoche has been a significant addition to the staff, Chiang writes. He was brought in this season as a consultant after being an assistant with the Grizzlies before last season. LaRoche was credited with helping to install a more free-flowing, motion-based offense with Memphis and is doing the same with the Heat.

Heat Notes: Powell, Rozier, Herro, Jakucionis, Morant, LaRoche

November 2nd, 2025 at 8:22am CST by Rory Maher

Heat guard Norman Powell is in the final year of his contract, which will pay him $20.48MM in 2025/26. He will remain extension-eligible through June 30, 2026, and if a deal is not reached he will become an unrestricted free agent.

According to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, Powell recently made it clear he hopes to sign a long-term extension with the Heat.

“I love it here. I love everything about the Heat,” Powell emphasized. “I loved them before. They were on my list before I signed my extension in Portland. I wanted to come here and play for the Heat. So I’m excited. I like the culture. I like what they have going on here. I like the mentality and the approach. I feel like they take guys to the next level. They push them past their own expectations, they have high standards. And I always like being around people that have high aspirations and high goals for themselves. It fits who I am, so I want to be here. Hopefully they feel the same way.”

As Chiang writes, Powell was off to a hot start to the season, averaging 24.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals on .477/.500/.913 shooting in three games (31.0 minutes per contest) before suffering a right groin strain that has caused him to miss the past two. The 32-year-old is questionable for Sunday’s contest at the Lakers.

“Hopefully [the Heat] like everything that’s happened so far and what I bring to the table outside of just on the court,” said Powell, who recently described himself as “super low-maintenance.” “But just who I am every single day, stepping into the arena, integrating myself with the team and the staff and the members around. Hopefully everybody appreciates my presence and we’ll be able to get something done. But, yeah, I want to be here.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel lists the short-term steps he believes commissioner Adam Silver should take to give the Heat more cap and roster flexibility in the wake of Terry Rozier‘s arrest — the veteran guard is facing two federal charges as part of an illegal gambling probe. While the information isn’t really relevant now, a source tells Winderman that the Heat considered waiving Rozier before the season began (a small portion of his contract was non-guaranteed at the time) and also had buyout discussions with the 31-year-old.
All-Star Tyler Herro (left ankle surgery) and rookie guard Kasparas Jakucionis (right groin strain) are traveling with the team on its current four-game road trip, which ends Wednesday in Denver, per Chiang of The Miami Herald. “It’s good for them,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said about Herro and Jakucionis joining the team on the road. “For us, sure, it’s always good to have them around. But I think it just speeds up the whole process when they’re around the guys, around the game, around the whole travel routine, and participating in some of the things that they can do, which they did this morning.” Both players are out on Sunday, though Jakucionis is closer to making his season debut — the 2025 first-round pick is considered day-to-day.
Although the Heat have expressed “more than passing” interest in Ja Morant in the past, Winderman doesn’t expect the team to explore the possibility of buying low on the Grizzlies guard in the wake of his latest off-court incident, which resulted in a one-game suspension for detrimental conduct following a disagreement with the coaching staff.
Speaking of the Grizzlies, former Memphis assistant coach Noah LaRoche is now a consultant with the Heat, who have implemented the movement-heavy offense LaRoche was in charge of last season with Memphis, sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN. It’s only been five games, but the Heat currently rank seventh in the league in offensive efficiency after finishing 21st, 21st and 25th in the league in that category over the past three years, Windhorst notes. “You know Spo is running the polar opposite of the system that [Heat president] Pat Riley used to run, where he called every play and each play design was exact,” a league executive said. “And it makes me further appreciate and respect that the organization is about the right s–t. They’re about exploring and teaching in Miami.”

Heat Notes: Wiggins, Mitchell, Powell, Adebayo, Jaquez

October 29th, 2025 at 6:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

Andrew Wiggins was motivated this summer by his poor performance in the playoffs as the Heat were swept by Cleveland, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. After shooting 16-of-43 in the series with 11 turnovers, Wiggins was determined to prove that he’s still capable of playing winning basketball, like he did when he helped Golden State capture the NBA title in 2022.

“That definitely wasn’t one of my better series and I did a lot more of everything (on the court) this summer,” he said. “I did everything I did before and more to get to the next level.”

After being traded to the Heat at last year’s deadline, Wiggins has a greater comfort level following a full offseason. His family has joined him in Miami, and he’s used to playing in coach Erik Spoelstra‘s system. Wiggins’ scoring average has declined to 14.5 PPG through the first four games of the season, but he attributes that to being on the court with so many other talented players.

“I play within the flow of the offense, play within the flow of the game, and do whatever I can to help the team win,” he said. “We’ve got Tyler (Herro), an All-Star. You’ve got (Norman Powell), who had a hell of a season last year. Should have been an All-Star last year. But he’s heading towards it this year. We’ve got Bam (Adebayo). Bam’s another All-Star. So we’ve got a lot of guys that can do a lot of special things.”

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Davion Mitchell, who was acquired in the same trade as Wiggins, has brought stability at point guard, Jackson adds in the same story. He’s among the league’s top 12 players in assist-to-turnover ratio, and his 33 assists in four games are the most by a Heat player to start a season in nearly three decades. “How do you not love playing with a guy like that who wants to get you the ball?” Spoelstra said. “He wants to make sure that it’s delivered on time, on target. And that becomes contagious.”
Powell is listed as doubtful for Thursday’s game in San Antonio after sitting out Tuesday with right groin soreness. Tyler Herro is still recovering from ankle surgery, but Miami’s up-tempo offense has remained effective without its most explosive scorers, producing 144 points in a win over Charlotte, notes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “This is probably my first year where we’ve been emphasizing playing this fast, and we’re playing the right way,” Adebayo said. “That’s what I love about it. We’re sharing the game and everybody feels involved.”
Jaime Jaquez Jr. is also enjoying the new offensive approach and is thriving as an on-ball creator with the bench unit, Chiang states in a separate story. Averaging 18.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, Jaquez’s numbers are up across the board after a disappointing second season. “Getting downhill, we’ve got a lot of guys cutting and moving,” he said. “It creates a lot of space and a lot of opportunity for myself to get into the paint and make a play. Really, this style, it’s been a lot of fun. And that’s the most important thing, we’re having a good time.”

Extension Rumors: Herro, Heat, Porzingis, Daniels, M. Robinson

October 17th, 2025 at 11:34am CST by Luke Adams

Although All-Star guard Tyler Herro has expressed interest in signing a contract extension with the Heat before the regular season begins, there haven’t been substantive discussions to this point, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, who hears from sources that a preseason deal is doubtful.

Because Herro has two guaranteed seasons left on his current contract, he wouldn’t be eligible to sign an extension during the season. If he and Heat don’t work out an agreement on or before Monday, his next window to sign a new deal would be during the 2026 offseason.

Norman Powell and Andrew Wiggins are also extension-eligible, but a long-term deal for either player appears unlikely in the short term, Windhorst writes.

As ESPN’s Tim Bontemps observes within the same story, the Heat are one of a handful of teams looking to maximize their cap flexibility for the summer of 2027, which is when several stars – including Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Donovan Mitchell – are currently projected to reach free agency. That doesn’t necessarily mean a player like Herro or Powell won’t sign an extension sooner or later, but Miami may be reluctant to sacrifice 2027 cap room until they have “good reason” to, Bontemps explains.

Here are a few more notes and rumors on potential extension candidates:

There’s mutual interest between the Hawks and Kristaps Porzingis in a new contract, but the two sides are comfortable waiting to see how the season plays out, says Windhorst. That lines up with recent public comments from Porzingis on the subject. Both Porzingis and Trae Young are expected to have to wait on potential extensions, though Young would ideally like to replace his $49MM player option for 2026/27 with a lucrative new deal sooner or later, per Windhorst.
The Hawks are negotiating with rookie scale extension candidate Dyson Daniels ahead of Monday’s deadline, Bontemps confirms. ESPN’s Bobby Marks suggested earlier this week that Daniels’ agent, Daniel Moldovan, is using Jalen Suggs‘ five-year, $150MM as the key point of comparison for his client. Daniels’ teammate Jalen Johnson signed an identical extension last fall.
The Knicks and Mitchell Robinson have spoken about a possible extension, but haven’t gained any real traction, sources tell Windhorst. According to Windhorst, there’s also no urgency for the Knicks and Karl-Anthony Towns to work out a new contract — he’s extension-eligible, but has two guaranteed years and a player option left on his current deal.
Marks and Bontemps took a closer look at several of the remaining rookie scale extension candidates, speculating about what fair contracts might look like and predicting which ones will get done.

Heat Notes: Powell, Jovic, Ware, Johnson

October 7th, 2025 at 12:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Before he was traded from the Clippers to the Heat this summer, Norman Powell had begun having conversations with L.A. about a possible contract extension, he tells Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required).

“To be transparent, we were talking extension and what it would look like, and they were telling me they didn’t want to trade me, they wanted me there — all that good stuff,” Powell said. “But they inevitably ended up trading me.”

A report last month indicated that the Heat are open to discussing an extension with Powell, who is entering the final year of his current contract. However, that report suggested any deal would likely happen during the season, once the club had more time to assess his fit on the roster. For his part, the 32-year-old guard says he’s thinking about “basketball” rather than his contract situation, as Winderman relays.

“I’m just focused on what I have to do for this team, and I know if I go out there and perform, you’re going to be rewarded,” Powell said. “I feel like I’ve been performing every single year and my trajectory is just focused on getting better and how I can improve, and the payday will come.”

If Powell can carry over performances like Monday’s into the regular season, it would bode well for his future earnings. In just 16 minutes of action in Miami’s preseason matchup with Milwaukee, he racked up 18 points, making 6-of-12 shots from the floor, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.

“You can see his ignitability.” Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said after the game, according to Winderman. “I like what he can do on the drive. He can really get hot from three. Guys were finding him. I think we can definitely build on that.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

Nikola Jovic‘s four-year rookie scale extension with the Heat starts at $16,200,000 in 2026/27 before dipping to $14,904,000 in ’27/28, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. The third year of the deal is worth $15,096,000 and then it rises back up to $16,200,000 in year four (’29/30). The structure will give the team some added cap flexibility during the 2027 and 2028 offseasons and suggests that creating cap room in 2026 probably isn’t a goal.
Jovic got a second consecutive start in Monday’s preseason game against the Bucks, while center Kel’el Ware, who finished last season as a starter, has yet to play alongside Bam Adebayo this month, notes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
Ware put up big numbers off the bench against Milwaukee, scoring 18 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, but he turned the ball over four times and was a -21 on the night. After the game, Spoelstra was more focused on the latter numbers. “I think everybody is looking at the wrong thing,” he said of Ware’s double-double, per Chiang. “It’s got to impact the game. I want him the next game to be a plus-20. That’s what it’s about. … It does not matter if you have 18 and 13 if it’s not impacting the game. … That’s part of being a young player, and that’s why I enjoy coaching him because my responsibility is to help teach him how to connect the dots and become more consistent where it now leads to winning.”
The Heat raised eyebrows early in the offseason when they picked up Keshad Johnson‘s guaranteed team option for 2025/26 after he logged just 98 total minutes as a rookie. Now, Johnson says he’s determined to reward the club for its faith in him, as Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes. “That shows they were [willing to] bet on me,” Johnson said. “If they bet on me, I’ve got to prove them right.” Johnson added that he’s willing to play either on the wing or in the frontcourt, depending on what the coaching staff asks of him. “Whether I’m undersized or not, I can compete with anybody,” the 6’6″ forward said of potentially playing in the frontcourt.

Players Seeking Paydays This Season

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

While some players are still hoping to finalize rookie scale extensions before the season begins, the majority of contract situations around the league have been settled at this point. But business never sleeps in the world of the NBA, and many players will enter this season hoping to impress executives and land their next big payday.

Zach Harper of The Athletic details the top names playing for new deals this season, excluding the aforementioned rookie scale extension seekers.

One player not on a rookie-scale deal but still extension-eligible is Michael Porter Jr., whom the Nets recently acquired to add some scoring pop to the starting lineup. Porter’s deal runs for two more seasons and will pay him $38.3MM this year and $40.8MM in 2026/27.

The Nets’ roster remains a major work in progress, making future projections tricky, but at just 27 years old, Porter is in position to have a big year in Brooklyn and boost his stock entering a contract year next summer. The biggest question, according to Harper, is whether Porter’s next deal would remain in the range of the $40MM+ he’ll earn in 2026/27 or if he would take a modest pay cut to secure a longer-term contract.

Harper takes a look at three big men who could hit the open market next summer: Kristaps Porzingis, the Hawks‘ new starting center, longtime Bulls veteran Nikola Vucevic, and the Knicks‘ on-and-off starter Mitchell Robinson. All three have question marks surrounding them — for Porzingis and Robinson, those questions center around health, though Robinson could also be a cap casualty on New York’s increasingly pricey roster.

Vucevic has been in trade rumors for years, and with the Bulls taking more steps to embrace a youth movement than they have in the past, his time in Chicago could be coming to an end. Harper predicts an annual value of around $21MM for Vucevic on his next deal, which is about what he’ll earn in 2025/26.

Another group of players Harper looks at is a trio of high-scoring guards who will be free agents in 2026: Anfernee Simons and Norman Powell, who were acquired this summer by the Celtics and Heat, respectively, and Coby White, who has grown into a talented combo guard over his six seasons with the Bulls. Harper predicts a deal around $20MM annually for Simons, $75MM over three years for White, and a two-year, $50MM contract for Powell.

The 2026 free agency class will also be impacted by the decisions made by veterans with player options, such as Zach LaVine (Kings), Bradley Beal (Clippers), and Austin Reaves (Lakers). Cam Thomas (Nets) and Quentin Grimes (Sixers) will also reach unrestricted free agency after accepting their respective qualifying offers and will be looking to recoup the money they passed on this offseason.

Finally, Harper singles out four role players who could be coveted next season, depending on their performance this season: Rui Hachimura (Lakers), Tyus Jones (Magic), Keon Ellis (Kings), and Georges Niang (Jazz). The 25-year-old Ellis has broken out over the last two seasons and could command his first real payday of his career if he has a strong season off the bench in Sacramento. Harper speculates he could be in line for a deal similar to the three-year, $27.6MM contract Ty Jerome signed with the Grizzlies this summer.

Heat Notes: Powell, Achiuwa, Rozier, Smith, Scouts

September 30th, 2025 at 10:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Forward Norman Powell had the best season of his career with the Clippers, but wasn’t selected for the All-Star Game. Traded to the Heat during the offseason, Powell enters this season with extra motivation, he told Marc J. Spears of Andscape.

“I definitely have a chip from feeling like I could have made it,” Powell said. “I should have made it last [season]. It added fuel to the fire this summer on how I am going to capitalize on this [season], that I have to make sure that I’m a surefire pick for an All-Star selection. Finding out that it is in L.A. would definitely be a little punch there to make it. To play All-Star Weekend in Intuit would be amazing. But yeah, I’m definitely excited about the opportunity to go at it again and have a chance to finally get selected.”

We have more on the Heat:

Terry Rozier had the worst season of his career last year and fell out of the rotation. The veteran guard, who has one year left on his contract, comes into this season with something to prove. “I don’t know (why things went sour),” he told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “I was being a human. I’m glad I can still play basketball and do what I love and ready for a turnaround this season.”
Dru Smith has endured major injuries during his career, most recently an Achilles tear. Yet he was re-signed in the offseason, in part because of the resiliency he’s shown, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. “What he has is a superpower. I wish you could take some of that and just apply it to other players,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said when asked about Smith’s participation in practice less than a year after tearing his Achilles. “When I say superpower or superpowers, it’s a level of grit, it’s a level of fortitude, perseverance. However, you want to describe it, he has no quit in him.”
Big man Precious Achiuwa signed as a free agent on a one-year contract and indicated that familiarity played a role, Miami Heat Spain tweets. He played with Miami during his rookie season. “It was a pretty easy decision because of how well this organization represents the type of player that I am. I also took into account the high competitive level of Spo, I want to forge myself around that,” he said.
A couple of unnamed scouts gave their evaluations of Achiuwa and the Heat’s young players to Jackson, including whether Achiuwa was a better option than some of the other free agent big men the front office looked at.

Heat Notes: Herro, Jovic, Smith, Powell, Ware, Rozier

September 29th, 2025 at 10:48am CST by Dana Gauruder

Heat guard Tyler Herro suggested on Monday that his return from ankle surgery could take longer than initial projections, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. Herro underwent surgery this month to alleviate posterior impingement syndrome in his left ankle with the expectation he’d miss about eight weeks.

Herro, who said he couldn’t even jump due to the ankle pain prior to surgery, said the rehab process could go a little longer.

“I’ll be back in the next eight to 12 weeks,” Herro said. “Should be a full recovery. Right now, I’m ahead of schedule as far as the swelling. I should get the stitches out in the next week.”

However, Herro told coach Erik Spoelstra that he’ll try to return on a more accelerated timetable.

“I told Spo that I’ll be back in six weeks,” Herro said. “I’m ahead of schedule.”

Here’s more from the Heat during their annual media day:

Nikola Jovic is one of the Heat players who is extension-eligible this preseason with an Oct. 20 deadline. He downplayed extension talks on Monday, Winderman tweets. Winderman speculated last week that a contract in the range of $50-60MM over four years could appeal to both sides. Jovic added that he hopes to get a chance to earn a starting job during training camp, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets.
Dru Smith, who was signed to a three-year deal in August, said he’s been cleared to play in preseason games, according to Jackson. Smith suffered an Achilles tear in December.
The addition of veteran forward and proven scorer Norman Powell via trade in July came as a pleasant surprise to Spoelstra, according to Jackson and Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “We’re excited to have Norm with us, his ability to put the ball in the basket. He can do it on the ball, can do it off the ball,” the coach said. “He’s been able to be efficient in a lot of different roles. He’s been part of a lot of winning teams. He’s a competitive dude, has got an edge to him. His work ethic is tremendous. We will thrilled [to get him]. There were a lot of things we planned to do this summer; that one was a little bit of a surprise.”
Second-year big man Kel’el Ware won’t be handed the starting center job. “He and Bam (Adebayo) had some good moments together. In the playoffs, it wasn’t good,” Spoelstra said. “He’s positioning himself for an important role. He’ll have to prove it; he will have to earn it.”
Terry Rozier, whose status with the team this season remains up in the air, has been preparing for the season in Miami, according to Spoelstra. “Terry has been in the gym since the middle of July,” he said. “He is in great shape, lost 10, 12 pounds. He was playing pickup anywhere he could in Miami [this summer].”
Rozier said the FBI investigation regarding suspicious bets when he played for Charlotte weighed on him initially, but is no longer a concern, according to Jackson (Twitter link). He declined to say what his attorney has told him about where that investigation stands. The NBA found no wrongdoing in its own investigation.

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