Davion Mitchell Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat Become First No. 10 Seed To Win Two Play-In Games

April 18th, 2025 at 9:04pm CST by Luke Adams

For a third straight year, the Heat have earned the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot via the play-in tournament.

This time around, Miami made history by becoming the first No. 10 seed to make it through the play-in tournament since the event’s inception in 2021. After defeating the No. 9 Bulls in Chicago on Wednesday, the Heat registered their second consecutive road play-in win in Atlanta on Friday against the No. 8 Hawks.

The Heat led for most of the night until the Hawks made a fourth-quarter comeback and forced overtime. Trade-deadline acquisition and free-agent-to-be Davion Mitchell helped Miami secure the 123-114 win by knocking down a trio of three-pointers in the extra frame.

Tyler Herro (30 points), Bam Adebayo (17 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks), and Andrew Wiggins (20 points, eight rebounds, eight assists) also played key roles in the victory.

As a result of the win, the Heat have a first-round series on tap with the No. 1 Cavaliers. As the NBA announced this week (via Twitter), that series will get underway in Cleveland on Sunday evening. The Hawks’ season is over.

Friday’s game also had major draft-related implications. Because they made the playoffs, the Heat will no longer control their first-round pick, which will land at No. 15 overall and will be sent to the Thunder. Miami will still receive Golden State’s first-round pick, which will end up at No. 18, 19, or 20, depending on the outcome of a random tiebreaker on Monday.

If they’d missed the playoffs, the Heat would’ve hung onto their own 2025 pick and would’ve owed their unprotected 2026 first-rounder to Oklahoma City and their unprotected 2028 first-rounder to Charlotte. Instead, the Heat will keep their 2026 pick and will owe their lottery-protected 2027 first-rounder to the Hornets. That pick would become unprotected in 2028 if it lands in the top 14 in 2027.

The Spurs, meanwhile, control the Hawks’ first-round pick, which will now be No. 12, 13, or 14 in the lottery standings, depending on the outcome of Friday’s Grizzlies/Mavericks game and a Monday tiebreaker between Atlanta and Sacramento, both of whom finished with 40-42 regular season records.

If Dallas beats Memphis on Friday, that Hawks/Kings tiebreaker would be incredibly meaningful, since it would determine the 12th and 13th spots in the lottery — Sacramento owes its first-round pick to Atlanta if it lands outside the top 12, so the odds of the Kings keeping that pick would increase significantly if they move up to No. 12 in the lottery standings.

If the Grizzlies beat Dallas on Friday, that tiebreaker between Atlanta and Sacramento would be for the 13th and 14th spots in the lottery standings, putting the Hawks in position to claim the Kings’ pick regardless of the tiebreaker outcome (unless it jumps into the top four on lottery night).

Heat Notes: Mitchell, Play-In Tournament, Jovic, Larsson, Love

April 18th, 2025 at 11:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Re-signing Davion Mitchell figures to be an offseason priority for the Heat, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The 26-year-old guard, who was acquired from the Raptors as part of the Jimmy Butler trade, has become a valuable component of Miami’s defense during his two months with the team.

“I’ve shown it this whole year,” he said. “With Toronto I was able to showcase some of the things I can do. I think that’s the reason why Miami traded for me. They can see what I can do. They can see what I do for this culture and I fit right in.”

The Heat can make Mitchell a restricted free agent — giving them the option to match any offer he receives — by tendering an $8.7MM qualifying offer. A former NBA executive told Winderman that Mitchell’s next contract is likely to start in that range, projecting something in the neighborhood of $30MM over three years. Mitchell recently locked in the value of his QO by topping 2,000 minutes for the season, which meant meeting the starter criteria.

Mitchell was expected to be part of the future in Sacramento when he was selected with the ninth pick in the 2021 draft, but he fell out of the Kings’ rotation after a promising rookie year. After being traded twice over the past 10 months, Mitchell hopes he’s found a more stable situation with the Heat.

“To play basketball in Miami, it’s a blessing,” he said. “I love being here. It’s a spot I come to during the summer, so I’m familiar with it and I got a lot of people out here that I know.”

There’s more on the Heat:

Miami is trying to make history by becoming the first 10th seed ever to advance through the play-in tournament and earn a playoff spot, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The Heat are brimming with confidence after Wednesday’s convincing win at Chicago, and they’re ready to take the same approach to tonight’s game against the Hawks. “We locked in defensively,” Andrew Wiggins said. “This has to carry over to Atlanta. We got one more game to do the same thing. Lock in defensively and the offense will follow.”
Coach Erik Spoelstra expects Nikola Jovic and Pelle Larsson to be in uniform tonight, Chiang tweets. Jovic, who hasn’t played since February 23 due to a broken right hand, isn’t likely to see any action, although Spoelstra joked that he might be used as an inbounder. Larsson, who sprained his ankle last week, hasn’t appeared in a game since April 7.
Kevin Love is away from the team again due to personal reasons, Chiang adds (Twitter link). Love has only played 23 times this season and hasn’t gotten into a game since logging six minutes on March 21.

Southeast Notes: Larsson, Mitchell, Risacher, Middleton

April 12th, 2025 at 12:00pm CST by Earnest Marshall

The Heat lost rookie guard Pelle Larsson on Wednesday to a sprained ankle he suffered during a weightlifting incident, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. The rookie out of Arizona called the incident a “freak accident.”

“I was lifting and just stepped and got my foot caught in something,” Larsson said. “So I just stepped on a twisted ankle, and it doesn’t feel great.”

Larsson isn’t sure if he’ll be ready for next week’s play-in tournament, according to coach Erik Spoelstra. It’s unfortunate timing, as he had established himself as a strong perimeter defender for Miami and started six games in a row with Andrew Wiggins sidelined, averaging 10.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.2 steals in those games, Chiang notes.

“It’s more frustrating than anything, especially when it happens off the court,” Larsson added. “It feels like you don’t have as much control. So it’s frustrating.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

After playing 22 minutes in Friday’s matchup against the Pelicans, Heat guard Davion Mitchell crossed the 2,000-minute mark on the season and met the starter criteria. That means his qualifying offer this season will remain at $8,741,210 — it would have dipped to $7,976,830 if he had fallen short of 2,000 minutes.
Hawks No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher continued his late-season push for Rookie of the Year consideration on Thursday, scoring a career-high 38 points against the Nets. According to the team (Twitter link), Risacher’s 38 points were the most by any rookie in a single game this season.
Wizards forward Khris Middleton has been out since March 27 and will probably miss the team’s final game of the season on Sunday, according to The Washington Post’s Varun Shankar (Twitter link). In 14 games with the Wizards, all starts, Middleton averaged 10.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per night.

Heat Likely To Extend Qualifying Offer To Davion Mitchell

April 8th, 2025 at 9:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Heat want to retain Davion Mitchell and will likely extend a qualifying offer to the guard, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

That would make Mitchell a restricted free agent, allowing Miami to match an offer sheet, though a sizable multiyear offer could price the cap-strapped Heat out of the market.

Mitchell’s qualifying offer would be $8.74MM if he meets the starter criteria and $7.98MM if he doesn’t. He’ll need to play at least 50 minutes in the final three games of the regular season to reach the 2,000-minute mark for the season and meet the criteria.

Mitchell has excelled for the Heat after being acquired from the Raptors in a mid-season deal. He’ll have options if the Heat give him a QO. He could choose to accept it, sign an offer sheet from another club, or work out a multiyear deal with Miami.

Playing mainly the point for the Heat, Mitchell is averaging 10.3 points and 5.2 assists per game and shooting 49.5% from the field and 45.3% on three-point tries in 27 outings (14 starts) for Miami. Known primarily for his defensive prowess, Mitchell spent his first three seasons as a rotation player with Sacramento.

Florida Notes: Wiggins, Heat, KCP, Magic

April 6th, 2025 at 10:04pm CST by Rory Maher

Heat forward Andrew Wiggins has been plagued by a variety of ailments since he was traded to Miami in February, with the latest being right hamstring tendinopathy, which has cost him the past five games.

According to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel, Wiggins said the injury “had been kind of lingering a little bit,” but he plans to return sometime this week — he’s questionable for Monday’s contest vs. Philadelphia.

“Definitely been frustrating, just because I want to be out there, playing with the guys and just fighting,” Wiggins said. “I feel like this is a new thing for me. I feel like usually I play throughout the season a lot of games, but being hurt sucks.”

We have more on the NBA’s two Florida-based teams:

Injuries and an inability to hold leads are the primary reasons the Heat are heading to the play-in tournament for the third straight season, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The Heat were shorthanded in Saturday’s overtime loss to Milwaukee, as Wiggins, Tyler Herro (right thigh contusion) and Nikola Jovic (broken right hand) were all out. “We’re going through adversity, we’ve been through it before,” guard Davion Mitchell said, with the team also enduring a 10-game losing skid last month. “I think it’s good for us, especially with the postseason coming up. You know there are going to be close games and we’ve been through the fire before. So this is a good loss for us, honestly. We’re going to learn from it and we’re going to keep going.”
In the five seasons leading up to 2024/25, veteran shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had shot a combined 40.3% from three-point range, with his lowest mark in a single season over that stretch being 38.5%. Through the end of February — a span of 58 games — Caldwell-Pope was shooting just 30.6% from deep in his first season with the Magic, which would have been a career low. However, he has caught fire since the start of March, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscriber link), converting 50.0% of his triples over the past 16 games, and the Magic desperately need his hot outside shooting to continue to have a chance at postseason success.
The Magic have leaned heavily on their defense to get back on a winning track with the postseason quickly approaching, Beede writes in another story. Orlando has gone 9-5 over its past 14 games in large part due to its third-ranked defense. “It’s us getting closer to the end of the season, understanding that we need to be hitting our peak now,” big man Wendell Carter said. “I know we had a lull in terms of our defensive rating but we’re one of the top defenses in the league. And we’re going to continue to get better on that end of the court.”

Heat Notes: Winning Streak, Herro, Assets, Mitchell, Highsmith

April 3rd, 2025 at 12:03pm CST by Rory Maher

The Heat have made NBA history for an unusual reason, as Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes.

Wednesday’s impressive road victory in Boston extended Miami’s winning streak to six games, with each triumph coming by double-digits. The Heat are the first team to accomplish that feat directly after a losing streak of at least 10 games.

“We’re just trying to take care of our business and continue to try to play well, compete hard, have this connectivity that’s growing as this season is going on and prepare,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “… Our locker room is alive. It’s been alive even when we were losing games just for this opportunity to compete, have these games matter and grow together through all of this stuff.”

Ending the Celtics’ own nine-game winning streak was a noteworthy accomplishment for the Heat, who also snapped a six-game regular season losing streak vs. the defending champions, Chiang notes.

Here’s more on the Heat:

President Pat Riley famously challenged his players, particularly Jimmy Butler, to focus on availability after last season ended. Tyler Herro, who recorded 25 points, nine assists, six rebounds, two steals and zero turnovers against Boston, took that message to heart, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. The first-time All-Star has appeared in a career-high 73 games in 2024/25. He said that reaching the 70-game threshold for the first time “feels really good” and is “meaningful,” but he hopes to achieve another goal too. “I’ve missed only three games this season,” Herro said. “My goal was to only miss four. So I’m there, hopefully. Got a couple more to go, but I’ve just got to keep playing, getting treatment and staying healthy and I want to play as many games as possible. I’ve never been a guy that wants to sit out.”
Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald takes a look at the team’s most valuable trade assets ahead of what could be a busy offseason, with up to seven players who could hit free agency and Herro among those eligible for extensions.
Spoelstra appreciates the “tenacious” defense that Davion Mitchell and Haywood Highsmith bring to the second unit, Winderman writes for The South Florida Sun Sentinel. The two players sometimes battle to take on the opposing team’s best offensive player. “I let (Mitchell) get the first crack,” Highsmith said with a laugh. “And if he starts getting cooked, then it’s, ‘I got him.’ We go back and forth.“

Checking In On Starter Criteria, Traded Draft Picks, Mavs’ Two-Ways, More

March 31st, 2025 at 12:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The months on the calendar between the NBA's in-season trade deadline and the start of the offseason represent the only time of year in which teams aren't permitted to make trades.

Still, while the possibility of Shams Charania dropping shocking trade news in the middle of the night is off the table during this final stretch of the regular season, there's plenty going on around the league that will impact future roster decisions and trade talks.

We're checking in on a few of those subplots today. Let's dive right in...

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Heat Notes: Adebayo, Herro, Wiggins, Slump, Mitchell

March 16th, 2025 at 7:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Bam Adebayo was drafted by the Heat in 2017, two years before Jimmy Butler joined the team in free agency, but this is the first time since 2019 he hasn’t had the veteran forward as a teammate. Tyler Herro, a 2019 draftee, is experiencing life without Butler for the first time in his NBA career. It has been a challenging transition for both players, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

“It’s growing pains for us,” Adebayo said. “This is the first situation that’s it has really been just me and Tyler. I mean, obviously, the addition of (Andrew Wiggins), but we’re still trying to get Wiggs comfortable to where he can be fully himself. Right now, we’re keeping it simple for him and just kind of getting out of his way. But for me and Tyler, it’s more so understanding that we know how hard it is to win in this league. You can never take that for granted.”

Even though Butler was in and out of the lineup for weeks leading up to the trade deadline, the Heat have cratered since they officially sent him to Golden State. Miami was 25-24 when the February 6 deadline passed; since then, the club has dropped 14 of 18 contests, falling to nine games below .500 for the first time since the 2016/17 season.

While it’s hardly an ideal situation for the Heat, head coach Erik Spoelstra points out that it has been a good test for Adebayo and Herro as the team’s new leaders.

“With everything that has been going on, that part I’ve enjoyed watching — to see them grow into these roles,” Spoelstra said. “If you want to lead, these are the times. You have to be able to do it when the seas are a little bit rough, a little bit choppy. Anybody can lead when things are going great. Anybody can be a front-runner in those kinds of situations.

“But these guys, they’re about the right things. They want it so bad. They want everybody to play well and get this breakthrough. It starts with that and then everybody else filling in, as well. We say it all the time, it’s leadership at all levels. But those two guys have been around the longest. I think everybody is just kind of turning to them naturally.”

Here’s more on the slumping Heat:

Saturday’s defeat at the hands of the Grizzlies extended the Heat’s losing streak to seven games, which Spoelstra referred to as “humbling,” per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The first four of those losses were by five points or less, but the past three have been by double-digits — Memphis won by 34 points on Saturday. “We are desperate to our souls to collectively figure out how to win one game,” Spoelstra said. “We focus on the process. In these moments, you have to stick to a process. We are trying to build necessary habits.”
One post-deadline bright spot for the Heat has been the play of Davion Mitchell, who had 12 points, nine rebounds, and four assists in Friday’s loss to Boston. Acquired from Toronto last month, Mitchell has earned regular minutes in Miami’s backcourt and has acquitted himself well. “He made all of us watch him, right? He has that kind of gift, those kinds of abilities.” Spoelstra said after Friday’s game, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “He’s really dynamic, the way he can move laterally. And we just want to unlock all of that. Taking on all the big matchups, just making great efforts, we’re going to need that a bunch going down the stretch. But I was really pleased with his play.”
In another story for The Miami Herald, Jackson examines what’s at stake in the final weeks of the season for six players whom the Heat will have to make decisions on soon, such as Duncan Robinson, whose 2025/26 salary is partially guaranteed, and Herro, who will become extension-eligible later this year.
Within that same article, Jackson wonders if the Heat might consider the possibility of waiving Mitchell before the end of the season in the hopes that another team will claim him off waivers, which would allow Miami to duck below the luxury tax line. I can’t see that happening, even if the Heat don’t necessarily view the fourth-year guard as part of their future. There are very few teams that could realistically claim Mitchell’s $6.45MM expiring contract without creating their own tax-related problems, and he wouldn’t be playoff-eligible for a new club, limiting his appeal. If Mitchell were to go unclaimed in that hypothetical scenario, the Heat’s tax situation wouldn’t change and they would be giving up a key piece of their backcourt (and a possible offseason asset) for no reason.

Heat Notes: Larsson, Jaquez, Mitchell, Ware

March 14th, 2025 at 2:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The energy and enthusiasm displayed by Pelle Larsson may lead to a larger role on a Heat team that’s in need of both qualities, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The rookie guard’s contributions can be summarized by one sequence in Wednesday’s loss to the Clippers, Winderman details, as he dove on the floor for a loose ball and outwrestled several L.A. players to gain possession.

“That play at halfcourt is one of the best plays I’ve seen,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He got three loose balls on one possession. You feel like those plays can inspire a whole lot more. That’s what we’re accustomed to.”

Spoelstra has been bringing Larsson along slowly as he adjusts to the NBA, playing him 13 minutes per night in his first 42 games. However, that expanded to more than 28 minutes on Wednesday as Larsson stayed on the court for the entire second quarter. With the Heat needing something to jolt them out of a five-game losing streak, Larsson could become a more regular option.

“Really, the idea was just to get a spark,” Spoelstra explained. “We needed something to get us going. I wasn’t even necessarily expecting that. I’ve been feeling it for a couple of games. I think in short minutes, he’s mentally stable enough to handle that, three or four minutes and then come out, and get your regular guys in there.”

There’s more from Miami:

Injuries and illnesses opened up a starting opportunity for second-year small forward Jaime Jaquez on Wednesday after he hadn’t played more than 14 minutes in a game for nearly a month, Winderman states in a separate story. Jaquez said the most difficult challenge in that type of situation is staying mentally sharp. “When you’re put in a position like this, you’re given two choices,” he said. “You can either cave in and let it affect you and we all go our separate ways. Or you can come together and get closer, do everything you need and really create a strong bond, especially through this very tough struggle.”
Davion Mitchell is known for providing on-ball pressure, but Spoelstra wants to see the guard’s defensive role expand beyond that, Winderman adds. Mitchell, who was acquired from Toronto last month in the Jimmy Butler trade, is willing to accept the challenge. “I’m a lot of times kind of thinking of individually and not letting my man score, and sometimes off the ball I get some steals, but I got to do it more,” he said. “I’ve got to help my teammates out more, I’ve got to talk more, I’ve got to be more vocal. Especially on that end, when I’m usually guarding the best players, I’ve got to be more impactful.”
Kel’el Ware has the most upside among the Heat’s young talent, Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald contends in a mailbag column. Chiang notes that Ware’s size and athleticism enable him to protect the rim on defense and serve as a lob threat on offense. The 20-year-old big man has been starting since January and has shown that he’s capable of handling that responsibility.

Heat Notes: Herro, Facing Demons, Mitchell, Robinson, Ware, Wiggins

March 10th, 2025 at 5:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Tyler Herro‘s usage rate has spiked this season to a team-high 27.1% — and it grew to 30.5% in February as the Heat leaned more on him after dealing Jimmy Butler. Herro averaged 24.1 points and seven assists while shooting 41.1% from the field and 25.9% on threes during the month, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald notes.

“Just embracing it,” Herro said. “The challenge I would say is just toggling back and forth with trying to make plays for myself and make plays for my teammates.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

Miami fell apart against the depleted Bulls on Saturday, blowing an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter of a 114-109 loss. The team is now five games below .500 entering Monday’s action. “We’re all in this together. That’s what I told the group right now,” coach Erik Spoelstra said, per Chiang. “I’m fully with them. This is an opportunity for all of us to face our demons to get past this. This is not something that’s comfortable for any one of us and I see something amazing on the other side if we can collectively overcome this.”
If things continue to go sour, it could impact contract decisions on six notable players, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel points out. That group includes Herro, who is extension-eligible in October. They also have to decide whether to make Davion Mitchell a restricted free agent by extending a qualifying offer and what to do about Duncan Robinson‘s partially guaranteed deal.
Rookie big man Kel’el Ware hasn’t received many crunch-time minutes and Winderman believes trust issues come into play. It’s especially true at the defensive end when teams utilize smaller lineups.
Good news on the injury front — Herro (illness), Robinson (back) and Andrew Wiggins (ankle) are available to play against Charlotte tonight, Winderman tweets. Haywood Highsmith, who is dealing with a knee injury, is questionable.