Jamaree Bouyea

Heat Sign Jaquez To Rookie Deal; Smith, Bouyea To Two-Ways

The Heat have officially inked rookie small forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. to his rookie scale contract, the team has announced (Twitter link).

Jaquez, a 6’7″ swingman, was selected with the No. 18 pick out of UCLA in this summer’s draft. During his final season with the team in 2022/23, the 22-year-old averaged 17.8 PPG on .481/.317/.770 shooting splits, 8.2 RPG and 2.4 APG. He was a consensus All-American Second Team honoree during his last collegiate run with the Bruins, and a three-time All-Pac-12 Teamer.

Miami also just officially signed Dru Smith and Jamaree Bouyea to two-way contracts, according to the league’s official transactions log. Though there is a general NBA moratorium on signings between July 1-6, two-way and rookie signings are still permitted even during this period.

Smith, a 6’3″ shooting guard, initially inked an affiliate deal with the Heat’s NBAGL team, the Sioux Fall Skyforce, in 2021 after going undrafted out of Missouri in 2021. He signed two-way deals with Miami and the Nets last season. Across 22 total games between the Skyforce and Long Island Nets in 2022/23, Smith averaged 15.5 PPG on .482/.379/.682 shooting splits, plus 5.5 RPG, 4.8 APG, 2.0 SPG and 0.6 BPG.

Bouyea, a 6’2″ combo guard, played on separate 10-day contracts with the Heat and Wizards as an undrafted rookie last year, appearing in a total of five games between both clubs.

The two-way qualifying offers that the Heat previously extended to restricted free agents Jamal Cain and Orlando Robinson are still on the table, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (via Twitter).

With word breaking that Trail Blazers All-Star point guard Damian Lillard would reportedly prefer to be dealt to Miami specifically, the Jaquez deal is a bit more notable, as it means that he now cannot be included as part of a trade for the next 30 days. That does not necessarily mean he cannot or will not be a part of a hypothetical package for Lillard, only that a move could not be officially finalized until July 31.

NBAGL Announces 2022/23 All-League Awards

The NBA G League named the recipients of its All-League, All-Rookie, and All-Defensive teams on Thursday (all Twitter links found here). Many of the honorees are on standard NBA or two-way contracts.

Here’s the full list:

All-NBA G League First Team

All-NBA G League Second Team

All-NBA G League Third Team

NBAGL All-Defensive Team

NBAGL All-Rookie Team

  • Kenneth Lofton
  • Lester Quinones – Santa Cruz Warriors *
    • Note: Quinones placed second in ROY voting.
  • Darius Days
    • Note: Days placed third in ROY voting.
  • Jamaree Bouyea
  • Moussa Diabate

(^ denotes standard NBA contract)

(* denotes two-way contract)

(# Bouyea signed 10-day deals with the Heat and Wizards, but is now an NBA free agent)

Both Dunn and Samanic signed standard contracts with the Jazz, while Harrison signed with the Lakers at the very end of the season after playing with Portland on a 10-day deal. Duke and Lofton recently had their two-way contracts converted into standard deals.

Cooper, Chiozza and Anderson all hold NBA experience as well. Cooper spent 2021/22 — his rookie season — on a two-way deal with the Hawks; Chiozza has played for the Rockets, Nets and Warriors, and recently signed with a Spanish team; Anderson has appeared in 242 NBA games with six teams in as many seasons.

Jamaree Bouyea Signs 10-Day Deal With Wizards

MARCH 3: Bouyea’s 10-day contract with the Wizards is now official, the team announced today in a press release. It’ll run through March 12, making Bouyea eligible for Washington’s next six games.


MARCH 2: The Wizards are set to sign free agent point guard Jamaree Bouyea, currently with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBAGL, to a 10-day deal, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The 6’2″ rookie went undrafted in 2022 following a five-year NCAA career with San Francisco. This will mark his second 10-day contract of the 2022/23 season so far, after he initially agreed to a 10-day deal with the Heat last month.

In four appearances with Miami, Bouyea received limited run, logging 16.3 minutes per night. He averaged 3.8 points per game on .462/.400/500 shooting splits to go along with 1.3 RPG, 1.0 APG and 1.0 SPG. The Heat did not bring him aboard for a second 10-day agreement.

Across 18 regular season games with the Skyforce, Bouyea has averaged 18.9 PPG on .524/.313/.705 shooting splits. He’s also chipping in 6.0 APG, 5.2 RPG, 1.2 SPG and 0.9 BPG.

Bouyea will be the 15th player on Washington’s current standard roster, as currently comprised. The 30-32 Wizards occupy the No. 10 seed in the East, and have been making moves around the fringes of their roster in recent days. To wit, 7’1″ center Jay Huff was added on a two-way deal earlier today.

Heat Sign Cody Zeller

FEBRUARY 20: The Heat have officially signed Zeller, the team tweets.


FEBRUARY 19: In addition to reaching an agreement to sign Kevin Love, the Heat plan to fortify their frontcourt depth by adding Cody Zeller to their 15-man roster, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press first reported (via Twitter) that Zeller was “targeting” signing with the Heat, after Michael Scotto of HoopsHype stated on Saturday that the veteran center had worked out for Miami.

The fourth overall pick in the 2013 draft, Zeller spent his first eight NBA seasons in Charlotte, then played for Portland in 2021/22. He had a limited role for the Blazers last season, averaging 5.2 PPG and 4.6 RPG in a career-low 13.1 minutes off the bench in 27 games before a right patellar avulsion fracture ended his season.

Zeller signed a non-guaranteed training camp deal with Utah this past September, but failed to earn a spot on the Jazz’s regular season roster and was waived at the end of the preseason. He has been seeking a new NBA home since then, having also worked out for the Lakers earlier in the season.

The Heat’s salary-dump trade of center Dewayne Dedmon prior to the deadline created some extra breathing room below the luxury tax for the organization, putting Miami in position to fill its 14th and 15th roster spots without becoming a taxpayer. The deal also thinned out the team’s frontcourt depth, so when the Heat went shopping on the buyout market following the deadline, they were said to be focusing on frontcourt players rather than guards.

Zeller will give Miami an experienced veteran option on the depth chart behind All-Star center Bam Adebayo. Omer Yurtseven, Orlando Robinson, and Udonis Haslem are also in the mix at the five, but Yurtseven is coming off ankle surgery and hasn’t played at all this season, Robinson is on a two-way contract and is nearing his games-played limit, and Haslem hasn’t played regular minutes for the last few years.

Assuming Love and Zeller both officially sign, as expected, the Heat would have a full 15-man roster, leaving no room for Robinson to get a promotion or Jamaree Bouyea to get another 10-day deal unless another player is waived.

We’ll see how that situation plays out, but if Robinson isn’t in the franchise’s plans going forward, Miami could cut him when he reaches his games-played limit, then bring back Bouyea to a two-way contract.

Eastern Notes: Wiseman, Johnson, Bouyea, Hart

James Wiseman practiced with the Pistons for the first time on Tuesday since he was traded by Golden State. Wiseman is eager to jump start his career with a rebuilding team, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic.

“I’m embracing all of the opportunities here,” said Wiseman, who could make his Pistons debut on Wednesday. “It’s a new start for me, I’m embracing it. I’m super excited.”

We have more Eastern Conference news:

  • James Johnson re-signed with the Pacers after they waived him and coach Rick Carlisle is thrilled to have the veteran forward back on the 15-man roster, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star writes. “Very important for us,” Carlisle said. “Glad that we could get it worked out. He’s contributed so much to our situation just in terms of setting examples, mentoring, being very positive, being very truthful. He has a really strong reputation in this league as a great competitors, as a very tough guy. Those kinds of things. He’s been a difference maker so it’s great to have him back on board.”
  • Jamaree Bouyea, who is playing on a 10-day contract, logged 28 minutes off the bench in the Heat’s 112-108 loss to the Nuggets on Monday. Miami will have to decide after the All-Star break whether to offer him another 10-day — or give him a two-way slot if the team elevates Orlando Robinson to the 15-man roster. “I feel like if we keep him around, he’ll continue to show he can really play basketball,” Bam Adebayo told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
  • Josh Hart has made a strong impression with the Knicks since he was acquired from Portland. Coach Tom Thibodeau said he wanted Hart on his side for a long time, according to Peter Botte of the New York Post. “I know the teams that I’ve been with since he’s been in the league, we’ve always had interest in him,” Thibodeau said. “If you coach against or you play against him, those are the types of guys that you respect. You respect a fierce competitor. Obviously, he’s got great talent. He wouldn’t be here without great talent. But his competitive spirit is special.”

Heat Sign Jamaree Bouyea To 10-Day Deal

FEBRUARY 8: The Heat have made it official, announcing a press release that they’ve signed Bouyea to a 10-day contract.


FEBRUARY 7: The Heat plan to sign Jamaree Bouyea to a 10-day contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Bouyea, 23, went undrafted last June after a five-year college career with San Francisco. He signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Heat in mid-July and played for the Heat’s Summer League squad.

The 6’2″ point guard was waived before the regular season started and has spent his entire rookie year with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat’s G League affiliate.

During the Showcase Cup, which ended in December, Bouyea averaged 15.1 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 6.1 APG and 2.4 SPG on .493/.306/.654 shooting in 16 games (35.5 MPG). He has averaged 18.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 5.6 APG and 1.4 SPG on .520/.286/.735 shooting during 16 regular season games for the Skyforce (33.4 MPG).

The Heat announced (via Twitter) earlier on Tuesday that Kyle Lowry will miss at least three games with knee soreness, so Bouyea could get some minutes during his 10-day deal.

Miami traded Dewayne Dedmon to the Spurs in a salary dump, and already had a roster opening, so no subsequent moves will be required to sign Bouyea.

And-Ones: Media Rights, G League, Bledsoe, Beasley, Franklin

When the NBA negotiates its next television deal, expect the league to sell a separate package of streaming-only games, writes Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports. As McCarthy outlines, the NFL and MLB have sold packages of games to Amazon and Apple in recent years, and the NBA is expected to follow suit, with Amazon in particular having made it clear it wants to get into business with the league.

“Amazon is locked and loaded for a shot at the NBA,” a source told Front Office Sports.

According to McCarthy, sports media consultant Patrick Crakes estimated that the bidding for a streaming-only NBA package could start in the neighborhood of $1 billion per year. The league’s current TV deal with ESPN/ABC and Turner Sports pays the league about $2.6 billion annually — the next rights deal is expected to double or triple that figure, McCarthy writes.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Dru Smith Earns Two-Way Contract With Heat

OCTOBER 13: The Heat have officially waived Garrett, Mulder, Robinson, and Bouyea, while converting Smith’s Exhibit 10 contract to a two-way deal, the team announced today in a press release.


OCTOBER 12: The Heat will convert Dru Smith to a two-way contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Miami plans to waive Marcus Garrett, Mychal Mulder, Orlando Robinson and Jamaree Bouyea, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link). Mulder, Robinson and Bouyea are expected to join the team’s G League affiliate in Sioux Falls after they clear waivers. Garrett, who suffered a fractured right wrist, will stay in Miami to rehab the injury.

A 24-year-old shooting guard, Smith signed with Miami last year after going undrafted out of Missouri. He spent the season in Sioux Falls and was part of the Heat’s Summer League team.

After signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Heat this offseason, Smith won the competition for a two-way deal with a strong preseason, including a 15-point performance Monday against the Rockets. In four games, he averaged 8.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 17.3 minute per night.

Miami filled its other two-way slot on Sunday by converting Jamal Cain‘s Exhibit 10 contract. The Heat currently have 13 players on their roster with fully guaranteed contracts, plus Haywood Highsmith, who has a partially guaranteed deal.

Heat Notes: Robinson, Highsmith, Cain, Mulder

Duncan Robinson is in the second year of a five-year, $90MM contract. The first year of the deal didn’t go well for the Heat swingman, as he lost his starting job late in the season and was the subject of numerous trade rumors.

Robinson is ready to hit the reset button, as shown by his 29-point outing against the Grizzlies on Friday, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes.

“Just based off of how last year went — lots to learn from, lots to grow from,” he said. “So just to be very discerning over what it is I want to take with me, what I want to take from the experience and how I can actually be resourceful and use it to better myself, better the team, better myself as a player.”

Robinson has worked on improving defensively and becoming a more diverse offensive player.

We have more on the Heat:

  • Haywood Highsmith only has a partial guarantee on his contract this season but he’s impressed coach Erik Spoelstra in the preseason, according to Nekias Duncan of Basketball News. “I don’t view him as a young player,” Spoelstra said. “I understand he doesn’t have an extensive NBA experience — but he’s played some very good basketball in the G League. He has had to grind and earn everything and every opportunity that he’s been given. He just continues to get better each year.”
  • Rookie forward Jamal Cain earned a two-way contract with his performances during camp and preseason games, according to Spoelstra. as Chiang relays. “Over the course of the last several weeks, we’ve been able to see his work ethic and how much he’s improved because of his approach and work ethic,” he said. “Then he had several good moments in training camp and the last two preseason games.” Miami is expected to keep a roster spot open and waive its players currently on Exhibit 10 deals — Mychal MulderJamaree Bouyea, Orlando Robinson and Dru Smith — then have them join its G League team.
  • Mulder is in his third stint with the organization and Spoelstra compares him to former swingman Rodney McGruder due to his “perseverance and grit,” Chiang writes in another story. “You might not be the 20-year-old prospect, but you’re still a prospect in our eyes,” Spoelstra said of Mulder. “We value Mychal’s makeup. His game certainly fits. His ability to catch and shoot off the ball, but his makeup, how he carries himself, his progression, these are the kind of things that we want to go out of our way to try to help him. It might be here, it might be somewhere else.”

Heat Sign Jamaree Bouyea To Exhibit 10 Contract

JULY 14: Bouyea’s deal with the Heat is now official, the team announced in a press release.


JULY 13: The Heat will bring rookie free agent guard Jamaree Bouyea to training camp, where he’ll have a chance to compete for a roster spot, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link), Bouyea is signing an Exhibit 10 contract.

Bouyea wasn’t selected in the June 23 draft after spending five years at the University of San Francisco. In his last two college seasons, he averaged 17.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.9 APG, and 1.7 SPG with a solid shooting line of .483/.368/.755 in 59 games (35.1 MPG).

After going undrafted, Bouyea has suited up for the Heat at both the California Classic Summer League and the Las Vegas Summer League.

While Bouyea is probably a long shot to earn a spot on Miami’s 15-man regular season roster, an Exhibit 10 contract can be converted to a two-way contract before the regular season begins. It also makes a player eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if he’s waived before the season and then joins his team’s G League affiliate.