Fischer’s Latest: Antetokounmpo, Knicks, Heat, Morant
While Giannis Antetokounmpo recently reiterated his desire to make things work with the Bucks, the rest of the league is preparing for the moment when Milwaukee signals it’s ready to start hearing offers for the star forward, Jake Fischer writes for The Stein Line (subscriber link).
According to Fischer, due to the widespread belief that any team acquiring Antetokounmpo would need to enter next season with championship expectations, executives around the league expect the two-time MVP to have a good amount of say in where he ends up, though there’s never a guarantee a surprise team doesn’t swoop in and land him.
Antetokounmpo recently turned 31 and is averaging 28.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game while hitting a career-high 43.5% of his threes this season. He will become extension-eligible on October 1, 2026, a significant factor that will likely play a part in how teams approach making offers for his services.
Of those potential suitors, Fischer cites the Knicks and Heat as organizations to keep an eye on when it comes to a real pursuit of Antetokounmpo’s services.
Here’s more from Fischer:
- There’s a belief that the Knicks stand apart as the team the 6’11” forward would most want to end up on, per Fischer, who confirms that the New York squad was the “temptation” that Antetokounmpo discussed during the offseason. He adds that the fanbase’s post-playoff victory gatherings have been endearing to Antetokounmpo, as they appeal to his love of European basketball and soccer supporter activity.
- As far as the Heat go, Fischer notes that Antetokounmpo’s management group got as far as doing due diligence on playing in states without income tax, including Florida and Texas (when Luka Doncic was still on the Mavericks), would impact his contract earnings. Once the Heat declined to include Kel’el Ware in Kevin Durant trade discussions this summer, and likewise refused to package Ware with Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, and the 20th pick in the 2025 draft, it was assumed that they were doing so in order to be in a position to make the best possible offer should a younger top-end talent come available.
- Fischer also reports that the Heat have had internal discussions regarding Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, who has missed 11 of the team’s last 12 games with a calf injury. He notes that Miami has signaled a willingness to include Andrew Wiggins in the right deal, and the lack of an extension for Tyler Herro could point to him being available in the right deal as well.
Heat Notes: Adebayo, Ware, Herro, NBA Cup
Bam Adebayo passed Glen Rice for third place on the Heat‘s all-time scoring list during his 24-point performance on Friday. He trails only Dwyane Wade and Alonzo Mourning and should catch Mourning sometime this season.
“That’s really incredible. What an achievement,” coach Erik Spoelstra said after the game, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “I had no idea. Wow, that’s awesome. I would have mentioned something to him, even though it was kind of a buzzkill there at the end [of the loss].
“But that’s just a testament to his consistency, his work ethic. He came in basically as a defensive player and he’s really honed his skills offensively to become so much more versatile. On a tough night and a tough loss, that’s one heck of an accomplishment. He’s going to keep going.”
Adebayo’s performance wasn’t enough, as the Heat lost to the Magic, 106-105.
“I can’t really put that into words, man,” Adebayo said. “I would have liked to have done it in a win, but having the opportunity to pass some of these greats. Obviously, being able to pass them and bring them back into the present day. I’m pretty sure at some point when I see Glen, he’s going to give me a big hug. That’s my guy.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Spoelstra went back to a big starting lineup of Adebayo and Kel’el Ware but he didn’t stick with it the whole game, Chiang notes. Ware was subbed out with 2:06 left in the third quarter and he never returned. “That starting group was a little bit uneven tonight,” Spoelstra said. “We’ve got to continue to work on that. I just want to see that group, when we play bigger, just for it to be a plus. So we have some work to do there. It should be a very good defensive group, but that’s a group that hasn’t been able to defend so far, and we’ve got to continue to work at that.”
- Five games after returning from ankle surgery, Tyler Herro was sidelined on Friday due to toe irritation. As Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel notes, the game was the 18th that Herro has missed this season, which means he’s no longer eligible for postseason awards, including All-NBA, since he won’t appear in at least 65 contests. While it’s highly unlikely that the Heat front office would have offered Herro a super-max extension anyway, that’s now officially off the table for the 2026 offseason. Herro underwent an MRI on Saturday which confirmed a toe contusion and he’s now considered day-to-day, Winderman tweets.
- The Heat will face the Magic again on Tuesday, this time in the NBA Cup knockout round. Winderman explains from a scheduling standpoint why they might be better off getting bounced in the quarterfinals, noting that a win could lead to a potential 11-day journey across all four time zones.
Heat Notes: Powell, Herro, Starters, Rotation, Spoelstra
Veteran wing Norman Powell almost immediately felt at home with the Heat after being acquired in an offseason trade, writes Mirin Fader of The Athletic. The 32-year-old is having a career year in his first season with Miami, averaging 24.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals on .494/.441/.884 shooting through 15 games (30.4 minutes per contest).
“I don’t mean to say anything in the wrong way, but this is like the purest form of basketball that I’ve played in a long time where you got no schemes of like, we’re trying to get this player going every single time down,” Powell said. “We’re playing in the flow, we’re playing for each other, we’re playing basketball the right way, we’re competing on both sides of the floor.”
Heat coaches and players admire that Powell continues to push himself to get better in his 11th NBA season, Fader adds.
“He has an open mind,” says Wayne Ellington, a Heat assistant coach and former NBA player. “He wants to learn and continue to grow even though he had a great experience already. … He always listens and is super coachable.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Tyler Herro shined once again on Wednesday after a stellar season debut on Monday, observes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The 25-year-old guard finished with 29 points (on 9-of-15 shooting), seven assists and five rebounds in 32 minutes in the win over Milwaukee. “I’m just trying to play off the catch,” he said. “I did that last year as well, and then that’s what I’m doing right now. I’m just trying to play off the catch and trying to create advantages in transition where I can get downhill or get to my spot before the defense gets set. And then in the half court, I’m just trying to make the right play. I feel like as I get my legs and my feet under me, I’m going to be able to play-make more and get into the paint more. I still have to strengthen my foot and feel fully comfortable jumping off my foot and exploding off my foot. It’s going to be a process for a couple weeks until I can fully feel comfortable.”
- With a fully healthy roster on Wednesday, head coach Erik Spoelstra suggested the starting lineup might be matchup-based going forward, with the rotation remaining fluid as well, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. As Winderman notes, second-year center Kel’el Ware was moved to the second unit after starting nine of the past 10 games, while forward Nikola Jovic wasn’t part of the 10-man rotation in his first game back from a right hip injury. “None of it will be in cement and I don’t feel pressure to make it cement, whether it’s the starting lineup or whether it’s the rotation once we get into the bench,” Spoelstra said. “I’ve said it since the first day of training camp, we feel that our depth is one of our best strengths and we want to weaponize that.”
- Wednesday’s win was the 800th of Spoelstra’s carer, making him the 17th coach in league history to reach that threshold, Winderman relays in another story. “It hasn’t sunk in yet, because I wasn’t aware of it,” Spoelstra said after the team’s sixth straight win. “But yeah, I guess it’s fitting that it comes on the eve of Thanksgiving. Like, I just feel incredible gratitude for this organization and all of these years, where the years are going by so fast. I’m having a hell of a time. I love what I do, I love coaching, I love this profession, I love working for this organization, I love working for, and with, amazing players and staff, like we have — too many to count over the years.”
Heat Notes: Herro, Offense, Powell, Ware
The Heat didn’t miss a beat with 2025 All-Star guard Tyler Herro back in their lineup for the first time this season on Monday, registering their fifth consecutive victory and their eighth win in the past 10 games to improve to 12-6 on the year. Herro, who was making his season debut following ankle surgery, scored a team-high 24 points and made a key basket to help clinch the win over Dallas in the game’s final minute.
“It’s amazing that he can come back and have that kind of rhythm, and that’s only going to get better,” Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters, including ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, in his post-game media session. “When you face better defenses, you can see why we need that skill. You need as much skill and firepower as possible in this league. And it was just exciting to have him back.”
Playing in the Heat’s new uptempo offense for the first time, Herro needed a quarter to knock off some rust, but it didn’t take long for him to get comfortable. As MacMahon notes, after missing his first four attempts from the floor, Herro knocked down 12 of his last 14 shots.
“You see it out there, man,” Heat star Bam Adebayo said when asked about Herro’s fit in the new system. “We got a lot of guys that’s hard to guard off the catch. As you see, it’s a fun offense to be part of. It’s not a lot of pick-and-rolls, but it’s sharing the game. … Everyone feels involved, everyone gets a chance to be aggressive, and we’re being successful off of it.”
“It’s not an adjustment for him in terms of how we play,” Spoelstra added. “He’s going to fit right in. He’s going to amplify everything we’re doing.
Miami currently leads the NBA in both pace (106.14 possessions per 48 minutes) and points per game (123.9).
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Herro admitted after Monday’s win that he’s “still got a long way to go” before he feels like he’s back to 100%, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “I still got to rehab, recover,” Herro said. “I easily could have probably waited another two weeks to come back, but I’m healthy enough to be out there, and I want to be out there. So that was most important to me. I kind of circled this date probably three or four weeks ago. And then I was like, ‘I’m ready. Forget it, I’m ready.’ I took the last couple days when the team was on the road just to prepare my body for tonight, and it was a lot of fun to go out there and compete and ultimately win.”
- Norman Powell, the Heat’s leading scorer so far this season, was held out of Monday’s game and underwent an MRI on his left groin injury. However, that MRI showed only a “mild” strain and Spoelstra said the team’s level of concern “is not super high,” according to Chiang (Twitter links). Initially considered day-to-day, Powell is expected to return to action for Miami on Wednesday vs. Milwaukee, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.
- Kel’el Ware, who has averaged 15.9 points and 15.1 rebounds per game in his past eight outings, is earning praise from teammates and coaches alike for his recent play, according to Chiang. Before Ware could respond to a reporter’s question on Sunday about whether he’s playing the best basketball of his career, Powell interrupted to answer for him: “No. More to come. A lot more potential, man. Stock rising.”
- Spoelstra, who challenged Ware in both the Summer League and preseason to do more to consistently impact winning, praised the second-year big man for being “much more intentional” and “stacking up good day after good day,” as Chiang relays. “He’s playing meaningful minutes,” Spoelstra said. “He understands the responsibility to play well. And he’s recognizing if it doesn’t go well, what he needs to correct. That’s a big-time improvement from last year, where he wasn’t really recognizing what was happening.”
Heat Notes: Ware, Mitchell, Larsson, Smith, Rozier
After starting either Kel’el Ware or Nikola Jovic alongside Bam Adebayo early in the season, the Heat didn’t have either youngster in their starting five when Adebayo returned from a toe injury on Wednesday. Jovic remained sidelined with a hip issue, while Ware moved to the second unit after having started six consecutive games in Adebayo’s place.
As Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes, head coach Erik Spoelstra faces a difficult decision going forward on whether or not to start Ware and Adebayo together. While a smaller starting five is better suited to the fast-paced offensive style the Heat are deploying this season, the club has struggled on the glass with those smaller lineups.
Overall, Miami ranks 26th in rebounding percentage, including 29th in defensive rebounding percentage. Ware is an asset in that department, having averaged 10.0 rebounds in just 24.3 minutes per game through the first month of the season. In 19 minutes off the bench on Wednesday, he racked up 16 boards, though the team was still out-rebounded 62-52 by Golden State.
Spoelstra’s starting lineup decisions may ultimately come down to game-by-game matchups, though he’ll have fewer options at his disposal this weekend, with Andrew Wiggins out due to a hip injury and Tyler Herro not on track to make his season debut until Monday.
We have more on the Heat:
- There’s no expectation that red-hot shooting guard Norman Powell will come out of the starting lineup when Herro returns, according to Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Both Herald reporters expect either Davion Mitchell or Pelle Larsson to move to the bench to make room for Herro.
- Chiang adds that Dru Smith is a candidate to lose his spot in the Heat’s rotation once Herro is back and the team is fully healthy, though he cautions that’s not a given. While Smith’s production has been relatively modest (6.1 points and 3.3 assists in 17.1 minutes per game), the 27-year-old is playing good defense and Miami has a +8.1 net rating when he plays, compared to just +0.2 when he’s not on the floor.
- The Heat still haven’t received clarity from the NBA on whether or not they can include Terry Rozier‘s expiring $26.6MM contract in a trade for salary-matching purposes, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required). Rozier was placed on leave by the league after being arrested as part of an FBI investigation into illegal gambling.
- If Miami knew Rozier couldn’t be used in a trade, the team would almost certainly consider waiving him, Chiang writes, since only $24.9MM of his salary is guaranteed. That means the Heat could create $1.7MM in flexibility under the tax line and sign a replacement player if they were to cut the veteran guard.
Bam Adebayo Cleared To Return For Heat
Heat star Bam Adebayo will return to action on Wednesday vs. Golden State, the team announced, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link).
Adebayo has been out since November 5, having missed Miami’s past six contests due to a left big toe sprain. The team held its own in his absence, winning four of six games and registering a pair of two-point victories over the conference-rival Knicks and Cavaliers during that stretch.
In his seven healthy games this season, Adebayo averaged 22.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game, with a .462/.356/.861 shooting line. He was averaging 6.4 three-point attempts per night in those first seven outings, which would be a career high by far — he shot 2.8 shots threes per game in 2024/25 after attempting a total of just 104 in his first seven seasons.
Kel’el Ware has been starting at center with Adebayo out and has recorded four consecutive double-doubles, with averages of 15.0 PPG and 14.3 RPG during that stretch. Ware and Adebayo started alongside one another five times earlier in the season, so Adebayo’s return doesn’t necessarily mean that head coach Erik Spoelstra will move the second-year big man back to the bench.
Either way, Ware figures to play a significant role, since the Heat will be monitoring Adebayo’s minutes in his first game back, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). Additionally, while Adebayo will be backin action , the Heat won’t have a fully healthy frontcourt, as Nikola Jovic (hip) will miss Wednesday’s game, tweets Winderman.
The Heat will be taking on a shorthanded Warriors team. After previously ruling out Stephen Curry (right ankle soreness), Al Horford (left toe injury management), and Jonathan Kuminga (bilateral patellar tendonitis), Golden State has also downgraded Jimmy Butler (right low back strain) and Draymond Green (illness) to out, tweets Anthony Slater of ESPN.
Heat Notes: Jovic, Wiggins, Bam, Herro, Ware
Head coach Erik Spoelstra says the Heat are urging Nikola Jovic to take a more consistently professional approach so he can produce on a regular basis, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Jovic, who signed a four-year, $62.4MM rookie scale extension before the season began, has been plagued by bouts of inconsistency throughout his career. That has remained true in 2025/26 as well, with the 22-year-old forward having a couple excellent all-around performances mixed in with some forgettable showings.
“When he plays with a force of will and an intention, it’s always starting with him, and an approach every day, to approach a practice day and a shootaround and a film session like it’s really important,” Spoelstra said. “He’s made improvements with that. It’s still not where it needs to be, because he’s young and doesn’t see that it’s always important. But he’s getting there.
“And then it’s a matter of consistency. But you can see the possibilities when he has that intention and things are important to him.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- With Bam Adebayo sidelined due to a toe sprain, Miami has been starting Andrew Wiggins at power forward, with Jovic used as a small-ball center off the bench. Neither player has any complaints about his current role, according to Winderman. “I mean, it doesn’t matter to me too much,” said Wiggins. “As long as I can be out there competing, I just take on that competitive challenge. I’ve got to guard a bigger guy, so I’ve got to bring it. I’ve got to bring my physicality out, bring my competitive nature out, and take on that challenge.”
- Adebayo and Tyler Herro made the trip to New York for Friday’s contest against the Knicks, but both players will remain sidelined, per Winderman. Adebayo will miss his fifth straight game, while Herro has yet to make his season debut after undergoing left ankle surgery in the offseason. As Winderman observes, the Heat announced when Herro had surgery that the All-Star guard was expected to miss around eight weeks — Friday marks eight weeks since that statement was issued.
- While Adebayo isn’t expected to miss a significant chunk of time with his injury, there’s still no official timetable for the three-time All-Star’s return, Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald states in mailbag. Chiang believes Kel’el Ware will likely move back to the bench when Adebayo resumes playing.
Eastern Notes: Ware, Cavs Injuries, Shead, White
Heat second-year big man Kel’el Ware had 14 points and a career-high 20 rebounds in 34 minutes while making his third straight start in place of the injured Bam Adebayo on Monday. Miami pulled out an overtime win over Cleveland and coach Erik Spoelsta heaped praise on Ware.
“That’s the best game he’s played in a Miami Heat uniform,” Spoelstra said, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “I don’t care what the stats are. I know he had 20 rebounds. But those efforts on the glass were incredible. And he was reliable defensively. He was with it. He was in the right spots. (Evan) Mobley made a couple great shots, but Kel’el was there. He was there, doing the right thing.”
The Heat have won all three games Ware has filled in for Adebayo.
“I feel like that’s something they always wanted to see,” Ware said. “They’ve been wanting to see it from me. It feels [good] to see them encouraging me on that end and proud of me for bringing that out.”
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- The Cavaliers will be missing three starters in their rematch against Miami on Wednesday, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com tweets. Darius Garland (injury management — left big toe), Donovan Mitchell (rest) and Evan Mobley (rest) are listed as out, while Larry Nance Jr. (knee contusion) is considered questionable.
- Jamal Shead has continued to give the Raptors a reliable play-maker off the bench in his second season, Michael Grange of Sportnet writes. “He’s able to do a lot of things,” forward Brandon Ingram said. “We know what he can do on the defensive end, but he’s able to attack the paint, he’s always searching for guys. He knows he’s playing with scorers, so when he gets the ball, he’s trying to attack, and he always knows where guys are.” In 10 games, Shead is averaging 6.4 points and 5.0 assists, compared to 1.1 turnovers, in 17.4 minutes per game. He’s making just $1.96MM this season and Toronto holds a club option on his contract for next season.
- Coby White (strained right calf) made it through a practice on Monday with the Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s G League affiliate. White, who has yet to make his season debut, could return at some point during the team’s upcoming road trip, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports, though he won’t play on Wednesday when they visit Detroit. ‘‘Everything that I heard was that it went well,’’ head coach Billy Donovan said. ‘‘I think the biggest thing is always trying to find out the next day how it went. The plan right now . . . would be to get back into practice with us when we get back from Detroit. We’ll have three days. One of those days, we’ll certainly have contact. The plan is to get him into that practice pretty extensively.’’
Southeast Notes: Adebayo, Larsson, George, S. James
Bam Adebayo will miss tonight’s game against Charlotte, but the Heat are relieved his injury wasn’t much worse, according to Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
Adebayo was diagnosed with a sprained left big toe after undergoing an MRI on Thursday. There was fear that he might have suffered a more significant injury after colliding with Cameron Johnson early in Wednesday’s contest at Denver. Adebayo remained in the game for a while before being subbed out for his normal rest with 3:48 left in the first quarter. He went to the team’s locker room and didn’t return to action.
“A guy hit me in the back of the leg and then I felt the pain in my foot,’” Adebayo said. “So, I took it upon myself to check myself out and go see what happened. … Obviously, you don’t want to do anything more to cause any lingering effects. So, (coach Erik Spoelstra) checked me out.”
Adebayo is considered day-to-day, and Chiang and Jackson expect second-year center Kel’el Ware to see increased playing time until he returns. Keshad Johnson, a 6’6″ forward, also saw time in the middle at Denver, and two-way big man Vlad Goldin has been recalled from the G League.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Pelle Larsson has claimed a surprisingly large role for the Heat, earning a spot in the starting lineup for the past five games, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. The second-year wing has been an efficient shooter with .500/.348/.813 splits, and he kept his starting role even after Norman Powell returned from injury. “He’s owned these minutes,” Spoelstra said. “He makes you play him, because he does so many of the intangible things. He really elevates the units that he plays in, just with energy, his toughness, winning plays, all that.”
- Wizards swingman Kyshawn George has become an early candidate for Most Improved Player honors in his second NBA season, notes Eric Samulski of NBC Sports. George’s increased ball-handling responsibilities have given him a larger role in Washington’s offense. “Growing up, I’ve always been a point guard,” he said. “It’s only been the last couple of years that I kind of transitioned to being able to play the wing. I always kept the point guard skills. I’ve always been able to read the game really well and just make the right decision from there. So they’ve given me the opportunity to run the pick and roll more, and I’m just taking advantage of it.”
- Second-round pick Sion James is showing the Hornets that he’s ready to play consistent minutes right away, observes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Taking advantage of the opportunity presented by Brandon Miller‘s injury, James has made three starts already and is averaging 8.8 PPG while shooting 70% from three-point range. He’s also contributing on defense, which is something teammate Tre Mann expected when he first saw James in person. “It was first, the physical aspect, just seeing him — he’s huge,” Mann said. “And then my first thought was ‘Lu Dort.’ Just seeing him work out. I was like, ‘OK, nobody can score on him right now.’ And I was like, ‘Lu Dort’ again. Then I started doing research, looking at his film like, ‘Oh, he was a scorer. He used to score the ball. He’s good offensively, too.’ And I was like, ‘OK, we’ve got to have him. He’s versatile.”
Southeast Notes: Hawks Employee Indictment, Young, Larsson, Ball
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.