Summer League Notes: Heat, Slawson, Celtics, Clifford
The Heat are generally considered one of the best teams at unearthing and developing young talent. With a suddenly very expensive roster, the need to find hidden gems has become more important than ever. Luckily, they came away quite impressed with their second-round pick from the 2026 draft, Ryan Conwell, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
Conwell played in four total Summer League games between the California Classic and Las Vegas and showed his unwavering confidence as a shooter, attempting 36 threes in that time, though he only hit 11 of them. It wasn’t just his shooting that impressed Summer League coach Wayne Ellington, though.
“Defensively, he competes his butt off,” Ellington said. “And then, obviously, offensively he’s a force and he makes tough shots. He makes plays for others. He has a very strong offensive game and it’s only going to continue to grow.”
Trevor Keels and Jahmir Young, two unrestricted free agent guards, both had strong performances and remain eligible for two-way contracts, while Vladislav Goldin and Tre Donaldson were able to secure two-way deals this offseason.
Meanwhile, undrafted wing Tre White was one of the standouts on Miami’s roster, averaging 17.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.8 steals in Las Vegas while hitting 40% of his threes. Chiang notes that he could be a candidate for a two-way or Exhibit 10 contract.
“He’s got all the intangibles,” Ellington said of White. “He’s got size. He’s got the shooting ability. He’s got the IQ. So, he’s a guy that is going to continue to get better. He showed some flashes as well during the summer league, and I look forward to seeing what he can do in the future.”
We have more from around Summer League:
- Two-way restricted free agent Jalen Slawson had an eventful Summer League for the Pacers, leading the team in both points (20.8) and blocks (3.2) per game, despite hitting just 29.0% of his threes. His penultimate game provided the full Slawson experience, Dustin Dopirak writes for the Indianapolis Star, with big mistakes and even bigger recoveries. In his final game, he finished with 22 points and four blocks and continued to show the outline of an NBA rotation wing, according to Akeem Glaspie of the Star. The highs he shows will make it hard for the Pacers to part with him, despite some glaring weaknesses as well.
- The Celtics came into the summer festivities with four featured players: Hugo Gonzalez, Chris Cenac Jr., Dillon Mitchell, and Amari Williams. The former three clearly improved their stock, while Williams’ stayed relatively stable, Souichi Terada writes for MassLive. Meanwhile, John Tonje, who spent most of last season on a two-way contract, played well enough to at least be in the conversation for a coveted two-way spot for next year.
- Nique Clifford didn’t have eye-popping stats for the Kings this summer, but he worked on improving as a leader for the less experienced players on the roster, he said to Sean Cunningham of KCRA News (Twitter video link). “I would say just more assertiveness, being aggressive, not questioning plays,” he said of what the Kings were looking for from him this year as compared to last year. “If I see something, go make the play… [last year] you could mess up a little more, this year being a little sharper.” He also talked about the need to be more aggressive defensively rather than being on his heels and letting opponents attack.
Trevor Keels Diagnosed With Sprained Right MCL
Free agent guard Trevor Keels has been diagnosed with a sprained medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his right knee and will miss the remainder of Summer League, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).
Keels, who turns 23 years old in August, has been playing for the Heat at both the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer Leagues. The 2022 second-round pick (42nd overall) has appeared in four games (27.9 minutes per game) this summer, averaging 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals on .500/.379/.857 shooting splits.
A 6’3″ combo guard, Keels finished last season on a two-way contract with Miami, but the team declined to give him a two-way qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent. He spent most of last season with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat’s G League affiliate.
“The last couple of Summer Leagues, I didn’t really get the opportunity to play. I was just kind of on the bench,” Keels said last week. “So now that I get to play. I’m just going to show them what I can do. I’m going to earn a two-way back or earn a contract back. I don’t look into it as, you know, this team did me this way, did me that way. I love the organization. They do a good job of communicating. And I’m all in. They know I’m all in, and I’m going to do whatever it takes to get a contract or two-way.”
It’s unclear if Keels’ injury will impact his free agency — sprained MCLs vary in recovery time based on severity and other factors — but obviously it’s not great news for him. The former Duke guard only played 15 total NBA minutes across eight appearances in 2025/26, but he was productive for the Skyforce, averaging 18.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 3.3 APG and 1.2 SPG on .448/.402/.732 shooting in 40 total games (32.8 MPG).
Heat Notes: Jovic, Wiggins, Hardaway, LeBron, Keels
Forward Nikola Jovic says he’s happy to still be with the Heat after seeing his name pop up in trade rumors this offseason, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The 23-year-old Serbian says he “wasn’t really worried” about the speculation, but he’s excited to be back for a fifth season in Miami.
“I was happy that I stayed,” Jovic said after going through a workout on Wednesday in Las Vegas. “I thought I was probably not going to be here. But I’m really happy. Obviously, not only because I’m going to share the court and play with [Giannis Antetokounmpo], but I’m also happy that I’m going to be able to learn from one of the greatest power forwards ever. The way he lives, the way he treats basketball, and stuff like that.”
Jovic is coming off a disappointing fourth season in which he averaged 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists on .366/.269/.683 shooting in 47 games (17.2 minutes per contest). The 27th overall pick in the 2022 draft admits he struggled with motivation after signing a four-year, $62.4MM extension last October, but he’s determined to turn the page on 2025/26 and recently had a pair of impressive outings for the Serbian national team, Chiang notes.
“It’s good,” Jovic said of his play with the national team. “I think it builds your confidence back up a little bit. Like I always say, I know how good I am. I never didn’t believe in myself. But it’s always good to look good and play good for your country. It’s good to build my confidence back up a little bit.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- One benefit of the Heat’s extension with Andrew Wiggins is the two years that were tacked on look team-friendly, observes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Wiggins exercised his $30.2MM player option for next season and the extension will pay him a combined $33.8MM for the ’27/28 and ’28/29 seasons. The structure of Wiggins’ contract could make him an in-season trade candidate ahead of the February deadline, depending on how the team is performing to that point. Jackson also looks at the pros and cons of using part of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Tim Hardaway Jr., a durable and confident outside shooter who isn’t a great defender and hasn’t necessarily performed well in the playoffs.
- While he’s clearly no longer at his peak, the Heat still need LeBron James far more than he needs them, contends Chris Perkins of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Perkins argues the Heat would have much higher odds of making a deep playoff run if the 22-time All-Star is on the roster, but that’s true of his other suitors as well, and all of those clubs appear closer to a title than Miami.
- Free agent guard Trevor Keels holds no bitterness towards the Heat after the team decided not to give him a two-way qualifying offer last month, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Keels is playing for the Heat’s Summer League team after spending most of last season with their G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. “The last couple of Summer Leagues, I didn’t really get the opportunity to play. I was just kind of on the bench,” Keels said of summer time with the Knicks and Timberwolves. “So now that I get to play. I’m just going to show them what I can do. I’m going to earn a two-way back or earn a contract back. I don’t look into it as, you know, this team did me this way, did me that way. I love the organization. They do a good job of communicating. And I’m all in. They know I’m all in, and I’m going to do whatever it takes to get a contract or two-way.”
QO Decisions: Goldin, Keels, Plowden, Johnson, Dickinson, Crawford
The Heat have tendered a two-way qualifying offer to Vladislav Goldin, according to Spotrac contributor Keith Smith (Twitter link). The undrafted seven-footer out of Michigan appeared in nine games with Miami this past season but only averaged 2.7 minutes in those outings. He’ll now be a restricted free agent.
Goldin’s qualifying offer is equivalent to another one-year, two-way deal and would include a modest partial guarantee (projected to be worth $91K).
The Heat are planning to pass on a two-way qualifying offer for guard Trevor Keels, making him an unrestricted free agent, the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang tweets. The 2022 second-round pick out of Duke made eight cameo appearances for the Heat this past season.
Here’s more qualifying offer decisions:
- The Kings have made a two-way qualifying offer to guard Daeqwon Plowden, making him a restricted free agent, Smith tweets. Plowden saw quite a bit of action for Sacramento in 2025/26, appearing in 32 games (seven starts). He averaged 10.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 26.4 minutes per game.
- The Nets have tendered a two-way qualifying offer to forward Chaney Johnson, Smith tweets. Johnson appeared in 12 games for Brooklyn this past season, averaging 8.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 20.5 minutes per game.
- The Pelicans have tendered a two-way qualifying offer to center Hunter Dickinson, Smith tweets. The former Michigan and Kansas standout, who appeared in five NBA games this season after going undrafted, is one of three New Orleans two-way players eligible for free agency this offseason.
- The Rockets have tendered a two-way qualifying offer to Isaiah Crawford, Smith tweets. After going undrafted in 2024, Crawford played 15 games for Sacramento. This past season, Crawford appeared in 14 Rockets games, averaging 2.0 points in 6.6 minutes.
Bucks’ Nance Among Two-Way Players Nearing Game Limit
Bucks forward Pete Nance had one of his best games of the season in Tuesday’s loss to Cleveland, scoring 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, grabbing seven rebounds, and blocking two shots. Although Milwaukee lost the game by a score of 123-116, Nance was a +7 during his 30 minutes of action.
As Keith Smith of Spotrac observes (via Twitter), it was the 29th consecutive game – and the 47th overall – in which Nance was active. That’s important because the 26-year-old is on a two-way contract, which comes with a limit of 50 active games.
The Bucks still have 14 games left on their regular season schedule, but if they want Nance to be active for more than three of those contests, they’d have to promote him to their standard 15-man roster, which is currently full.
Most promotions from a two-way contract to a standard deal in a given league year occur between the trade deadline and March 4. That way, teams don’t prematurely fill a roster spot they might need for a deadline deal and have the ability to back-fill a newly opened two-way slot on or before March 4, the deadline to sign players to two-way contracts. Promoting a two-way player to the 15-man roster after that deadline means that a club would have to leave one of its two-way slots open for the rest of the season.
Promotions can still happen between March 5 and the end of the regular season, but it’s a less pressing priority for teams who don’t have 15-man roster spots available and/or won’t need their two-way standouts for the postseason. The Bucks, whose playoff chances are on life support, probably fall into both of those categories, so it will be interesting to see whether they feel compelled to make a move with Nance as he nears his 50-game limit.
Here are the other players are on two-way contracts around the NBA who have fewer than 10 games of eligibility remaining (their remaining games are noted in parentheses):
- Moussa Cisse, Mavericks (4)
JD Davison, Rockets (4)
Tyrese Martin, Sixers (4) - Caleb Love, Trail Blazers (5)
David Roddy, Nuggets (5) - Tristan Enaruna, Cavaliers (6)
Blake Hinson, Jazz (6)
Rayan Rupert, Grizzlies (6)
Payton Sandfort, Thunder (6)
Dalen Terry, Sixers (6) - Norchad Omier, Clippers (7)
Nate Williams, Warriors (7) - Patrick Baldwin Jr., Kings (8)
Jamal Cain, Magic (8)
Julian Reese, Wizards (8) - Trevor Keels, Heat (9)
KJ Simpson, Nuggets (9)
Jalen Slawson, Pacers (9)
Ethan Thompson, Pacers (9)
Chris Youngblood, Trail Blazers (9)
Some of these players were just signed a couple weeks ago and didn’t have that many games of two-way eligibility to begin with, so the fact that they’re nearing their limit isn’t a big deal for their respective teams.
Sandfort, for instance, joined the Thunder on March 2, giving him 12 total games of regular season eligibility. He has been active for six, but has a DNP-CD in all of them. It’s safe to assume Oklahoma City won’t be looking to find a way to promote him to its standard roster.
Others on this list were regular contributors earlier in the season but have been deactivated since they got close to their respective limits. Cisse, for example, was at 42 active games at the trade deadline, but has been in the Mavericks’ lineup for just four of 18 contests since then. Davison and Love are among the others who have found themselves exiled to the inactive list on a permanent basis in recent weeks. Their teams have gotten by without them lately and don’t appear to be prioritizing promotions.
That doesn’t mean none of these players will be converted to standard contracts by April 12 though. The Jazz, Warriors, and Magic are among the teams that have open roster spots, so Hinson, Williams, and Cain, each of whom has been seeing a decent amount of playing time recently, should be considered candidates to fill those openings.
Heat Notes: Herro, Jovic, Gardner, Keels
After taking part in practice on Thursday, Heat guard Tyler Herro spoke to the media for the first time in several weeks and confirmed a report that he fractured three ribs last month, as Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes.
“There’s not too much discomfort anymore compared to where I was three or four weeks ago,” Herro said. “I couldn’t even get out of bed. It was crazy. There was nothing I could magically do to fix my ribs. I had three fractured ribs. My ribs were in a lot of pain. Doing normal lifestyle things, I couldn’t do. There was no way I could play basketball. I can fully move how I’m supposed to now. Just focused on staying healthy the rest of the season.”
After missing Miami’s past 15 games, Herro will make his return on Friday in Atlanta, having been upgraded to available for the divisional matchup with the Hawks. In fact, the Heat’s roster will be as healthy as it’s been all season, with only Terry Rozier and a pair of two-way players listed as out on the injury report because they’re not with their team.
Of course, describing Herro as fully “healthy” might be a stretch. Although he’s ready to play, he’ll be wearing an NFL-style flak jacket under his jersey in his first game back to protect his ribs, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required).
“They had like a sewing person come in and sew a whole new pad in for me,” Herro said. “So I got quite the flak jacket. I look like a football player almost out there. So I’m going to see how it goes, try to feel it out a little bit. Ultimately, just want to feel safe. Hopefully I just don’t get hit there and we’ll be good. But yeah, I’ll be protected.”
Here’s more on the Heat as they prepare to embark on their post-All-Star schedule:
- While Miami will be focused on securing a top-six postseason seed in the Eastern Conference over the season’s final two months, there will be plenty of other Heat-related stories to watch in the coming weeks, Jackson writes for The Miami Herald. Those subplots include Herro and Norman Powell making their case for offseason extensions and the Heat evaluating whether Nikola Jovic, whose four-year, $62MM rookie scale extension goes into effect in July, can be relied on as a rotation player heading into next season.
- Rookie wing Myron Gardner, who signed a new three-year contract with the Heat this week after spending most of the season on a two-way deal, referred to the promotion as a “dream come true.” Head coach Erik Spoelstra says he’s earned it, per Adam Lichtenstein of The Sun Sentinel (subscription required). “He had to do it the hard way,” Spoelstra said. “We wanted to take a look at him this summer. And then in the summer there were some intriguing things, and preseason was a little bit up and down. And then he just continued to work, and every opportunity he had, either in practice and then eventually in the games, he just made us watch him. And you couldn’t not notice his energy. I mean, it’s relentless, whether he’s just crashing the glass or crashing into people. And it just intrigued us to be able to say, all right, can we develop the fundamentals and the details to be able to harness some of that energy and direct it in a positive way? And he’s been able to do that.”
- With Gardner promoted to the 15-man roster, the Heat’s next developmental project is Trevor Keels, who was signed to a two-way contract to take Gardner’s old spot. Spoelstra raved about the guard’s offensive ability, referring to him as a “sniper,” and suggested he’s committed to improving defensively too. “He has made improvement, and we want to invest more resources and time into that development,” the Heat coach said, according to Jackson. “(He) still has a way to go in terms of getting in Miami Heat shape, but he’s come a long way.”
- Davion Mitchell, Dru Smith, and Kasparas Jakucionis aren’t stars, but the Heat’s point guards all “bring something different” and are “really important to our team,” Spoelstra said on Friday. Writing for the Sun Sentinel (subscription required), Winderman explores the strengths of each player and considers whether there will be room for all of them in the rotation with Herro back.
Contract Details: Gardner, Highsmith, Houstan, Jones, Two-Ways
Heat swingman Myron Gardner will receive a minimum salary ($395,029) for the rest of the 2025/26 season after being promoted from his two-way contract. However, Miami had to use a portion of its non-taxpayer mid-level exception in order to complete his deal, since it includes two additional years beyond this season.
Gardner’s second year features a partial guarantee of $500K, and he’ll receive his full minimum salary of $2,150,917 for 2026/27 if he remains under contract through January 7 next year, Hoops Rumors has learned. The third year of the deal is fully non-guaranteed, but the Miami wing would receive his full $2,525,901 salary if he isn’t waived on or before July 15, 2027.
Here are a few more details on the contracts recently completed around the NBA:
- Haywood Highsmith‘s two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Suns includes a $1MM partial guarantee for 2026/27, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). It also features language protecting the team in the event that the veteran wing re-injures his surgically repaired right knee, Hoops Rumors has learned.
- As expected, both Caleb Houstan of the Hawks and Spencer Jones of the Nuggets were unilaterally converted from their two-way contracts to rest-of-season, minimum-salary contracts rather than negotiating new deals. Houstan will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, while Jones will be eligible for restricted free agency.
- The two-way contracts recently signed by Tyrese Martin (Sixers), Trevor Keels (Heat), and Jeenathan Williams (Warriors) are each for one year, while Riley Minix‘s new two-way deal with the Cavaliers will cover two seasons, Hoops Rumors has learned.
Heat Sign Trevor Keels To Two-Way Contract
The Heat have signed guard Trevor Keels to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release. Keels will slide into the two-way slot that opened up when Miami promoted Myron Gardner to its 15-man roster earlier in the day.
A former Duke guard who appeared in three games for New York during the 2022/23 season, Keels has been playing in the G League for the last few years, spending time with the Westchester Knicks, the Iowa Wolves, and – most recently – the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s affiliate.
In 35 games for Sioux Falls this season, Keels has scored 18.5 points per game on .453/.400/.731 shooting while also contributing 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.2 steals in 32.5 minutes per contest.
Although Keels has yet to establish himself as an NBA player, he’s still just 22 years old and has multiple years of two-way eligibility remaining, so he should have an opportunity to stick with the Heat as a developmental player if he has a strong finish to this season.
The Heat will be able to have Keels active for up to 16 regular season games going forward.
Heat Notes: Mitchell, Ware, Jakucionis, Keels
Kasparas Jakucionis and Pelle Larsson returned from injuries to make their preseason debuts on Wednesday, and there appears to be more good news on the horizon for the Heat, writes Anthony Chiang for the Miami Herald. According to Chiang, guard Davion Mitchell, who missed part of training camp with calf soreness and has yet to suit up during the preseason, is expected to be available for Sunday’s game against the Magic.
The 27-year-old point guard was not overly concerned about the injury.
“It was just a calf strain,” he said. “I kind of felt something in my calf. They kind of have been cautious of it because obviously the calf is a big part, especially with the injuries [around the NBA] that we had last year and things like that. So they kind of just wanted to be cautious and make sure I’m ready 100 percent.”
With Tyler Herro likely to miss the first month of the season as he recovers from left ankle surgery, Mitchell is expected to be vying for the role of day-one starter for the Heat. After playing some of the best basketball of his career down the stretch last season, he expressed frustration with being slowed down by the injury.
“Especially with the new offense we got, you kind of want to get that chemistry together to play faster,” he said. “So I kind of got a little step behind not going through the actual games with them. But I’ve been doing it in practice, so I feel good about it.”
Chiang also notes that Simone Fontecchio is participating in practice but remains limited due to left lower leg tightness. Herro and Terry Rozier are both still out without firm return dates.
We have more news from the Heat:
- After Kel’el Ware put up a double-double in the Heat’s second preseason game, head coach Erik Spoelstra expressed that he was not moved by the big numbers and wanted the big man to focus on making a positive impact on the game. Ware wasn’t discouraged by those remarks, viewing them instead as an opportunity, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel (subscriber link). “I always take anything Spo says to me as motivation,” Ware said. “I take it and I try to impact it in my game and I try to play as hard as I can.” Ware responded on Wednesday with 29 points and 12 rebounds — and most importantly, he helped the Heat outscore the Spurs by 10 when he was on the court. It was a big performance, and his coach noticed. “He put a lot of it together,” Spoelstra said. “His pick-and-roll coverages were really good, protecting the basket. He was closing out when he needed to. He rebounded the ball very well. And he was playing with force.” While Ware has a lot of skill, playing with force is a clear point of emphasis for Spoelstra. “My favorite play was when he had an opportunity to shoot a three at the top of the key and he just drove it so hard,” Spoelstra said.
- Also turning in an impressive performance on Wednesday night was Jakucionis, who scored eight points and handed out 10 assists in his preseason debut after missing the first two games with a sprained wrist. It was a strong start for the 2025 first-round pick, writes Chiang. Spoelstra noted that there was already a budding chemistry between the rookie point guard and second-year big man, saying, “You can see a natural connection between him and Kel’el.” Jakucionis, for his part, knows there’s still a lot of work to do, especially in terms of scoring efficiency. “I’m just trying to be consistent, stay the same,” he said. “Discipline, and stay the same mind. Don’t go too high when I’m doing good and don’t go too low when I’m doing not that good. So I’m just trying to stay consistent, stay the same way, and just improving every day to try to get 1 percent better.“
- Ware and Jakucionas were not the only recent Heat first-round picks to show out on Wednesday, Chiang writes in a separate article. Jaime Jaquez Jr., coming off a slightly disappointing sophomore season, scored 19 points on eight shots in 28 minutes. He impressed Spoelstra, who, characteristically, still wants to see more from the young forward. “He’s such a downhill force that he’s going to attract help-side defenders,” Spoelstra said. “So naturally, he has to evolve and make enough plays to keep the defense honest because we need him to be aggressive.”
- Trevor Keels was recently waived in order for Miami to sign Gabe Madsen. Both players are expected to end up with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Winderman writes (subscriber link). Spoelstra spoke on the two players, both of whom showed enough for the Heat coach to take notice. “We want to continue to develop him, for sure,” Spoelstra said of Keels. “He showed a lot of improvement over the last few weeks. He’s gotten in better shape. He’s committed to our defensive system. And I told him this is just the beginning.” As for Madsen, Spoelstra saw some of the famous “Heat Culture” in the young guard. “He showed a level of grit, a competitive toughness that we like,” Spoelstra said. “And he’s also skilled. He knows how to play without the ball and shoot the ball, or drive off those catches. So we’re encouraged by that.”
Heat Sign Gabe Madsen, Waive Trevor Keels
The Heat have signed Gabe Madsen, the team announced in a release. In a corresponding move, they waived Trevor Keels.
Miami signed Madsen to an Exhibit 10 deal in September, but waived him to make room to sign Precious Achiuwa. Now, he’s back on an Exhibit 9 contract, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).
Madsen played a five-year collegiate career, beginning at Cincinnati and spending the next four years at Utah. He averaged 15.2 points per game in 2024/25 and made 36.0% of his three-point attempts over the course of his five college seasons.
Keels, who played collegiately at Duke, scored 12 points in Miami’s preseason opener. He’s likely headed for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League affiliate. His Exhibit 10 contract makes him eligible for a bonus worth $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with the Skyforce.