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Miami Heat re-sign Victor Oladipo

The Miami Heat have re-signed guard Victor Oladipo.

“We really like Victor’s versatility and how he impacts the game in multiple ways,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “His speed skill set fits perfectly into the core we have built.”

Per the Miami Herald, “Oladipo agreed to a one-year minimum deal worth about $2.4 million on Wednesday to return to the Heat, according to a league source.”

Oladipo, a two-time NBA All-Star, appeared in 33 games (all starts) last season between the HEAT, Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers averaging 19.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.39 steals and 32.7 minutes while shooting 40.8 percent from the field. He scored in double figures 29 times, including 18 games with at least 20 points and three 30-point performances.

More from the Herald: “Oladipo, 29, was traded to the Heat in March but played in just four games with Miami before feeling discomfort in his right knee and eventually undergoing surgery to repair the quadriceps tendon in the knee on May 13. He ruptured that same tendon in January 2019 before returning a year later in January 2020.”

Oladipo has appeared in 454 regular season games (394 starts) during his eight-year NBA career and has averaged 17.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.64 steals and 33.0 minutes while shooting 43.8 percent from the floor, 34.7 percent from three-point range and 79.1 percent from the foul line.

Oladipo had season-ending surgery on his right knee on May 13, 2021, and will continue his rehab.

Miami Heat re-sign Jimmy Butler

The Miami Heat have re-signed forward Jimmy Butler.

“Jimmy is the anchor and face of our franchise along with Bam and Kyle,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “With Jimmy, we get an All-NBA player, an All-NBA Defensive player, tough as nails and a complete player across the board. He’s very deserving of this contract as he continually puts himself at the top of the league at his position. Having him in the HEAT organization has been a great, great coup for us.”

Per the Miami Herald, “that commitment resulted in Butler signing a maximum four-year extension worth $184 million on Saturday that keeps him under contract with the Heat through the 2025-26 season. Friday marked the first day that Butler, who turns 32 on Sept. 14, was eligible to sign the deal.”

The All-NBA Third Team recipient started all 52 games in which he appeared last season and averaged a team-leading 21.5 points, a team-best 7.1 assists, 6.9 rebounds and an NBA-leading 2.08 steals in 33.6 minutes while shooting 49.7 percent from the field and 86.3 percent from the foul line. Also named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, Butler became the first HEAT player in franchise history to lead the league in steals per game and his 86.3 percent shooting from the foul line was the third-highest single season percentage in team history. He shot at least 80 percent from the charity stripe in 14-straight games from April 3 – May 2 and recorded nine-straight multi-steal games from March 31 – April 16, both the longest such streaks in team history.

More from the Herald: “The four-year, $141 million contract that Butler signed to join the Heat during free agency in 2019 includes a guaranteed $36 million salary for next season and a $37.7 million player option in 2022-23. The extension replaces Butler’s 2022-23 option and begins that season, which means he’s set to earn $220 million over the next five years.”

Butler set single-season career highs in field goal percentage, rebounds per game, assists per game and steals per game and ranked among NBA leaders in total steals (2nd), scoring average (26th), free throws made (9th) and attempted (11th), assists per game (10th), assists per turnover (10th), steals per turnover (12th), total assists (18th), efficiency (24th), minutes per game (29th) and rebounds per game (36th).

He led the HEAT in scoring average, double-figure scoring quarters (28), 20-point games, 30-point games, free throws made and attempted, free throw percentage, assists, steals, triple-doubles and plus/minus (+196) and ranked second on the team in points, double-figure scoring efforts, field goals made and attempted, three-point plays, double-figure rebound efforts, offensive, defensive and total rebounds and double-doubles. He also scored in double figures 50 times, including 30 games with at least 20 points and five 30-point performances.

Additionally, Butler grabbed double-figure rebounds a career-high 11 times, handed out double-figure assists on 10 occasions and posted four triple-doubles this season. His four triple-doubles tie for the most during a single season in team history, including three-straight from February 15-18, to become the first player in HEAT history to record consecutive triple-doubles with two of those coming on a back-to-back road set to become just the 11th player in NBA history to achieve that feat.

A five-time NBA All-Star, Butler has appeared in 633 games (528 starts) during his 10-year NBA career and averaged 17.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.63 steals and 33.1 minutes while shooting 45.8 percent from the floor, 32.7 percent from behind the arc and 83.8 percent from the foul line. He is Miami’s all-time leader in free throw percentage and also ranks among the HEAT’s all-time leaders in triple-doubles (2nd), scoring average (3rd), free throws made (14th), free throw attempts (17th), double-doubles (tied-18th) and assists (19th). In 80 NBA postseason games (77 starts), he has averaged 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.60 steals and 37.6 minutes while shooting 44.2 percent from the floor, 34.6 percent from three-point range and 83.6 percent from the foul line

Miami Heat sign P.J. Tucker

The Miami Heat yesterday signed forward P.J. Tucker.

“P.J. Tucker is the perfect addition to this team,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “He brings both shooting and most importantly, the ability to defend a lot of perimeter players. We love his versatility in order to put a defensive team on the court, where all five guys can defend, while also having enough shooting and scoring to win games.”

Tucker, who helped the Bucks to the 2021 NBA Championship, split last season between Houston and Milwaukee appearing in 52 games (33 starts) and averaged 3.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.17 steals and 26.1 minutes. In 23 postseason games (19 starts) while helping lead Milwaukee to their first NBA Championship in 50 years, he averaged 4.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 29.6 minutes. Tucker ranked among postseason hustle leaders in charges drawn (third), loose balls recovered (fourth), contested two-pointers (eighth), contested shots (ninth), box outs (tied-12th), contested three-pointers (15th) and deflections (tied-16th).

The 10-year NBA veteran has appeared in 706 career games (511 starts) for Toronto, Phoenix, Houston and Milwaukee and averaged 7.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.17 steals and 29.1 minutes while shooting 41.9 percent from the field, 35.9 percent from three-point range and 74.8 percent from the foul line. He has scored in double figures on 204 occasions, including 14 games with at least 20 points. He has also posted double-figure boards 82 times and registered 40 double-doubles while receiving multiple votes for the NBA All-Defensive Team in six of his 10 seasons. Additionally, he has appeared in 73 career postseason games (60 starts) and averaged 7.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 28.9 minutes while scoring in double figures 22 times and recording 14 games with at least 10 rebounds, including nine double-doubles.

Toronto Raptors sign-and-trade Kyle Lowry to Miami Heat

The Toronto Raptors announced Friday they have acquired guard Goran Dragic and forward Precious Achiuwa from the Miami Heat as part of a sign-and-trade for six-time All-Star guard Kyle Lowry.

“Kyle Lowry is a great leader and an exceptional defender,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “As a point guard, he will bring important skills to run the offense, score the ball and defend with the very best.”

Lowry is Toronto’s all-time leader in assists (4,277), steals (873), three-pointers made (1,518) and triple-doubles (16). He is one of two players (along with DeMar DeRozan) to represent the Raptors in nine different seasons, accumulating 365 regular season wins and 44 playoff victories to make him the winningest player in franchise history. Lowry averaged 17.5 points, 7.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 34.6 minutes, while shooting .425 from the field (3,376-7,944) and .377 from three-point range (1,518-4,031) in 601 regular season contests.

Lowry was acquired July 11, 2012 from the Houston Rockets in exchange for Gary Forbes and a first-round draft pick. During his second season (2013-14) Lowry played a key role in leading the Raptors to the playoffs for the first time since 2008. This sparked a streak of seven consecutive playoff appearances (2014-20), six Atlantic Division titles, five 50-win seasons, two trips to the Eastern Conference Finals and the Raptors’ first NBA championship title in 2019. In the series-clinching victory June 13, 2019 at Golden State, Lowry scored Toronto’s first 11 points of the game and finished with a team-high 26 points.

Lowry had a personal streak of six consecutive NBA All-Star selections (2015-20) during this period, including being voted in as a starter twice (2015 and 2016). He earned third team All-NBA honours during the 2015-16 campaign after averaging 21.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and leading Toronto to a then franchise-record 56 wins.

Dragic, 6-foot-3, 190 pounds is a 13-year NBA veteran who holds career averages of 13.9 points, 4.8 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 67 regular-season games with Phoenix, Houston and Miami. He averaged a career-best 20.3 points and 5.9 assists during the 2013-14 season with Phoenix and was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player. Dragic also earned third-team All-NBA honors for the 2013-14 campaign. In 2016-17 with Miami he averaged 20.3 points and 5.8 assists and was named to the 2018 Eastern Conference All-Star Team.

Achiuwa, 6-foot-9, 235 pounds, was picked 20th overall by Miami in the 2020 NBA Draft. He averaged 5.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 12.1 minutes in 61 games (four starts) during his rookie season. Achiuwa scored a season-high 23 points in the regular-season finale May 16 at Detroit and recorded three double-doubles.

A native of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, Achiuwa played one season at the University of Memphis, where he averaged 15.8 points, 10.8 rebounds (led AAC) and 30.4 minutes in 31 contests. For his efforts, he was named American Athletic Conference Player and Freshman (AAC) of the Year.

Miami Heat re-sign Gabe Vincent

The Miami Heat yesterday re-signed guard Gabe Vincent.

“Gabe has proven to us that he is more than just a point guard,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “He’s a two-way guard that can run the offense, make threes and pretty much defend any guard in this league. It’s good to have him as part of our young core of players that we feel blend perfectly with our veterans.”

Vincent appeared in 50 games (seven starts) for the HEAT last season and averaged 4.8 points, 1.3 assists and 1.1 rebounds in 13.1 minutes per game. He ranked second on the team in charges drawn (12) and topped the HEAT in steals six times, plus/minus four times and assists twice. He was Miami’s leading scorer off the bench three times and also led the HEAT reserves in steals and plus/minus six times each, assists four times, minutes three times and blocks once. He scored in double figures six times, including a pair of 20-point games, handed out double-figure assists once and recorded one double-double.

Originally signed by the HEAT to a two-way contract on January 8, 2020, Vincent has appeared in 59 NBA regular season games (seven starts) during his two-year NBA career in Miami and has averaged 4.5 points, 1.2 assists, 1.0 rebounds and 12.5 minutes. He has appeared as a reserve in four playoff games and averaged 1.3 points in 4.8 minutes. Additionally, he recently competed in the Tokyo Olympics as a member of the Nigerian National Team and averaged 6.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.33 steals and 24.7 minutes.

Miami Heat sign Markieff Morris

The Miami Heat have signed forward Markieff Morris.

“Markieff Morris has been a player that we’ve followed closely for a number of years,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “He can play multiple positions, shoot the three, defend and post-up. To be able to add him to our nucleus was a big move. I want to thank Markieff for coming to Miami.”

The contract is reportedly a one-year, league minimum deal.

Morris spent last season with the Los Angeles Lakers, appearing in 61 games (27 starts) and averaging 6.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 19.7 minutes. As a starter, he averaged 10.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 26.1 minutes. He scored in double figures on 19 occasions and pulled in double-figure boards twice, both of which were good for double-doubles.

Per the Miami Herald, the “commitment from Morris helps bolster the Heat’s frontcourt, which wasn’t a strength last season. Miami was outrebounded 236-169 and outscored in the paint 188-148 during its first-round sweep from the playoffs at the hands of the eventual NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks.”

A 10-year NBA veteran, Morris has appeared in 698 games (375 starts) for the Suns, Wizards, Thunder, Pistons and Lakers and averaged 11.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 25.0 minutes while shooting 44.6 percent from the field, 34.1 percent from three-point range and 77.6 percent from the foul line. The one-time Western Conference Player of the Week has scored in double figures 392 times, including 78 games with at least 20 points and four games with at least 30 points. He has also tallied double-figure rebounds 53 times and posted 48 double-doubles. A 2020 NBA Champion, Morris has appeared in 49 career postseason games (22 starts) and averaged 7.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 21.2 minutes while reaching double figures in points 12 times, rebounds five times and registering nine double-doubles.

Miami Heat re-sign Duncan Robinson

The Miami Heat have re-signed forward Duncan Robinson.

“Duncan is the epitome of everybody who’s ever had a dream about being a great NBA player,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “I have never been around a player who worked as hard, fastidiously working on what he needed to do in order to improve his game. Not just his shooting, but his overall game. Having Duncan back was very critical for us.”

Per the Miami Herald, “Robinson got what he wanted, agreeing to a five-year deal worth $90 million to return to the Heat early in free agency on Monday. The total value of the contract is the largest ever for an undrafted player.”

Robinson was the lone HEAT player to play in all 72 games (all starts) last season with the HEAT, averaging 13.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 31.4 minutes per game. He ranked among the NBA leaders in three-point field goals made (4th) and attempted (4th), three-point field goal percentage (38th) and minutes played (15th). He also led the HEAT in three-point field goals made and attempted, three-point field goal percentage, four-point plays (6), charges taken (13), games played, starts and minutes.

Last season, Robinson connected on his 300th career three-point field goal vs. Boston on January 6 in just his 95th career game, recorded his 400th career three-point field goal vs. Orlando on March 11 in his 125th career game and hit his 500th career three-pointer at Cleveland on May 1 in his 152nd career game, needing the fewest number of games in NBA history to reach each milestone. He also hit multiple treys in a team-record 25 consecutive games and hit at least one three-pointer in 71 of the 72 games. He closed the season by hitting a trey in each of the final 48 games; the third longest streak in franchise history.

More from the Herald: “So far in free agency, the Heat has added Lowry, P.J. Tucker and Markieff Morris, and retained Robinson, Dewayne Dedmon, Victor Oladipo, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent.”

Robinson has appeared in 160 NBA regular season games (141 starts) during his three-year NBA career (all with Miami) and has averaged 12.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 28.7 minutes while shooting 45.2 percent from the floor, 42.3 percent from three-point range and 86.9 percent from the foul line. He owns the top two HEAT single-season marks for three-point field goals made (270 in 2019-20 and 250 in 2020-21) and holds the franchise records for treys in a quarter and a half. He also owns the NBA single-season record for three-pointers by an undrafted player. In his short time with the HEAT, Robinson ranks among the franchise’s all-time leaders in three-point field goal percentage (4th) and three-point field goals made (6th) and attempted (7th).

Miami Heat re-sign Max Strus

The Miami Heat have re-signed guard/forward Max Strus.

“As one of our young developing players, Max proved he can be very productive for us,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “He stepped up when needed last season and produced. His shooting and overall game is going to help our team immensely.”

Strus came off the bench in all 39 games in which he appeared for the HEAT last season and averaged 6.1 points and 1.1 rebounds in 13.0 minutes per game. He topped the HEAT in plus/minus four times, steals twice and blocks once and was Miami’s leading scorer off the bench eight times. He also led the HEAT reserves in plus/minus 13 times, steals six times, minutes four times, assists three times and rebounds and blocks once each. He scored in double figures six times, including a pair of 20-point games, handed out double-figure assists once and recorded one double-double.

Originally signed by the HEAT on November 30, 2020, he had the two-way conversion option in his contract exercised on December 18, 2020. In 41 NBA regular season games over his two-year career, he has averaged 5.9 points, 1.0 rebounds and 12.5 minutes while shooting 45.8 percent from the floor, 33.6 percent from three-point range and 68 percent from the foul line.

Miami Heat re-sign center Dewayne Dedmon

The Miami Heat have re-signed center Dewayne Dedmon.

Per multiple reports, it’s a one-year minimum deal.

“We love Dewayne and his aggressive attitude at the center position,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “He’s a great screener, rebounder and can stretch the floor. He came in after missing most of the season and had a tremendous impact for us. His veteran presence and physicality are going to help anchor our defense and with a whole year under his belt, he will be even better.”

After being signed as a free agent on April 8, 2021, Dedmon played in 16 games for the HEAT last season, averaging 7.1 points and 5.4 rebounds in 13.2 minutes per game. He was third on the team in plus/minus (+68) and topped the HEAT in blocks four times. Additionally, he was Miami’s leading scorer off the bench twice and also led the HEAT reserves in rebounds 12 times, steals and plus/minus seven times each, blocks four times and assists twice.

In his eight NBA seasons, Dedmon has appeared in 410 regular season games (194 starts) and has averaged 6.4 points and 6.0 rebounds in 18.1 minutes per game.

Miami Heat exercise contract option on Goran Dragic

The Miami Heat have exercised their team option on Goran Dragic.

Per the Miami Herald, “just a few hours before the deadline, the Heat ultimately decided to exercise the $19.4 million team option in Goran Dragic’s contract and declined the $15 million team option in forward Andre Iguodala’s contract. The Heat was already considered one of the favorites to land Kyle Lowry in free agency before Sunday’s news, but the decision to exercise Dragic’s option solidifies Miami’s spot as the frontrunner to add the veteran guard, according to league sources. Teams can begin negotiating with free agents on Monday at 6 p.m. and officially begin signing free agents on Friday at 12:01 p.m.”

Dragić appeared in 50 games (11 starts) last season with the HEAT and averaged 13.4 points, 4.4 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 26.7 minutes while shooting 43.2 percent from the field, 37.3 percent from three-point range and a new career high 82.8 percent from the foul line. The 13-year NBA veteran has appeared in 867 career regular season games (522 starts) and averaged 13.9 points, 4.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 28.0 minutes while shooting 46.2 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from three-point range and 76.6 percent from the foul line.