Category: Miami Heat Blog

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Heat convert Dru Smith’s contract to two-way, waive Jamaree Bouyea, Marcus Garrett, Mychal Mulder and Orlando Robinson

The Miami Heat have converted guard Dru Smith to a two-way contract.

In addition, Miami has waived Jamaree Bouyea, Marcus Garrett, Mychal Mulder and Orlando Robinson.

Smith, who originally signed with the HEAT on September 20, appeared in all five preseason games with Miami and averaged 7.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 15.1 minutes while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from three-point range. Last season, he appeared in 10 games (five starts) with Miami’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, and averaged 8.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.20 steals and 27.5 minutes. Smith started all 25 games he appeared in as a senior at Missouri in 2020-21, averaging 14.1 points, 3.9 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 2.04 steals and 33.9 minutes while shooting 44.4 percent from the field, 39.8 percent from three-point range and 83 percent from the foul line. He was named to the All-SEC First Team and became the first player in school history to be named to the SEC All-Defensive Team after leading the conference in steals for the second consecutive season. He also led the team in points, assists, steals, field goals made, free throws made and minutes and earned Conference Player of the Week three times, the most by any player that season.

Bouyea, who signed with the HEAT on July 14, appeared in four preseason games with Miami and averaged 8.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.25 steals and 17.2 minutes.

Garrett, who signed a two-way contract with the HEAT on July 16, appeared in four preseason games (one start) with Miami and averaged 3.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.25 steals and 18.4 minutes.

Mulder, who signed with the HEAT on October 9, appeared in one preseason game with Miami totaling three points and an assist in 9:34 minutes of action.

Robinson, who signed with the HEAT on July 7, appeared in four preseason games (one start) with Miami and averaged 3.3 points, 2.3 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 11.9 minutes.

Heat guard Marcus Garrett out with wrist injury

Miami Heat guard Marcus Garrett suffered a fractured scaphoid bone in his right wrist.

He will be casted for four weeks and re-evaluated at that time.

Garrett signed a two-way contract with the Heat on July 16.

Per the Miami Herald, “Garrett, who was named the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year as a junior at Kansas before going undrafted in 2021, averaged 3.3 points while shooting 6 of 23 (26.1 percent) from the field and missing each of his eight attempts from three-point range in four appearances this preseason. He played 10 minutes in Monday’s preseason win over the Houston Rockets, finishing scoreless but with two rebounds, two assists and one steal.”

Heat convert Jamal Cain’s contract, sign Mychal Mulder, and waive Darius Days

The Miami Heat have converted Jamal Cain to a two-way contract, and have signed guard Mychal Mulder.

In addition, the team waived Darius Days.

Cain, who was signed by the HEAT on July 15, has appeared in three preseason games with Miami averaging 12.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.33 steals, 1.7 assists and 23.0 minutes while shooting 53.8 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from three-point range. As a graduate transfer at Oakland, Cain started in all 30 games in which he appeared and averaged 19.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.83 steals and 34.9 minutes while shooting 49.9 percent from the field and 84.1 percent from the line. He was named the Horizon League Co-Player of the Year and was selected to the Horizon All-League and NABC All-District 12 first teams. He earned Conference Player of the Week on four different occasions and was the only Horizon League player to average a double-double. Cain led the team in points, rebounds and field goals made while finishing second in blocks, steals and free throws made.

Mulder, who was previously signed to a two-way contract by the HEAT on March 24, 2022, appeared in two games with Miami last season totaling 14 points, three rebounds, two assists and a block while shooting 40 percent (4-of-10) from the field, 50 percent (4-of-8) from three-point range and a perfect 2-of-2 from the foul line. He also appeared in 13 games (12 starts) with Miami’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, last season averaging 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 35.1 minutes while shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from three-point range. Mulder will wear number 15.

Days, who was signed to a two-way contract by the HEAT on July 16, appeared in two games with Miami this preseason totaling two points, four rebounds, an assist and a block. Additionally, Days was signed to a Summer Contract prior to being waived.

Miami Heat notes: on taking charges, game sellouts, and Udonis Haslem

SOME MIAMI HEAT TEAM NOTES

The HEAT took 111 charges last season, the most by far in the NBA with Houston finishing second on the list with 64. The 111 charges are the most during a single-season over the last 10 years (since the stat was kept by PBPStats.com in 2010-11). Additionally, Kyle Lowry took a team-leading 25, tying the third-most by any player in the league. Below are the most single-season charges taken in the NBA since the 2010-11 campaign.

Miami has currently sold out 492-straight overall games, which includes both the regular season and playoffs, the sixth-longest sellout streak in NBA history. Additionally, 271 of those 492 overall sellouts have been at over capacity, where fans have purchased Standing Room Only tickets in the Upper 400 Level.

Udonis Haslem, who made his NBA debut with the HEAT during the 2003-04 season, enters his 20th season with Miami, becoming just the third player in NBA history to play at least 20 years with one NBA franchise in their career, joining only Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki. Additionally, he is the only undrafted player in NBA history to lead a franchise in total rebounds and has served as captain in each of the past 15 seasons, the longest tenure in team history.

Miami Heat sign Tyler Herro to big contract extension

The Miami Heat have signed guard Tyler Herro to a contract extension.

Per the South Florida Sun Sentinel, “the team and Herro have agreed on a contract extension, a four-year deal that an NBA executive confirmed to the Sun Sentinel that is worth as much as $130 million, kicking in at the start of the 2023-24 season.”

“Tyler is an impact multi-faceted player and we are excited to have him signed for the next five years,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “His improvement every year since we drafted him has led to this day. We believe he will continue to get better.”

Also per the Sun Sentinel, “because of NBA-salary cap policies, with the agreement Herro essentially cannot be traded during 2022-23, because of the sharp spike in his salary from the $5.7 million he will earn this season on the final year of his rookie deal. Herro’s agreement includes $120 million in guaranteed salary, with an additional $10 million in possible incentives, an NBA source confirmed.”

Herro, the 2021-22 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, appeared in 66 games last season (10 starts) and averaged 20.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 32.6 minutes while shooting 44.7 percent from the field, 39.9 percent from three-point range and 86.8 percent from the foul line, scoring a team-best 1,367 points while his 86.8 percent from the line was the fourth-highest percentage for a single-season in team history. He averaged 20.8 points off the bench, the highest by a reserve in the NBA and his 1,162 bench points were the most for a single-season by any reserve in HEAT franchise history. He recorded eight 30-point games off the bench, tying for the third-most by a non-starter for a single-season in NBA history and became the only player in HEAT history to record multiple 30-point games as a reserve and already has more than all other 30-point such games combined in franchise history (five). His 20 25-point games tied for the fourth-most ever in league history (since starts were tracked in 1970-71) and his 32 20-point games shattered Miami’s previous single-season record of 15. Herro scored a career-high 35 points on April 5 vs. Charlotte, tying for the most by a reserve in team history and posted a 30-point, 10-rebound double-double off the bench on October 23 at Indiana, becoming the first HEAT reserve to ever score at least 30 points and grab at least 10 rebounds in a single game. He scored 27 points in the season opener on October 21 vs. Milwaukee, tying the sixth-most ever by a reserve for a season opener in NBA history as he finished the season with 175 made three-point field goals, joining Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, Kyle Lowry and Gabe Vincent to mark just the second time in HEAT history at least five different players made at least 100 treys in a single season.

Herro, an NBA All-Rookie Team selection and two-time NBA Rising Stars honoree, has appeared in 175 career games (33 starts) and averaged 16.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 30.3 minutes while shooting 44 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from three-point range and 85.1 percent from the foul line. He has increased his scoring average in each of his three seasons, averaging 13.5 points as a rookie to 15.1 points the following year and most recently last season to 20.7 points. He has scored in double-figures 142 times, including 62 20-point games and 11 30-point performances. Herro scored the 2,000th point of his career on December 4 at Milwaukee, tying the second fastest and the second youngest to the mark in team history. Additionally, he already ranks among the HEAT’s all-time leaders in scoring average (8th), three-point field goals made (12th), three-point field goal percentage (15th), field goal percentage (19th) and points (22nd).

Miami Heat sign Dru Smith

The Miami Heat have signed guard Dru Smith.

Smith recently appeared in three Summer League games with the HEAT and averaged 12.0 points, 3.00 steals 1.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 46.4 percent from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 from the foul line. He appeared in 10 games (five starts) with Miami’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, last season and averaged 8.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.20 steals and 27.5 minutes.

Smith started all 25 games he appeared in as a senior at Missouri in 2020-21, averaging 14.1 points, 3.9 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 2.04 steals and 33.9 minutes while shooting 44.4 percent from the field, 39.8 percent from three-point range and 83 percent from the foul line. He was named to the All-SEC First Team and became the first player in school history to be named to the SEC All-Defensive Team after leading the conference in steals for the second consecutive season. He also led the team in points, assists, steals, field goals made, free throws made and minutes and earned Conference Player of the Week three times, the most by any player that season.

The HEAT’s roster now stands at 20.

Spurs and Heat will play a December, 2022 NBA regular season game in Mexico City

The NBA and Zignia today announced that the five-time NBA champion San Antonio Spurs and the three-time NBA champion Miami Heat will play a regular-season game at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City on Saturday, December 17, marking the first NBA Mexico City Game since 2019 and the league’s 31st game in Mexico overall, more than any country outside the U.S. and Canada.

The Spurs are led by five-time NBA champion head coach Gregg Popovich, who during the 2021-22 season became the winningest coach in NBA history, and currently feature 2020 Olympic gold medalist Keldon Johnson, 2022 No. 9 overall pick Jeremy Sochan, and 2021 No. 12 overall pick Joshua Primo.

The Heat are coached by Erik Spoelstra, who has led the franchise to two NBA championships, and currently feature six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler, 2020 NBA All-Star and three-time All-Defensive Second Team member Bam Adebayo, and 2021-22 Kia Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro.

The NBA Mexico City Game 2022 will air live in Mexico on ESPN, TUDN and NBA League Pass, the league’s premium live game subscription service. The game will reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories around the world on television, digital media and social media.

The Spurs made their debut in Mexico in October 1994 with two preseason games at the Palacio de los Deportes. Overall, the Spurs have played six games in Mexico, most recently a 121-119 overtime win against the Phoenix Suns as part of The NBA Mexico City Games 2019. The matchup will mark the Heat’s second game in Mexico, after defeating the Brooklyn Nets 101-89 as part of The NBA Mexico City Games 2017.

The NBA Mexico City Game 2022 will also mark the 30th anniversary of the league’s first game in the country, which featured the Houston Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks playing a preseason game at Mexico’s Palacio de los Deportes in October 1992. Overall, 22 NBA teams have played preseason and regular-season games in Mexico.

Heat and Spurs will reportedly play a 2022-23 regular season game in Mexico City

Via the South Florida Sun Sentinel:

There will be a south-of-the-border element for the Miami Heat when the NBA schedule is released in coming days.

The Heat, under current NBA plans, are scheduled for a Dec. 17 game in Mexico City, one that will count against the San Antonio Spurs’ home schedule.

It will be the Heat’s first regular-season game outside of the United States or Canada since defeating the Brooklyn Nets 101-89 on Dec. 9, 2017 in front of a listed 19,777 in Mexico City.

The game at Mexico City Arena is part of the Spurs’ expansion beyond their AT&T Center home.

Miami Heat sign Darius Days and Marcus Garrett, waive Mychal Mulder and Javonte Smart

The Miami Heat have signed forward Darius Days and guard Marcus Garrett to two-way contracts.

In addition, Miami has waived Mychal Mulder and Javonte Smart.

Days, who played all four collegiate seasons at LSU from 2018-22, recently appeared in three Summer League games with the San Antonio Spurs averaging 13.7 points and 10.0 rebounds in 21.8 minutes of action while shooting 55.6 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from three-point range and a perfect 5-of-5 from the line. He led the team in rebounds and scored in double-figures in each of the three games. Days finished his LSU career as just one of 10 players in school history to record at least 1,300 points and 800 rebounds and became just the third LSU player since 1978 to have at least 1,300 points, 800 rebounds and 125 steals. He recorded 85 career wins, the most in school history over the last 25 years. Among the all-time school leaders, Days finished 10th in rebounds (830), 20th in steals (125) and 28th in points (1,305).

Garrett, who originally signed a two-way contract with the HEAT on September 2, 2021 before being waived on January 16, appeared in 12 games with the HEAT last season before undergoing season-ending wrist surgery. He recently appeared in three Summer League games (two starts) with the HEAT and averaged 7.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.00 steals. Garrett was a three-time Big 12 All-Defensive Team selection at Kansas, finishing with 181 career steals, tying the 10th-most in school history.

Mulder, who was signed to a two-way contract by the HEAT on March 24, appeared in two games with Miami last season averaging 7.0 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 22.1 minutes.

Smart, who was signed to a two-way contract by the HEAT on February 15, appeared in four games with Miami last season averaging 5.0 points and 1.3 rebounds in 10.0 minutes of action.

Miami Heat sign rookie Jamal Cain

The Miami Heat have signed forward Jamal Cain.

Cain has appeared in three Summer League games with the HEAT between the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League averaging 7.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.33 steals and 1.0 assists while shooting 50 percent from the field and 70 percent from the foul line.

Per the Miami Herald, “Cain signed an Exhibit 10 contract, which comes with a small financial guarantee and an invitation to training camp.”

He previously played four seasons at Marquette before transferring to Oakland University. As a graduate transfer at Oakland, Cain started in all 30 games in which he appeared and averaged 19.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.83 steals and 34.9 minutes while shooting 49.9 percent from the field and 84.1 percent from the line.

He was named the Horizon League Co-Player of the Year and was selected to the Horizon All-League and NABC All-District 12 first teams.

He earned Conference Player of the Week on four different occasions and was the only Horizon League player to average a double-double.

Additionally, Cain led the team in points, rebounds and field goals made while finishing second in blocks, steals and free throws made.

More from the Herald: “Exhibit 10 deals do not count against the salary cap or hard cap and can be converted to a two-way contract or standard one-year minimum contract prior to the start of the regular season. In addition, Exhibit 10 contracts can pay the player from $5,000 to $50,000 if they are waived by their respective NBA team and then move on to that team’s G League affiliate and stay there at least 60 days.”