Miami Heat waiting, watching amid NBA free agency
MIAMI – The changing face of the Miami Heat roster took a few additional twists Sunday, but still no definitive turn toward prime trade target Damian Lillard, the Portland Trail Blazers All-Star guard who has requested a trade.
Among the most visible change Sunday was what turned invisible, with Heat guard Tyler Herro scrubbing his Twitter bio of both mention of the Heat and the photo of the team’s practice court.
Herro, who last October signed a four-year, $130 million extension that kicks in at the start of the coming season, has been speculated as the prime component the Heat are offering in a potential deal for Lillard.
An NBA executive said Sunday that his team had been offered Herro in a multi-team trade package for Lillard and believed that Herro could be relocated in order to facilitate such a deal.
The Trail Blazers have little need for Herro in a backcourt that already includes Shaedon Sharpe, Anfernee Simons and first-round pick Scoot Henderson.
This is the third offseason since Herro was selected No. 13 in the 2019 NBA draft that he has been mentioned in trade speculation.
Similarly, the current conjecture apparently also is wearing on Lillard, who has been with the Blazers since being drafted No. 6 out of Weber State in 2012, deeply involved for over a decade in community work there.
Sunday, with some on social media questioning his desire to leave the Blazers, Lillard posted on Twitter, “It’s in my blood to take the high road. I’d love to hear what fans are turning on… have I misled them? Or anyone? Fill me in.”
Despite Lillard’s preference to relocate to the Heat, Blazers General Manager Joe Cronin on Saturday issued a statement that he would canvass proposals from the entire league.
“We have been clear that we want Dame here,” Cronin said, “but he notified us today he wants out and he’d prefer to play someplace else. What has not changed for us is that we’re committed to winning, and we are going to do what’s best for the team in pursuit of that goal.”
The Heat have remained active in free agency amid their wait on Lillard, adding Josh Richardson and Thomas Bryant in free agency, re-signing Kevin Love, trading Victor Oladipo, upgrading Orlando Robinson from a two-way contract to a standard deal and signing guards Dru Smith and Jamaree Bouyea to two-way contracts.
The Heat during free agency also have lost NBA Finals starters Max Strus and Gabe Vincent. In Lillard, the Heat would add a playmaker to replace Vincent and a shooter to replace Strus.
The Heat’s most recent personal move was the shifting of Robinson to his standard contract. That contract, however, includes only a nominal guarantee, which will increase if he is on the season-opening roster. The contract is structured similarly to the one signed by Heat forward Haywood Highsmith last year.
Robinson said Sunday the move to a standard deal was meaningful after going undrafted out of Fresno State last year and then splitting last season between the G League and his Heat two-way contract.
“It was very surreal,” the 6-foot-10 center said of being notified of being moved to a standard contract, which is twice the salary of a two-way contract. “I mean I was just in my room watching Kevin Garnett highlights and then my agent called me and told me about the news.
“I was just like in shock, because I didn’t expect that news right now, or anytime soon.”
Robinson’s shift to a standard deal came ahead of Cody Zeller, who played as the Heat’s backup center in the playoffs, moving on to a veteran-minimum free-agency deal with the New Orleans Pelicans.
For his part, Bouyea, who spent most of last season with the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, embraced his opportunity with the two-way contract.
“I just want to build off of this and play hard and work hard and see what I can do,” said the 6-2 guard, who went undrafted out of the University of San Francisco last year. “I like how they just invest. They invest in their young guys. Obviously they have a bunch of undrafted talent that got paid this offseason and the offseason before this, as well. So they invest in their guys, they trust their guys, and when they put you out there on the court they believe in you.”
Smith, who briefly was on a Heat two-way deal last season, joined the Heat’s summer-league team Sunday in Sacramento.
With Zeller signing with the Pelicans, the lone remaining unsigned free agents from the Heat’s NBA Finals roster are 43-year-old team captain Udonis Haslem, who is retiring, and center Omer Yurtseven, who did not receive a qualifying offer from the Heat last week.
