After swinging the massive deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Miami Heat have turned their attention to a different kind of roster work: patching up a bench that took a hit in the process. The team is nearly done with its offseason business, but there are still a few openings left, including a two-way spot, and Miami could use it on a player who can grow into a useful piece.
Three names stand out as free-agent possibilities for that role, each with a different path but the same basic appeal: low-cost depth for a roster that needs it.
Kevin McCullar is one option. The 25-year-old has already logged six college seasons, including a redshirt year, and was a regular on All-Big-12 teams at Kansas.
Drafted in the late second round in 2024 by the Knicks, he spent most of his time with Westchester in the G League before getting a bit more NBA run last season. McCullar played in 21 games, averaged seven minutes, and shot 33.3 percent from three.
For a Heat team that doesn’t have a ton of backcourt depth, he fits the profile of a guard Erik Spoelstra and staff could mold.
Another possibility is Dillon Jones. He’s 24 and also comes out of the Knicks pipeline, though his first real NBA stop came with Oklahoma City after the Thunder took him in the first round of the 2024 draft out of Weber State.
Jones got into 54 games as a rookie, then appeared in only seven games last season after New York took a shot on him. At his size, he’s smaller than the typical power forward, but he brings a solid wingspan and has the tools to develop into a perimeter forward if he gets the chance.
Curtis Jones is the third name in the mix. The 24-year-old went undrafted in 2025 after six years in college, then saw action in 10 games with Denver last season.
He averaged 8.8 minutes and shot 33.3 percent from beyond the arc. Miami may need to get inventive with the way it fills out the rest of the roster, and Jones fits that description as an under-the-radar option who could push for minutes.
He also recently suited up for Boston in summer league and performed well there.
In Other News...
Heat Still Have One Big Giannis Problem To Figure Out
Erik Spoelstra is already talking about the sort of adjustment period Miami has to plan for with Giannis Antetokounmpo, because getting a superstar plugged into a new system is never as simple as dropping him into the lineup and letting the talent sort itself out. The Heat are trying to build the right structure around him, and that means thinking not just about usage, but about the supporting cast, the spacing and the habits that let one of the leagues most dominant players do what he does best.
The point guard picture is part of the puzzle, too. Davion Mitchell is projected to open as the starter, with Dru Smith and Tre Donaldson behind him, and Miami is still considering whether to add another guard to help settle things down. With key three-point shooters gone from last season, the Heat also have to find new sources of floor spacing as they try to develop the kind of lineup balance that can make Antetokounmpo comfortable and dangerous over time. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Camp Battle Could Decide Which Young Talent Gets Left Out
Training camp is shaping up as a real sorting exercise for the Heat, with the roster still leaving room for late decisions and a few young players trying to carve out a place. Miami already has 12 players confirmed, and the mix of two-way guys and free agents around the edges means the final spots are going to be earned, not handed out. For a team that tends to value fit, defensive reliability and developmental upside all at once, even a back-end roster battle can carry real weight.
Vlad Goldin, Tre White and others will get evaluated with that in mind, because the Heat are not just filling space, they are trying to decide which player can actually contribute if called upon. The conversation is less about headline names than about which prospect best matches what Miami needs from the last openings on the roster, and the answer could leave one promising young talent on the outside looking in. [Read more 🡒]