The Miami Heat have nearly finished building out their roster, but one spot still hangs in the balance. After a busy offseason that brought in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis from the Milwaukee Bucks in a deal that sent four players and picks the other way, Miami still has one open roster spot and a decision to make: keep it open for flexibility or use it on another veteran.
One name that could fit is John Konchar.
Konchar, 30, is available after being traded and then waived this week. For a Heat team that has already added plenty of experienced depth, he would give them another sturdy wing option and more defensive versatility at the end of the roster.
His path to this point has been a steady one. Konchar entered the league undrafted out of Purdue Fort Wayne in 2019 and started his NBA career on a two-way deal with Memphis, bouncing between the G League and the main roster during his rookie year. By November 2020, the Grizzlies had locked him into a standard multi-year contract, and he settled in as a regular part of the rotation while Memphis climbed into Western Conference contention behind Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant.
His best shooting stretch came in the 2022 offseason, when he landed a three-year, $19 million extension after knocking down 41.3 percent of his threes the previous season. He never quite matched that level again, but he remained a dependable piece for a roster that kept changing around him. Memphis later sent him to the Utah Jazz at the past trade deadline as part of the blockbuster Jackson Jr. deal.
Konchar played 26 games for Utah this past season and saw more usage, though the efficiency dipped hard. He finished with a career-low 25 percent from beyond the arc. Then this week, he was moved again, going to the Minnesota Timberwolves with Cody Williams before being waived immediately and entering free agency.
Miami has already added Klay Thompson, Nick Richards, Tim Hardaway Jr. on a one-year deal, and Simone Fontecchio on another one-year deal, while also losing Norman Powell to the Chicago Bulls in free agency. The Heat have plenty of veteran pieces in place, but they still do not have a true backup point guard. Konchar has some ball-handling and playmaking background from his Purdue Fort Wayne days, even if he has settled into more of a three-and-D role at the NBA level.
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For Miami fans, the broader value is in watching how those returning national-team contributors come back to their clubs after a demanding stretch abroad. Serbia's Nikola Jokic played through illness, Portugal's Neemias Queta returned from injury to help his team, and those kinds of minutes and matchups can matter once the NBA calendar picks back up. The Heat have reason to keep an eye on the international side of the schedule, since it can shape rhythm, availability and confidence in ways that are not always obvious until teams get back home. [Read more 🡒]