As training camp gets closer, the Miami Heat still have one standard roster spot sitting open, and that makes D’Angelo Russell a name worth watching in the buyout market.
Russell, an 11-year veteran, chose to pick up his $6 million player option for the 2026-27 season. He was moved in a six-team deal this summer that landed him with the Memphis Grizzlies. Last season, he spent part of the year with the Dallas Mavericks, where he put up 10.2 points on 40.5 percent shooting, along with 2.3 rebounds and four assists across 26 games, including three starts.
He later got dealt to the Washington Wizards after losing his spot in the rotation, though he never appeared in a game for them. If he does become available on the open market, Miami could have a real opening for him in the backcourt. The projected point guard depth chart currently has Davion Mitchell as the starter, Dru Smith as the backup, and Tre Donaldson, a two-way player, as the third-string option.
Russell has been around the league long enough to know how quickly things can change. The Lakers took him with the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, and he came through that same young core with Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr., and Ivica Zubac. After two seasons in Los Angeles, he was shipped to the Brooklyn Nets.
That move gave him a chance to reset, and he took off. In 2018-19, Russell averaged 21.1 points on 43.4 percent shooting, 3.9 rebounds, seven assists, and 1.2 steals over 81 games, all starts. His path shifted again once Brooklyn signed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in free agency in 2019.
A fresh start is what Russell seems to need again, and Miami could offer it. A role isn’t guaranteed, but the backup point guard job is there to be won, and he’d be doing it under Erik Spoelstra’s system. Spoelstra is widely viewed as the kind of coach who can squeeze the most out of a player’s talent.
At 30, Russell has scored in double figures every season since entering the league. He could give the Heat a boost in bench offense, even if his defense has long been viewed as a weak point. Miami does not have to rush to fill that final standard roster spot, but the options are there as the 2026-27 season approaches.
In Other News...
Heat Just Lost A Key Piece Of Their Development Pipeline
After 22 seasons in Miami, Eric Amsler is leaving the Heat for a new role with the Lakers, where he has reportedly accepted an assistant general manager position. Amsler has been part of the organization in a range of scouting and personnel jobs, including work with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, making him one of the more familiar faces in the teams long-running development pipeline.
For the Heat, the move is more than a front-office departure because it comes from someone who helped shape how the organization identifies and develops talent at multiple levels. Los Angeles is in the middle of an ownership transition and has been beefing up its scouting operation, so Amslers experience fits what the Lakers are trying to build. Miami, meanwhile, loses a veteran evaluator who spent a generation inside its system. [Read more 🡒]
Pelle Larsson Could Force A Heat Rotation Decision Fast
Pelle Larsson has already given the Heat a useful problem to solve, and it is the kind of early-season question that can shape a rotation before it hardens. The rookie has stood out for his defense and for the way his offense has started to look more efficient, which is why Miami is weighing whether he belongs in the starting lineup at shooting guard or whether he can make even more sense as a sixth man.
The second-unit path is not just about rewarding Larssons progress, either. It could give him more room to keep developing as a scorer while allowing Miami to sort out bigger roster fits around Andrew Wiggins, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Klay Thompson. For a team trying to balance immediate structure with long-term growth, Larsson may end up forcing a decision sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Are Taking A Real Risk With Pelle Larsson
The Heats handling of Pelle Larsson has become a quiet subplot as they look ahead to the 2026-27 season, and it is the kind of roster decision that can age quickly. Miami has not extended him yet, even though there is already a case for doing it before his price tag climbs, especially if his development takes a leap and the market starts treating him like more than a project.
There is belief inside the organization that Larsson can keep growing, which is part of why the situation is worth watching. But as Ira Winderman has noted, waiting carries a real risk for Miami, because a promising season could turn an affordable forward into a much more expensive one before the Heat get around to locking him in. [Read more 🡒]