The Miami Heat have already made the kind of offseason swing that changes the shape of a franchise, but their backcourt still looks like it could use one more body.
After landing Giannis Antetokounmpo and bringing in veterans such as Klay Thompson, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bobby Portis, Miami appears close to finished with its roster work as training camp gets going and the preseason starts this week. Even so, there’s a fresh name on the market who should at least get the Heat’s attention: Jordan Hawkins.
The Memphis Grizzlies waived Hawkins on Friday afternoon after acquiring him last month from the New Orleans Pelicans. Memphis had to choose between Hawkins and Walter Clayton Jr., and went with Clayton. Both players are NCAA champions.
Hawkins, 24, had once been seen as part of the Pelicans’ long-term plans, but his role shrank last season. New Orleans added Jeremiah Fears last year and also had Dejounte Murray and Jordan Poole in the backcourt, which pushed Hawkins from 23.6 minutes per game in the 2024-25 season down to 13.6 this past season. He was in the final year of his rookie deal.
That matters for Miami because its guard situation has been shaky for a while. The Heat went big for Kyle Lowry in 2021, only to watch his game fall off.
They later moved to Terry Rozier in early 2024, before his career was forever damaged by his gambling scandal, which kept him out of the entire 2025-26 season. Davion Mitchell gave them a useful answer after arriving at the 2025 trade deadline, but it’s still unclear whether he can be the starting point guard on a real contender.
Hawkins wouldn’t change the ceiling of the team, but the fit makes sense enough to at least consider. The recent Dru Smith injury only adds to the need for dependable depth in the backcourt. Hawkins can shoot it from deep, he’s still young, and with Mitchell on the final year of his contract, Miami could do worse than taking a flyer and seeing what Hawkins can offer.
In Other News...
Heat Just Gave Fans An Early Answer On Their Biggest Concern
The early returns in Miamis preseason opener were a welcome sight for a team that has spent the offseason trying to answer a familiar question: where does the shooting come from? In the first half against the Raptors, the Heat were 11-for-23 from three-point range, and Andrew Wiggins helped set the tone by going 4-for-6 from deep. Tim Hardaway Jr. also chipped in 11 points on a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, giving Miami a glimpse of the spacing it has been seeking around its new-look core.
There were still some obvious growing pains as the roster starts to mesh, but the shot profile was encouraging enough to stand out on a night when the Heat wanted clean looks and early rhythm. Even with Klay Thompson going scoreless on 0-for-2 shooting, Miami showed promising shooting around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, the kind of combination that could make this group a lot harder to defend if the perimeter touch holds up. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Fans Just Got An Early Look At A Huge NBA Change
The NBA is already showing what its next rules emphasis could look like, and Heat fans got a front-row preview in preseason play against Toronto. Early in the game, Scottie Barnes was whistled for an offensive push-off, a small moment that carried bigger meaning for a league planning stricter enforcement of off-arm contact in the 2026-27 season.
For Miami, it was the kind of preseason call that can shape how games are officiated long before the standings matter. The league wants to cut down on players using an off-arm to create space, which should put a premium on cleaner defense and more precise footwork, and the Heat are now getting an early look at how quickly that standard may become part of the night-to-night reality. [Read more 🡒]
Heat's East Rise Puts One Rival Question Front And Center
Miamis offseason overhaul has changed the conversation around the East, and it starts with Giannis Antetokounmpo joining a roster that already picked up several veterans. The Heat suddenly look like a team built not just to compete, but to pressure the top of the conference from the opening months of the season. For a franchise that has long measured itself by October expectations, the new look gives this team a different kind of weight going into the year.
The problem for Miami is that the rest of the East did not stand still. The Knicks, 76ers and Celtics all made notable moves of their own, and each brings its own blend of established talent and uncertainty to the race ahead. For the Heat, the bigger question is not whether the roster looks formidable on paper, but how it stacks up when the leagues other heavy hitters start testing those additions in real games. [Read more 🡒]