The Miami Heat still have two roster spots to sort out, and the list of names tied to those openings is as big as the move that put them here. After completing the blockbuster trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Miami has kept working the market, and the veteran targets attached to the team keep sounding like headline material.
Klay Thompson has been one of the most frequently mentioned possibilities. Christian Clark of The Athletic reported, “My understanding is that Thompson would welcome a return to Los Angeles, where he spent part of his childhood and still owns a home. The Miami Heat are another team frequently mentioned in NBA circles as a potential landing spot for the future Hall of Famer."
DeMar DeRozan is in the mix, too, and the chatter around him has been building for a while. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line said, “Miami Heat have been a Derozan landing spot for years now, there's been so much connectivity between him and the Heat and I do think the Heat seem to be the most likely scenario for DeMar DeRozan right now…Miami is probably his best bet…those other spots really don't have spending power,"
Bradley Beal rounds out the trio Miami is weighing for its final two standard roster spots. Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel wrote, “Because of the Heat working this season under a hard cap created by the machinations required for the Antetokounmpo acquisition, a deliberate approach is required for the final two standard roster spots. Among those reportedly being considered by the Heat for those two roster spots are Bradley Beal, DeMar DeRozan and Klay Thompson, should he become available from the Dallas Mavericks by trade or with a buyout,”
Any two of those veterans would give Miami a real offensive lift. All three are deep into their careers, but the Heat are clearly looking at proven scorers who can still help right now.
There’s also a striking number attached to the group: Beal, DeRozan and Thompson have combined to earn $945 million in career contracts. That number says plenty about the level of player Miami is chasing as it tries to finish off the roster around Antetokounmpo.
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Heat Face A Sneaky Roster Decision After The Giannis Trade
The Heats post-Giannis roster picture is still settling, and the biggest immediate concern may not be the star power at the top but the depth underneath it. With the bench thinned out and a few openings still to work with, Miami has a chance to add someone who can help stabilize the back end of the roster while fitting the way the team likes to develop talent.
That search appears to be headed toward the two-way market, where Miami has room to be selective about both upside and readiness. The franchise is weighing options who have recent pro or summer-league experience and the kind of profile that could make sense on a team trying to keep its rotation flexible, even after a blockbuster move reshaped the entire roster. [Read more 🡒]
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 🡒]