Miami Heat makes first roster move of offseason

The Heat made its first roster move of the offseason on Thursday, declining the $1.6 million team option on forward Jordan Mickey, according to a source.

After a brief rise in minutes in December, he played just 43 minutes after Jan. 5, including no playing time in the postseason.

He finished averaging 4.0 points and 3.6 rebounds in 23 games, including three starts, in his only season with the team.

Mickey, who will now be an unrestricted free agent, has said after the season that he hoped Miami would keep him.

The Heat also must decide whether to make qualifying offers to Derrick Jones Jr. and Derrick Walton Jr. in order to make them restricted free agents, with the deadline for those decisions by the end of June.

If they are not made offers, they would become unrestricted free agents. Both players played on two-way contracts last season.

Heat guards Dwyane Wade and Wayne Ellington and forwards Udonis Haslem and Luke Babbitt will be unrestricted free agents.

Not counting the unrestricted free agents or Jones or Walton, the Heat now has 10 players under contract and remains up against the $123 million tax threshold and well above the projected $102 million salary cap.

This story was originally published May 10, 2018 at 1:49 PM with the headline "Miami Heat makes first roster move of offseason."