Heat to use open two-way contract on familiar face once Chris Silva signs standard deal
With rookie forward Chris Silva set to have his two-way contract replaced with a standard NBA contract on Wednesday, the Heat is on the verge of having an open two-way roster spot.
The Heat knows exactly what it’s going to do with it, too, as a league source confirmed the team will sign center/forward Kyle Alexander to a two-way contract once Silva signs his standard deal. Wednesday is the final day for NBA teams to sign players to two-way contracts this season.
Once signed, Alexander will have 24 days to spend in the NBA through the end of the G League season and the rest of the time must be spent with the team’s developmental affiliate. The two-way contract prevents Alexander from being signed by another NBA team, with two-way deals not counting against a team’s salary cap or luxury tax.
Guard Gabe Vincent, who was signed last week after Miami released guard Daryl Macon from a two-way deal, and Alexander will be the Heat’s two two-way contract players. Teams are allowed to carry a maximum of two two-way contract players at a time.
Alexander (6-10, 216 pounds), who went undrafted out of Tennessee this past summer, is a familiar face.
Alexander was part of the Heat’s training camp/preseason roster and was waived just days before the start of the regular season. He also was a member of the Heat’s summer league team, averaging 4.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.4 blocks in 15.9 minutes while shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 75 percent from the foul line in eight summer games (two starts) with Miami.
After Alexander was waived by the Heat, he remained in the organization’s developmental system as part of its G League affiliate. He has averaged 10.6 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 23 games (21 starts) for the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
“They’ve been telling me that this whole time, they just really like how active I am when I play — challenging shots, running the floor, doing all that stuff, bringing energy,” Alexander said before the season of the feedback he received from the Heat. “I think a part of my game that everybody knows I need to get better at is definitely just getting stronger and putting weight on.”
Alexander played all four seasons at Tennessee, appearing in 37 games (all starts) as a senior and averaging 7.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks while shooting 61.4 percent from the field and 42.9 percent (3-of-7) from three-point range. He finished second on Tennessee’s all-time blocks list.
Once the contracts are signed, the Heat’s roster will include 15 players under standard deals and two players under two-way deals.
This story was originally published January 14, 2020 at 6:33 PM.
