With two open spots, what will Heat do to fill out roster? And Achiuwa on his rookie role
Even after last week’s trade deadline, the Miami Heat needs to make at least one more roster move this season.
That’s because the Heat was left with two open roster spots following the recent acquisitions of Nemanja Bjelica and Victor Oladipo via trade. Miami’s roster currently includes 13 players on standard contracts, two below the league maximum of 15 (plus two two-way players), and must add at least one additional player by April 8, according to NBA rules.
Any additions the Heat makes to its roster through the end of this season, with the trade deadline in the past, will have to come by signing free agents who have either been bought out, waived or simply out of the league. A player who has been in the NBA this season must be waived by April 9 to be eligible for another team’s playoff roster, and that player can then sign with a new team up to the final day of the regular season and maintain their playoff eligibility.
The expectation was the Heat would fill one of its empty roster spots by adding veteran center/power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who agreed to a buyout with the San Antonio Spurs. But Aldridge surprisingly committed to the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday.
Other power rotation options on the buyout market Andre Drummond and Gorgui Dieng also committed elsewhere. Drummond signed with the Los Angeles Lakers and Dieng signed with the Spurs.
With Miami in need of another frontcourt player after trading Kelly Olynyk and Chris Silva last week, who are the other power rotation options? Veteran center DeMarcus Cousins was waived by the Houston Rockets last month and is still looking for a new team, and Orlando Magic forward Otto Porter Jr and, yes, Sacramento Kings center Hassan Whiteside are potential buyout candidates, among others.
Cousins, 30, averaged 9.6 points on 37.6 percent shooting from the field and 33.6 percent shooting on threes, 7.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 25 games with the Rockets this season before his release. Lateral movement is one concern defensively after he tore his ACL in August 2019 and offensive spacing could be an issue playing alongside Adebayo, but Cousins (6-10, 270) is still a skilled big man who can operate as a facilitator at the elbows and high post.
The Heat tried to sign Cousins, a four-time All-Star, in July 2019, but he signed with the Lakers and then sustained an ACL injury weeks later.
Porter (6-8, 198) was traded to the Magic last week. Porter, 27, has averaged 9.7 points on 43.5 percent shooting from the field and 39 percent shooting on threes, 5.5 rebounds and two assists this season, and he has played in one game with the Magic since the trade, but his $28.5 million salary on an expiring contract helps to make him a buyout possibility.
It’s unlikely the Heat would bring back Whiteside, who is still on the Kings’ roster, after dealing him to the Portland Trail Blazers as part of the Jimmy Butler trade in July 2019. But, nonetheless, Whiteside (7-0, 265), if bought out, has the skill set to serve as a rebounding and shot-blocking presence as Adebayo’s backup — Whiteside is averaging 14.6 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per 36 minutes this season.
There’s an argument to be made that the Heat needs to prioritize adding a center over another floor-spacing forward. Besides Adebayo, rookie Precious Achiuwa (6-8, 225) and veteran Udonis Haslem (6-8, 235) are essentially the only other center options currently on Miami’s roster.
Other current free-agent options at center include Dewayne Dedmon, Thon Maker, Ian Mahinmi, Norvel Pelle and Amir Johnson.
The Heat is about $747,000 below the luxury-tax line. That gives the Heat just enough room to sign a buyout candidate to a minimum contract, as a prorated veteran minimum contract as of this past Saturday was about $566,000, according to ESPN analyst and former NBA executive Bobby Marks.,
With room under the tax for only one minimum deal at the moment, the Heat might opt to fill just one of its two empty roster spots in the near future and possibly wait to fill the other much later in the season.
FREE-THROW STRUGGLES
Achiuwa is averaging six three-throw attempts per 36 minutes as a rookie, but he has not made the most of those opportunities.
Achiuwa, 21, entered Monday shooting 50 percent (47 of 94) from the foul line this season, and he has made just 3 of his past 15 (20 percent) free throws.
“It’s something that I definitely want to get better at,” said Achiuwa, who shot 59.9 percent at the foul line as a freshman at Memphis last season. “I’m not excited about my performance at the free-throw line right now. I put a lot of work into that and definitely the results that I’m getting right now cannot be compared to the amount of work that I put into it. ... When I’m up there, just shoot the free throw with a lot less pressure and just keep playing. It’s just another trip to the free-throw line and not overthink anything.”
Of his energy role off the bench with the Heat, Achiuwa said: “I gotta come in and empty the tank. It’s the same thing I did in college. But I just know I have a shorter amount of time to do that. So I just come in here, play with a lot of energy, empty the tank, do all the little things, block shots, run, set screens, whatever the case may be to put us in a better position.”
▪ The Heat will be without Oladipo (cold), Kendrick Nunn (right ankle sprain), Haslem (health and safety protocols) and KZ Okpala (health and safety protocols) on Monday against the New York Knicks.
The Knicks will be without center Mitchell Robinson, who fractured his right foot during Saturday’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
▪ The NBA announced that the 2021 draft will be held on July 29 at 8 p.m, with the pre-draft combine taking place from June 21-27 and the draft lottery set for June 22. The Heat currently does not have a pick in this year’s draft.
This story was originally published March 29, 2021 at 12:47 PM.
