Udonis Haslem signs to return to Miami Heat for 19th season, with roster now at 14 players
It’s official: Udonis Haslem will return to the Miami Heat for a 19th NBA season.
Haslem, who turned 41 on June 9, signed a one-year deal at the NBA veteran minimum of $2.6 million on Sunday to again put off retirement. It marked his 10th NBA contract.
“Mister Miami is back!” Heat president Pat Riley said in a statement to announce the signing. “Yes! Udonis Haslem has agreed to come back and play the game he loves so much. What he loves more than that is to be on the court teaching and competing against the World’s best. UD is a legacy player…ONE PLAYER, ONE CITY, ONE TEAM. Thank you, UD, for coming back to lead again in your city, your organization and your team.”
Once he appears in a game in 2021-22, Haslem will become the 21st player in NBA history to play at least 19 seasons. The record is 22 seasons by Vince Carter.
Haslem would also become only the fifth player to spend an entire NBA career lasting at least 19 seasons with one team. That list includes Dirk Nowitzki (21 seasons with Dallas Mavericks), Kobe Bryant (20 seasons with Los Angeles Lakers), John Stockton (19 seasons with Utah Jazz) and Tim Duncan (19 seasons with San Antonio Spurs).
Haslem played in one game last season. He finished with four points, one rebound, a drawn charge, and two technicals that led to an ejection after just three minutes of playing time in the Heat’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers on May 13.
The veteran forward has played less of an on-court role and more of a leadership role in recent seasons. He has played in 29 games since the start of the 2017-18 season, but has served as a Heat captain in each of the past 14 seasons (the longest tenure in team history).
The Miami native, who attended Miami High, has spent his entire NBA career with the Heat and currently holds the longest streak by any active player with only one team in the league.
Undrafted out of Florida in 2002, he has played a role on each of the franchise’s three championship teams and is the Heat’s all-time leading rebounder with 5,755 rebounds. Haslem is the only undrafted player in NBA history to lead a franchise in total rebounds.
Haslem has appeared in 859 career regular-season games (500 starts), averaging 7.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 25.1 minutes while shooting 49 percent from the field and 75.5 percent from the foul line.
Along with holding the title of the Heat’s all-time leading rebounder, he’s also the team’s all-time leader in offensive and defensive rebounds and also ranks among Miami’s all-time leaders in games played (second), minutes (second) and field goals made (fifth).
Haslem became the oldest player to appear in a game for the Heat in franchise history last season. He surpassed Juwan Howard, who previously held that title after playing in a game for the Heat in 2013 at 40 years old and 69 days.
The Heat’s roster for next season now includes 14 players on guaranteed standard NBA contracts: Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Kyle Lowry, Duncan Robinson, P.J. Tucker, Tyler Herro, KZ Okpala, Markieff Morris, Dewayne Dedmon, Victor Oladipo, Haslem, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent and Omer Yurtseven.
With 14 players, the Heat’s roster to begin next season is likely complete — barring a trade — because of its position against the luxury tax.
After signing Haslem, the Heat is just under the luxury tax threshold. That’s important with the threat of a punitive repeater tax (when a team is over the tax at least three times over a four-year period) looming, as Miami finished the 2019-20 season as a tax team.
But the Heat still needs to fill its two two-way contract spots and sign developmental players to Exhibit 10 deals to fill its training camp roster, with those contracts not counting toward the salary cap or luxury tax. NBA teams are allowed to carry up to 20 players during the offseason and preseason before rosters must be cut to a maximum total of 17 players (15 on standard contracts and two on two-way contracts) before the start of the regular season.
The Heat closes summer league play on Tuesday with a matchup against the Dallas Mavericks at 3 p.m. (ESPNU) in Las Vegas.
This story was originally published August 15, 2021 at 10:07 PM.
