Heat brings back Guy and Silva on 10-day deals as Markieff Morris enters COVID-19 protocols
Kyle Guy and Chris Silva are staying with the Miami Heat ... for now.
The Heat signed Guy and Silva to second 10-day contracts as COVID-19 replacements on Monday ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Hawks in Atlanta. Their initial 10-day deals with Miami expired this past weekend.
The rule that the NBA and National Basketball Players Association agreed to for this season allows teams to sign a replacement player to a 10-day contract for each positive COVID-19 case it has on its roster without it impacting teams’ salary cap. This rule will remain in place until Jan. 19, when the league will offer further guidance on the hardship rules for the remainder of the season.
The Heat is allowed to keep Guy and Silva for another 10 days because two-way contract guard Marcus Garrett is going through a “reconditioning” process after clearing health and safety protocols and forward Markieff Morris entered protocols on Monday.
Garrett tested positive for COVID-19 and entered protocols on Dec. 30 before he was recently cleared. Morris has missed 30 straight games because of whiplash, but met the Heat in Phoenix after a doctor’s appointment on the West Coast and then flew back to Miami with the team following Saturday’s win over the Suns.
The NBA and Players Association recently agreed to shorten the quarantine period to five days for asymptomatic and vaccinated players to return to play if testing data shows they’re no longer at risk to be infectious. Players can also return to action if they return consecutive negative PCR tests at least 24 hours apart while not having any symptoms.
Guy, 24, impressed during his first 10 days with the Heat, averaging 9.8 points while shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 45 percent on threes, 1.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists in five games off the bench. He matched his NBA career-high with 17 points in his first game with the Heat in a Dec. 31 win over the Houston Rockets.
Silva, 25, averaged 4.8 points and 5.2 rebounds while totaling two drawn charges in five games after signing a 10-day contract to return to the Heat on Dec 31. He originally signed with Miami as an undrafted prospect out of South Carolina prior to the 2019-20 season but was traded to the Sacramento Kings last March.
The Heat has carried seven different COVID-19 replacements on its roster this season — Mario Chalmers, Zylan Cheatham, Guy, Haywood Highsmith, Aric Holman, Silva and Nik Stauskas. Cheatham’s 10-day expired on Dec. 31 and the others expired this past weekend.
The Heat has had nine players enter the NBA’s health and safety protocols since the start of December in Garrett, Udonis Haslem, Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin, Morris, Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, P.J. Tucker and Gabe Vincent. Cheatham also entered protocols during his 10-day contract with Miami.
This story was originally published January 10, 2022 at 1:33 PM.
