After trade of Bryant, Heat now faces deadline to add to roster. A look at the factors at play
The Miami Heat traded away center Thomas Bryant without getting a player back in the deal. But the Heat will add to its roster in the coming days.
That’s because NBA rules require the Heat to add at least one player to its roster after the trade of Bryant left Miami with 13 players on standard contracts — two short of the regular-season limit of 15 on standard contracts. League rules prohibit teams from carrying fewer than 14 players on its standard roster for more than two consecutive weeks at a time and a total of 28 days during the regular season.
With the trade becoming official on Sunday, the Heat has until Dec. 29 to add a 14th player to its 15-man roster.
While the Heat can sign a free agent or make a trade to fill that spot, the Heat could also promote from within by moving one of its three two-way contract players (guard Josh Christopher, forward Keshad Johnson or guard Dru Smith) to a standard deal. Christopher and Johnson have spent most of the season in the G League, making Smith the front-runner for such a promotion because he’s currently an important part of the Heat’s bench rotation.
Smith, who turns 27 on Dec. 30, logged a career-high 34 minutes in Thursday’s home win over the Toronto Raptors. He also played the entire fourth quarter in three straight games leading up to Monday night’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena.
If the Heat moves Smith to a standard contract in the coming days, his minimum salary for the rest of the season would be about $1.5 million. With the trade of Bryant leaving the Heat about $3.7 million away from the ultra-punitive second apron that it does not intend to cross, Miami has enough room to sign Smith to that deal while still staying about $2.2 million under the second apron threshold and keeping its 15th roster spot open for flexibility.
Smith’s potential promotion to a standard contract would create an open two-way contract slot for the Heat. The Heat could fill that opening by signing guard Isaiah Stevens to a two-way deal.
Stevens, who went undrafted this year, was a summer league standout for the Heat this past offseason and is thriving with the Heat’s G League affiliate this season. Stevens recorded 13 points, 14 assists and four steals for the Sioux Falls Skyforce in Friday’s win over the Windy City Bulls and leads the G League with 11 assists per game this season.
Two-way deals allow for players to be on their NBA team’s active list for as many as 50 regular-season games but do not come with playoff eligibility. Two-way contracts also don’t count toward the salary cap, luxury tax or aprons, with every NBA team permitted to have up to three players signed to such deals at a time.
More importantly, the two-way contract would protect Stevens from being poached by another NBA team. Currently not signed to a two-way deal, any team can sign Stevens away from the Heat until Miami moves him to either a two-way or standard contract.
“The flexibility that it gives us, I think, will be a good thing,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said ahead of Monday’s game in Detroit when asked about the trade of Bryant.
Based on the Heat’s salary cap position, it could wait the maximum two weeks that it’s allowed to carry fewer than 14 players on its standard roster before making the required addition. Why? Every day that the Heat goes without a 14th player on its standard roster saves the team money against the luxury tax and creates a little more room under the second apron.
Meanwhile, Bryant’s Heat tenure ended in the middle of his second season with the team.
Bryant was not a consistent member of the Heat’s rotation, falling behind starting center Bam Adebayo and backup center Kevin Love on the depth chart. Bryant, 27, averaged 4.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game in 10 appearances with the Heat this season.
Bryant will have an opportunity to play a bigger role with Indiana, as the Pacers have been in search of a new backup center after losing Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman to torn Achilles tendons.
In Bryant’s Pacers debut, he recorded seven points, two rebounds and one block in 11 minutes off the bench during Sunday’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Heat and Pacers agreed to a swap of 2031 second-round picks as part of the trade, with Miami getting the more favorable second-round selection between the two teams that year.
“We’re all big fans of TB,” Spoelstra said after the trade became official on Sunday. “What you have in this profession is your reputation, your character, obviously your talent. But when you make an impression on everybody here and everybody feels the same way, that’s a win.
“He deserves the opportunity to play and this opens up some things for us. We root for him. These are always tough decisions, especially when you’re making them during the season. But I think this is one of the cases that makes sense for both parties. And because he was such a pro, we worked with TB and his agent to make this happen.”
HEAT DONATION
The Heat, in partnership with the Micky & Madeleine Arison Family Foundation and South Florida Kia Dealers, will make a combined donation of at least $250,000 to Feeding South Florida — the largest provider of emergency food assistance in the South Florida region.
“Food insecurity continues to be an ongoing crisis in our community due to the lingering effects of the pandemic, and the aftermath of floods and hurricanes,” Heat president of business operations Eric Woolworth said in a press release. “Now that the holiday season is upon us, we encourage Heat fans to consider giving the gift of food by making a donation of any size directly via FeedingSouthFlorida.org.”
INJURY REPORT
The Heat is without Josh Christopher (G League), Nikola Jovic (left ankle sprain), Pelle Larsson (right ankle sprain) and Josh Richardson (right heel inflammation) on Monday against the Pistons.
Jovic sprained his ankle during Saturday’s practice after turning in a solid performance off the Heat’s bench in Thursday’s win over the Raptors, finishing with 14 points, four rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in 24 minutes. It marked Jovic’s first appearance in a game since Nov. 24 after falling out of the Heat’s rotation.
“It’s a bummer,” Spoelstra said Sunday when asked about Jovic’s injury. “He had a good moment the other night and we wanted to build on that. But this happens, things you can’t control. So what you can control would be your professionalism and your treatment. That has got to be his focus right now.”
This story was originally published December 16, 2024 at 10:47 AM.
