Heat makes two-way contract decisions on Vlad Goldin and Trevor Keels
The Miami Heat’s two-way contract situation is now clearer.
With the Heat needing to make some important decisions in the coming days to round out its new-look roster around two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, that process even includes managing its three two-way contract slots.
That had the Heat extending a two-way contract qualifying offer to center Vlad Goldin, a league source confirmed to the Miami Herald on Saturday. Goldin is now guaranteed at least a two-way contract salary from the Heat for this upcoming season, but he can still accept a standard deal from another team.
But the Heat is not expected to extend a two-way contract qualifying offer to guard Trevor Keels, according to a league source. With no qualifying offer from the Heat, Keels will become an unrestricted free agent this offseason after closing last season on a two-way deal with Miami.
With Goldin now on track to return to the Heat on a two-way deal, Miami will have two of its three two-way contract slots filled. The Heat also committed a two-way contract to undrafted Miami Hurricanes standout guard Tre Donaldson this week.
Two-way contracts, which pay half the NBA rookie minimum and do not count toward the salary cap or luxury tax, allow for players to be on their NBA team’s active list for as many as 50 regular-season games with other game action having to come in the G League. Two-way deals can be swapped out at any time.
Goldin, who went undrafted out of Michigan last year, stands 7 feet and 255 pounds. He spent most of his first season with the Heat in the G League, averaging 12.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 59.2% from the field and 12 of 32 (37.5%) from three-point range for the Sioux Falls Skyforce last season.
Goldin, 25, logged only 24 minutes across nine games in the NBA with the Heat last season. Before closing his college career at Michigan, Goldin starred at Florida Atlantic for three seasons.
Goldin will be on the Heat’s summer league team this year. Miami opens summer league practices on Tuesday in San Francisco before playing its first summer league game on Friday at the California Classic.
These two-way contract decisions come after the Heat declined the $2.4 million team option in guard Jahmir Young’s standard contract for next season on Friday. Young will now become an unrestricted free agent.
And more roster decisions are coming for the Heat, which has until Sunday to waive guard Dru Smith before his full $2.6 million salary for this upcoming season becomes guaranteed.
The Heat also has until Monday to extend a qualifying offer to forward Keshad Johnson, who spent last season on a standard contract with the Heat. As of Saturday morning, Johnson was still waiting to learn if the Heat would give him a qualifying offer.
A qualifying offer allows the Heat to match outside offers for those players in free agency. If the Heat does not extend a qualifying offer, Johnson would become an unrestricted free agent this summer and the Heat would not have the right to match outside offers in free agency.
The Heat is also waiting on a decision from veteran forward Andrew Wiggins, who has until Monday to decide on his $30.2 million player option in his Heat contract for next season. If Wiggins exercises the option, he will return to the Heat on a $30.2 million expiring salary for this upcoming season and will also immediately be eligible to be traded.
Wiggins could also bypass the $30.2 million player option and renegotiate his deal into a longer contract with a lower starting salary. This would give the Heat, which is currently hard-capped at the first apron threshold, more room under to the first apron to fill out its roster.
Wiggins’ other option is to simply opt out, become an unrestricted free agent and sign elsewhere.
Wiggins also has until Monday to negotiate an extension that can be worth up to $177 million over four seasons. The extension can replace Wiggins’ $30.2 million option year with a lower salary and more guaranteed years attached to it, or even be tacked on to his $30.2 million option year with lower salaries in the coming seasons.
After adding Antetokounmpo and veteran forward Bobby Portis, and drafting guard Ryan Conwell in the second round, the Heat’s current salary-cap breakdowns includes nine players on standard contracts for next season: Antetokounmpo ($58.5 million for 2026-27), Bam Adebayo ($49.5 million), Nikola Jovic ($16.2 million), Portis ($14.5 million), Davion Mitchell ($12.4 million), Dru Smith (fully nonguaranteed $2.6 million), Pelle Larsson ($2.3 million), Myron Gardner ($250,000 of $2.6 million salary guaranteed), and Conwell (undetermined salary figure).
The four players on the Heat’s season-ending 15-man standard roster set to enter free agency this summer are Norman Powell (unrestricted free agent), Simone Fontecchio (unrestricted free agent), Young (unrestricted free agent) and Johnson (restricted free agent). Wiggins would also become an unresticted free agent this offseason if he bypasses his player option prior to Monday’s deadline.
Leaguewide free agent negotiations can begin Tuesday at 6 p.m.
