As LeBron watch continues, what are some Heat things to watch for at Las Vegas Summer League?
.jpg "Ryan Conwell #7 of the Miami Heat dribbles the ball up court against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half in the California Classic a NBA Summer League game at Chase Center on July 03, 2026 in San Francisco.")
As the NBA takes over Las Vegas for summer league, the Miami Heat is just looking to find answers in the coming days.
First, the Heat is waiting on an answer from future Basketball Hall of Famer LeBron James. The Heat is among the teams that James is considering in free agency this offseason, with ESPN’s Shams Charania reporting Tuesday that the Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers appear to be the top three suitors for James.
But the Heat is also looking to find out more about some of its young players and other developmental prospects during summer league.
After going 2-1 at the California Classic in San Francisco, the Heat (and every other NBA team) will play at least five games at Las Vegas Summer League that will be held from Thursday through July 19 (all times Eastern): vs. Milwaukee Bucks on Friday at 4 p.m. on WPLG Local 10 and Prime, vs. Orlando Magic on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on WPLG Local 10 and Prime, vs. Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday at 8 p.m. on WPLG Local 10 and Prime, vs. Toronto Raptors on July 16 at 9 p.m. on ESPN2, and the fifth game will either be played on July 17, 18 or 19 with the opponent and game time determined. Only the two teams that make the championship game will play a sixth game in Las Vegas Summer League.
Here are five of the biggest questions surrounding the Heat’s summer league team ahead of the Las Vegas circuit ...
Will the Heat face off against its 2025 first-round draft pick?
The Heat and Bucks are already linked this offseason because they came together in late June to agree to a blockbuster trade that moved two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami. But to get Antetokounmpo, the Heat needed to include 2025 first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis as part of the trade package sent to the Bucks.
With the Heat opening Las Vegas Summer League with a matchup against the Bucks on Friday, there’s a chance that Jakucionis could be Miami’s opponent for the first time since the trade.
When Jakcuionis was with the Heat, his offseason plan included time with the Lithuanian national team for the July window of European World Cup qualifying before joining Miami in Las Vegas to take part in summer league. It remains to be seen if Jakucionis, 20, will follow that same plan and play for the Bucks in Las Vegas.
The Heat was reluctant to include Jakucionis in its trade offer to the Bucks, but ultimately decided to add him to the trade package later in the process to help complete the deal.
Jakucionis was taken by the Heat with the 20th overall pick in last year’s NBA Draft.
“Thankful to the Miami Heat organization for opening the door to the NBA for me,” Jakucionis posted on Instagram on Tuesday. “A huge thank you to everyone who helped me grow this year, both as a player and as a person. Even though it was only one year, it will always hold a special place in my heart. I couldn’t have asked for a better culture to help me build a strong foundation for what’s next. All love, Heat Nation!!”
How will the Heat’s second-round pick look in Las Vegas?
While sometimes missing more shots than he wanted, Heat rookie guard Ryan Conwell stood out at the California Classic.
Conwell closed the Heat’s three-game run in San Francisco averaging a team-high 21 points per game, which also ranked third among all players at the California Classic.
Conwell, who the Heat traded up to acquire with the 37th overall selection in the second round of last month’s draft, also averaged five rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in San Francisco.
Conwell, 22, showed off some grit and mental toughness, too, bouncing back from a rough 6-of-18 shooting performance from the field in Sunday’s summer league loss to the Los Angeles Lakers to finish Monday’s summer league victory against the Golden State Warriors with 26 points on an efficient 8-of-14 shooting from the field and 4-of-9 shooting on threes.
Conwell will now look to continue to impress in Las Vegas.
“Offensively, he’s a force and he makes tough shots,” Heat assistant coach and summer league head coach Wayne Ellington said. “He makes plays for others. He has a very strong offensive game and it’s only going to continue to grow.”
Will center Vlad Goldin, guard Trevor Keels and/or guard Jahmir Young do enough to earn another contract from the Heat? And what about guard Myron Gardner?
Goldin, Keels and Young produced some positive moments in San Francisco, but also showed there’s still room for growth.
Goldin, who closed last season on a two-way contract with the Heat, averaged 10 points, 6.5 rebounds and three blocks per game while shooting 46.7% from the field and 1 of 3 (33.3%) on threes in two appearances during the California Classic.
Keels, who also ended last season on a two-way deal with the Heat, averaged 16 points, 4.5 rebounds, three assists and two steals per game while shooting 43.5% from the field and 3 of 10 (30%) from three-point range in two appearances during the California Classic.
Young, who had his two-way contract converted to a standard deal with the Heat in April, averaged 17.5 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals per game while shooting 50% from the field and 5 of 13 (38.5%) on threes in two California Classic appearances.
Goldin, Keels and Young are now all free agents who are working to prove in summer league that they deserve another NBA contract from the Heat or any other team in the league.
Goldin, 25, is a restricted free agent this summer after receiving a two-way contract qualifying offer from Miami, which can still be rescinded by the Heat until July 13. While Goldin is now guaranteed at least a two-way contract salary from the Heat unless its rescinded before mid-July, he can still accept a standard deal from another team.
Keels, 22, and Young, 25, are unrestricted free agents this offseason. The Heat did not extend a qualifying offer to Keels last month and declined the team option in Young’s contract for next season. But both Keels and Young still opted to play for the Heat in summer league.
“They’re growing tremendously,” Ellington said when asked about Goldin, Keels and Young. “They’re growing, obviously, with the experience they had with us this past season. They’re more and more comfortable every day. They’ve been super helpful for me in summer league because they’ve been through our system now. So, they’ve taken on some leadership roles here with me in summer league. But they’re continuing to grow.”
Meanwhile, Gardner barely played in the California Classic. He exited after playing the first seven minutes of the Heat’s summer league opener because of a sprained ankle, and missed the rest of the Heat’s three-game stay in San Francisco.
Gardner, who ended last season on a standard contract with the Heat, only has $500,000 of his $2.6 million salary for next season currently guaranteed. His status for Las Vegas Summer League is in question due to his ankle injury.
Will the Heat keep undrafted guard Tre Donaldson on a two-way contract?
Donaldson, who went undrafted out of the University of Miami this year, is the only player the Heat currently has signed to a two-way contract.
Donaldson, 22, was solid in San Francisco. He averaged 9.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, four assists and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 47.8% from the field and 2 of 6 (33%) on threes in three California Classic appearances.
While Donaldson scored just two points in the Heat’s summer league opener, he bounced back to average 13 points per game on 50% shooting from the field and 40% shooting from behind the arc across the Heat’s second and third summer league contests in San Francisco.
“I feel like I’m getting comfortable,” Donaldson said at the end of the California Classic. “In that first game, I can’t lie to you guys, I was nervous. But just being able to get in the flow of things, see how it goes and just build my confidence back up for sure.”
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.
But two-way deals can be swapped out at any time. Donaldson will need to prove to the Heat that he deserves to stay on a two-way contract for the start of training camp and the preseason.
Will there be any other unsigned prospects on the Heat’s summer league team who surprise in Las Vegas?
Aside from Conwell, Goldin, Keels, Young, Gardner and Donaldson, undrafted forward Tre White (6-foot-7 and 210 pounds) was another player who stood out in San Francisco.
White, 23, averaged 12 points and four rebounds per game while shooting 50% from the field and 3 of 6 (50%) on threes in two California Classic appearances. He went undrafted this year out of Kansas.
The Heat currently has two of its three two-way contract slots open. Miami also still has three open spots on its 15-man standard roster. But White or any other developmental prospect who shines in summer league would be more likely to get a two-way contract from the Heat.
This story was originally published July 8, 2026 at 11:16 AM.
