Heat signs Smith and hopes it has found another defender in Days. And the Crowder quandary
The Heat completed its training camp roster on Tuesday evening, signing former Missouri guard Dru Smith. He’s the 20th player under contact, the maximum permitted during training camp.
Smith, who was All SEC as a senior at Missouri in 2020-21, played in three Summer League games with the Heat in July and averaged 12.0 points, 3.0 steals, 1.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 46.4 percent from the field.
He appeared in 10 games (five starts) with Miami’s G League affiliate,the Sioux Falls Skyforce, last season and averaged 8.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 27.5 minutes.
Smith started all 25 games he appeared in as a senior at Missouri in 2020-21, averaging 14.1 points, 3.9 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 2.04 steals and 33.9 minutes while shooting 44.4 percent from the field, 39.8 percent from three-point range and 83 percent from the foul line.
He became the first player in school history to be named to the SEC All-Defensive Team after leading the conference in steals for the second consecutive season.
The Heat has 14 players signed to standard contracts, two players to two-way deals (Darius Days and Marcus Garrett) and four others to training camp deals: Smith, center Orlando Robinson, guard Jamal Cain and guard Jamaree Bouyea. Those four are likely to begin the season playing for the Heat’s G-League team in South Dakota.
The Heat opens training camp next Tuesday in the Bahamas.
DAYS REPORT
The Heat used a two-way contract as well as it possibly could in snagging Caleb Martin last summer.
Miami hopes to have similar success with Darius Days, the LSU rookie and former Spurs summer league player. Unlike Martin, Days comes to the Heat with no NBA experience.
And Days is considerably bigger (6-7, 245) than Martin (6-5, 205).
But Days has similar defensive versatility and three-point shooting skills. He also has bulk and adds depth at power forward, the biggest question mark on the roster.
“He’s good got size [6-7] to be a versatile defender,” said an Eastern Conference scout who watched him at LSU and during summer league for the Spurs. “Rugged player. He can defend multiple positions. He can guard threes [small forwards] and fours [power forwards], but is best suited for guarding fours.
“He can bang with them size wise. He is physical, plays with energy. His three-point shooting isn’t bad. He needs to develop offensively. He’s got a chance.”
We hear the Spurs were surprised when Days signed a two-way with the Heat. San Antonio had planned to bring him to camp and compete for a two-way contract
One other team (not the Spurs) offered Days a two-way deal, but Days liked the opportunity in Miami and liked the fact that the Heat has a great track record developing young players.
Days, 6-7, has long arms and a 7-1 wingspan. The Heat told him there are similarities in his game with P.J. Tucker, who left for Philadelphia.
He shot 40.0 and 35 percent on threes the past two years at LSU, making about two threes per game.
His averages at LSU last season: 13.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 1.3 turnovers, 1.5 steals and 0.3 blocks.
He shot 43.4 percent from the field, well below his shooting percentage his first three seasons (48.5 but in just three games; 48.6 in 31; 51.9 in 28 games).
That drop in shooting percentage manifested itself in two-pointers and three-pointers.
The two-way contract allows him to appear in as many as 50 of the Heat’s 82 games.
MORE SCOUT FEEDBACK
That scout, who has praised Bam Adebayo through the years, acknowledged that after watching his playoff run, “the thing that worries me is Bam has got to be more a efficient scorer at the five. His advantage right now offensively is he’s ball handling, playmaking five man.
“But in order for him to push them ahead of other teams that some may consider ahead of them like Milwaukee and Boston, I think has to be more efficient and productive as a scoring five. He provides scoring sometimes but not all the time. He doesn’t punish you enough offensively to warrant” fear guarding him.
That scout said he would like to see Adebayo at power forward alongside a shot-blocking five, but acknowledged Erik Spoelstra’s reluctance to play Adebayo alongside a big who isn’t a floor-spacer.
That scout said of Victor Oladipo: “I expect he’ll be better this season. People forgot how good a defender he can be. He’s still trying to find himself offensively. He’s an All-Star-level player who’s trying to get a rhythm.”
CROWDER AVAILABLE
We hear Jae Crowder would welcome a return to the Heat and ESPN’s Brian Windhorst — while not mentioning the Heat or any team — said the Suns are “are in trade negotiations right now. A lot of them are centered around Jae Crowder. Jae Crowder is a player who is available on the market right now.”
The problem is crafting a deal, within salary cap rules, that would satisfy both teams. It be surprising if the Suns were willing to take the final four years and $75 million of Duncan Robinson’s deal for Crowder, who is due $10.2 million in an expiring contract. It would be surprising if the Heat was willing to offer a first-round pick in a trade for Crowder.
Dwayne Dedmon and Oladipo cannot be traded until Jan. 15, and Oladipo can veto any trade this season. Among other players on the Heat’s roster, there doesn’t seem to be the matching salaries necessary to facilitate a deal without getting very creative, or involving a third team.
After being acquired at the trade deadine, Crowder, 32, was a key player for the Heat team that advanced to the 2020 NBA Finals. He averaged 9.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in 67 games (all starts) for the Suns last season, shooting 39.9 percent from the field overall and 34.8 on threes.
This story was originally published September 20, 2022 at 4:17 PM.
