Heat adds veteran Patty Mills as a reserve point guard
The Heat’s midseason makeover at point guard continues.
After trading Kyle Lowry and a lottery-protected first-round pick for Terry Rozier in late January and adding Delon Wright in free agency during the All-Star break in February, the Heat is now signing veteran Patty Mills, league sources confirmed to the Miami Herald on Tuesday.
With the Heat already at the 15-player maximum for standard contracts, it will waive guard Dru Smith to make room for Mills. Smith is out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his right knee in late December.
The Heat will sign Mills to a minimum contract for the rest of the season, according to a league source.
The signing of Mills serves as protection amid uncertainty surrounding guard Josh Richardson’s status for the rest of the season. Richardson (dislocated right shoulder) missed his eighth straight game Tuesday night against the visiting Detroit Pistons.
The Heat is also currently without guard Tyler Herro (right foot injury), who missed his fifth straight game Tuesday.
Mills, 35, averaged 2.7 points, 1.1 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 0.5 steals per game while shooting 37.3 percent from the field and 38.2 percent from threepoint range in a limited role for the Atlanta Hawks this season.
He appeared in 19 games for the Hawks — all off the bench — and played 10.6 minutes per game before he was waived Feb. 29.
Because Mills was waived by March 1, he is eligible to play for the Heat in the playoffs.
Mills is in his 15th NBA season, and this transition from the Hawks to the Heat marks the first time he has changed teams in the middle of a season.
The last time Mills played more than 20 minutes per game in a season came in 2021-22 with Brooklyn, when he averaged 11.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 29 minutes per game over 81 regular-season appearances (48 starts).
Mills has played in 95 playoff games (11 starts) during his NBA career. He won an NBA championship as a member of the San Antonio Spurs, defeating the Heat in the 2014 NBA Finals.
MARTIN OK
Despite receiving six stitches for a mouth laceration after Saturday’s home win against Utah, forward Caleb Martin was available to play Tuesday.
Martin left Saturday’s game with 2:11 left in the fourth quarter after teammate Jimmy Butler’s hand
For summaries, complete standings and results go to the eEdition at MiamiHerald.com.
W
48 36 35 24 23 W
35 34 26 15 9 W
41 39 34 29 9
L
12 25 25 37 38
L
26 26 34 46 52
L
21 21 28 32 51
Pct
.800 .590 .583 .393 .377
Pct
.574 .567 .433 .246 .148
Pct
.661 .650 .548 .475 .150
GB
— 121⁄2 13 241⁄2 251⁄2 GB
—
81⁄2 20 26 GB
— 1 7 111⁄2 31 inadvertently hit him in the mouth. Martin was unable to speak to reporters after the win, getting dressed in the locker room with gauze in his mouth to help stop the bleeding.
But following Tuesday’s morning shootaround, he spoke to reporters about that unfortunate moment.
“It was tough, especially with two minutes left,” Martin said, sporting a swollen lip. “But I’ll be all right. It’s not my first time, it won’t be my last.”
Martin also is playing through a sprained left thumb he suffered during Thursday’s loss at Denver.
WRIGHT’S FEAT
Entering Tuesday’s game, Wright had nine assists and zero turnovers
Southwest
New Orleans Dallas Houston Memphis San Antonio Northwest
Minnesota Oklahoma City Denver
Utah
Portland Pacific
L.A. Clippers Phoenix Sacramento L.A. Lakers Golden State
W
36 34 26 21 13 W
43 42 42 28 17 W
39 35 34 34 32
L
25 27 34 41 48
L
19 19 19 34 43
L
21 26 26 29 28
WEDNESDAY
Orlando at Washington, 7 Cleveland at Atlanta, 7:30 Memphis at Philadelphia, 7:30 L.A. Clippers at Houston, 7:30 Chicago at Utah, 9
Pct
.590 .557 .433 .339 .213
Pct
.694 .689 .689 .452 .283
Pct
.650 .574 .567 .540 .533
GB
— 2 91⁄2 151⁄2 23 GB
—
15 25 GB
— 41⁄2 5 61⁄2 7 as a member of the Heat and 91 and 11 for the season, one of the top two ratios in the league.
“Definitely aware” of those numbers, he said. “I really hate turning the ball over. I don’t know what it is about turnovers. I just really hate them.”
Coach Erik Spoelstra characterized Wright as “a smart, winning player. He fits right in.”
Among those who reached out to Wright after he played well as a starter in Sacramento last
Milwaukee at Golden State, 10 Oklahoma City at Portland, 10 Sacramento at L.A. Lakers, 10:30
TUESDAY
Detroit at Miami
Orlando at Charlotte
Atlanta at New York
Boston at Cleveland
New Orleans at Toronto
Philadelphia at Brooklyn
San Antonio at Houston
Indiana at Dallas
Phoenix at Denver
MONDAY
Memphis 106, Brooklyn 102 Milwaukee 113, L.A. Clippers 106 Minnesota 119, Portland 114
Utah 127, Washington 115
Chicago 113, Sacramento 109
L.A. Lakers 116, Oklahoma City 104 week: former Heat wing Quentin Richardson, who in January suggested to Spoelstra and team president Pat Riley that they pursue Wright.
“I was thanking him for being one of the first people to put this in motion,” Wright said of Richardson.
Wright started in Rozier’s absence in last week’s win at Sacramento.