South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Heat fill out camp roster
Miami adds 3 players from summer league; 19 now under contract
The Miami Heat filled out their training-camp roster Friday with three players from their summer-league team, now one shy of the NBA’s 20-player offseason limit.
Added were Micah Potter, Javonte Smart and Dru Smith, with all three signing Exhibit
10 contracts. Such deals allow players to compete for the Heat’s remaining two-way contract, as well as the opportunity to be funneled to the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
While the Heat are at 14 players on their standard roster, one shy of the NBA maximum, their position against the punitive luxury tax makes it unlikely another player will be added to such a deal by the Oct. 21 regular-season opener.
Teams also are allowed to carry up to two additional players on two-way contracts, which this season will pay
$463,000. Undrafted Kansas guard Marcus Garrett last week was signed to one of the Heat’s two-way contracts, although such roster spots can be fluid.
Players signed to Exhibit
10 contracts can earn up to an additional $50,000 affiliated-player bonus should they opt to report a team’s G League affiliate after being released during training camp. The moves with Potter, Smart and Smith now allow the Heat to retain the rights to those players for the Skyforce.
In addition to Garrett and the three players added Friday, the rest of the Heat’s current 19-player camp roster includes Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, P.J. Tucker, Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro, Dewayne Dedmon, Markieff Morris, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, Victor Oladipo, KZ Okpala, Omer Yurtseven and Udonis Haslem, as well as undrafted Mississippi State guard D.J. Stewart, who also recently was invited to camp from the Heat’s summer-league roster on an Exhibit 10 deal.
Potter, a 6-foot-10 undrafted center out of Wisconsin, appeared in six summer-league games with the Heat, averaging 7.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.17 blocks and 1.0 assists.
Smart, an undrafted 6-4 guard out of LSU, appeared in six summer-league averaging,
5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists.
Smith, an undrafted 6-3 guard out of Missouri, also appeared in six summer-league games, averaging 8.0 points, 2.5 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.17 steals.
The Heat’s Friday signings came after summer-league prospects DeJon Jarreau (Indiana Pacers), R.J. Nembhard (Cleveland Cavaliers) and A.J. Lawson (Atlanta Hawks) elected to sign elsewhere.
The Heat open training camp Sept. 28, with their preseason opening on Oct. 4 against the Atlanta Hawks at FTX Arena.
Teams can sign up to eight players to Exhibit 10 contracts, making it possible that the Heat shuffle through additional players during the preseason.