Justise Winslow hopeful contract will get worked out.
BOCA RATON — There was a time when seemingly everyone who lined up at Pat Riley’s door got a lucrative new contract.
In 2016, it was Hassan Whiteside and Tyler Johnson. In 2017, James Johnson and Dion Waiters. Along the way, Josh Richardson signed off on a rookie extension of his own.
It was as if the ATM at 601 Biscayne didn’t require a PIN.
That was then. Now, with the luxury-tax meter running, Justise Winslow stands less than three weeks from being put on hold.
Against that backdrop, Winslow took the floor for Tuesday’s first day of Miami Heat training camp at Florida Atlantic University, facing an Oct. 15 deadline for a rookie-scale extension.
“It’s fine,” he said. “I mean, look, I’m in great position. Whether we get the contract done or not, I would love to get it done. But I love it here. I have no intention of going anywhere.
“So whether it’s this fall or next summer, I’m sure we’re going to figure something out. So I’m not too concerned about it.”
Richardson, whose extension was completed weeks before the start of last year’s camp, believes his fellow 2015 NBA draft pick can compartmentalize.
“I mean Justise is a guy that’s mentally stable, so I’m not really worried about him,” he said. “He’s going to do what he does normally. I told him just not to approach it any differently and not worry about it.
“We kind of talked a tiny bit about it a few weeks ago, but I told him it is what it is. If they offer it, then great. And if not, then just handle what you got to handle this season.”
Winslow would become a restricted free agent next summer in the absence of a completed extension by the deadline.
“Just having the personal conversation with the front office and everyone from top to bottom in there and the coaches and teammates, I’m very comfortable where I am and everything is going to take care of itself,” the 2015 No. 10 pick out of Duke said.
What makes the financials with Winslow, 22, somewhat complex is the complexity of his game. Entering his fourth season, there remains uncertainty about Winslow’s ultimate role.
“I have an idea where I’m going to play him,” coach Erik Spoelstra said, “but I won’t be able to be as definitive and clear with him as other players, and that’s a great compliment to have that type of versatility.”
When the Heat took care of Whiteside and Tyler Johnson, it was in the wake of losing LeBron James in free agency and Chris Bosh to illness. The deals for Waiters and James Johnson came after the failed freeagency gambit on Gordon Hayward.
Now the pendulum has shifted, with an extension to Winslow to eat into the Heat’s considerable cap space for 2020, which projects as the next year Riley’s team again can become players in free agency.
Sometimes it’s a matter of timing. That has left Winslow biding his time. Should the Heat pull off a trade between now and Oct. 15, it is possible that spending into 2020 won’t be as significant a concern.
“It is tough with these talks and everything going on,” Winslow said. “But for me, it’s just clear headed. I had four years on my [rookie] contract, so I have to play this year, regardless.”