G Larry Drew II signs; camp roster now at 18

MIAMI — The Miami Heat have formally created competition for their training camp with an agreement with veteran point guard Larry Drew II.

This is the third time Drew has been signed by the Heat for a training camp, yet to survive a final cut with the team.

Drew, 27, is coming off a stint with the U.S. National Team that won the AmeriCup on Sunday in Argentina under veteran NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy. He is the son of former NBA guard and head coach Larry Drew, who currently is an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The 6-foot-2 guard finished last season with the Heat’s development-league affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, and then played in summer-league in July for the Philadelphia 76ers.

The addition of Drew gives the Heat 18 players on their offseason roster, two shy of the league maximum for training camp, which opens Sept. 26.

The Heat have to trim to 15 by the starting of the regular season. Two players on the camp roster, however, can be exempted from the 15-player limit by signing two-way contracts. Undrafted Michigan guard Derrick Walton Jr. has already agreed to one such deal, with undrafted Central Florida guard Matt Williams Jr. possibly to be converted to a second such contract. Such contracts limit a player to 45 days on an NBA roster, the rest of the season to be spent in the G League.

The addition of Drew means at least one player now would have to be cut from Heat control by the end of camp. Drew, however, could be released by the Heat and then added to the Skyforce roster.

As it is, the Heat currently have only one true veteran NBA point guard on their camp roster, starter Goran Dragic. The Heat’s other options at point guard on the current roster are combo guards Tyler Johnson and Josh Richardson, as well as Walton.