Heat slowly navigating salary space

MIAMI — One thing that has changed very little for the Miami Heat since Sunday’s start of NBA free agency has been the math.

At the start of the process, the Heat had $119 million in committed salary to 10 players for the upcoming season. That figure now stands at $120 million for 11, with the two-year, minimum scale agreement with swingman Derrick Jones Jr.

So . . . still well above the $101.9 million NBA soft cap for 2018-19 and still on the cusp of the $123.7 million line for the punitive 1.5 dollar-for-dollar (or more) luxury tax.

As for spending money? Still precious little.

While the Heat retain access to the $8.6 million full midlevel exception, an amount that now only three teams can eclipse with salary-cap space, such an approach by utilizing any or all of that mechanism would leave the Heat hard capped at the apron limit of $129.8 million for the season — not allowed, by league rule, to therefore spend a penny more until next July.

More likely, if deemed needed, would be utilization of the $5.3 million taxpayer midlevel exception, an instrument that still would push the Heat into the tax.

The Heat also have the $3.4 million bi-annual exception at their disposal, one that cannot be utilized in consecutive seasons.

The most significant internal personnel issue remains the free agency of 3-point specialist Wayne Ellington.

Because of Ellington’s two seasons with the team, he can be paid up to $10.9 million next season by the Heat, an unlikely result for the 30-year-old, considering only the Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings had the salarycap wherewithal to go beyond the $8.6 million midlevel. Because of Ellington’s early Bird status, the Heat would not need to go into exception money to retain the guard.

Even if Ellington winds up elsewhere, the Heat still likely would go into the luxury tax if guard Dwyane Wade is brought back for an encore season, almost assuredly to seek the $5.3 million taxpayer midlevel exception. (Teams are limited to one variety of the midlevel exception per season.)

As for Wade, the indications of a potential return continue, including a Wednesday social-media post from a workout at the University of Miami.

“And that ain’t water,” a sweat-drenched Wade said as he walked off the court. “It’s wet. It’s real.”

Beyond Ellington and Wade, there is, according to Heat President Pat Riley, an open invitation for forward Udonis Haslem to return for a 16th season with the team.

The Heat’s other current free agents are Luke Babbitt, Jordan Mickey and Derrick Walton Jr., who has a qualifying offer in place for another two-way contract, with such agreements not impacting the salary cap.

The Heat generally have waited in recent years beyond the opening days of free agency to address the own free agents, the with notable exception of Hassan Whiteside’s four-year, $98 million agreement reaching during the opening hours of 2016 free agency.

The NBA signing period opens Friday, with all agreements other than those for the minimum scale, twoway and rookie contracts on hold until then.

Currently under contract for the Heat are Jones, Whiteside, Bam Adebayo, Kelly Olynyk, James Johnson, Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson, Rodney McGruder, Goran Dragic, Dion Waiters and Tyler Johnson.