Dragic, Leonard sign new contracts
Goran Dragic did not waste any time.
The veteran guard was the first Heat free agent to commit to a return just one minute after free agent negotiations were allowed to begin at 6 p.m. Friday, and he was the first to sign his new contract with the Heat after free agent signings were allowed to start Sunday at 12:01 p.m.
Meyers Leonard followed about two hours later, signing his new deal.
“It was essential for us to bring Goran back,” Heat president Pat Riley said in a statement. “He is part of our team, part of our culture and part of our family. He provides backcourt veteran leadership and can still play at a very high level. I’m glad to have him back in the fold.”
And regarding Leonard, Riley said: “It’s good to have him back. He is a prototypical center, a very good one. Meyers is strong on the interior of our defense and sets screens as well as anyone in the league to get our shooters and drivers open. He also shots over 40 percent from threepoint range. He is one of the most positive attitude players we have in the locker room. A real team guy. We expect him to have a great season.”
According to a league source, the Heat signed
Dragic to a two-year, $37.5 million deal that includes an $18 million salary this season and a $19.5 million team option for 2021-22.
Under the structure of the Dragic and Leonard deals, they are not allowed to be traded without their approval this upcoming season.
Dragic was an important part of the Heat’s winning formula this past season, averaging 16.2 points on 44.1 percent shooting, 3.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists as Miami’s sixth man in the regular season. The reserve role was new for Dragic, who started 268 of the 282 regular-season games he played in with the Heat prior to 2019-20, but it helped to maximize his minutes and keep him fresh
after he played in a careerlow 36 games in 2018-19 because of knee surgery.
Leonard agreed to a two-year deal topping $19 million, with about $9 million due this season and a team option in 2021-22.
The Heat also received commitments from free agents Udonis Haslem, Avery Bradley and Maurice Harkless. They have not signed yet.
The Heat did not commit any guaranteed salary past this upcoming season in free agency, signing players to either a two-year contract with a team option in the second season or a one-year contract. This was done to help facilitate Miami’s plan to enter the 2021 offseason with max-level cap space for a loaded free agent class that could be headlined by two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Bradley’s two-year contract is worth nearly $12 million and includes a team option in the second year.
Harkless committed to Miami on a one-year, $3.6 million deal.
Haslem is expected to sign a one-year, $2.6 million veteran minimum contract that would only count about $1.6 million against the salary cap because of NBA rules.
The Heat’s current salary-cap breakdown for this upcoming season looks like this: Jimmy Butler ($34.4 million), Dragic ($18 million), Andre Iguodala ($15 million), Kelly Olynyk
($12.6 million), Leonard ($9.7 million), Bradley ($5.7 million), Bam Adebayo
($5.1 million), Tyler Herro ($3.8 million), Harkless ($3.6 million), Duncan Robinson ($1.7 million), Kendrick Nunn ($1.7 million), Haslem ($1.6 million cap hit), KZ Okpala ($1.5 million), Chris Silva ($1.5 million), and the projected $2.6 million cap hit for first-round pick Precious Achiuwa. In addition, a $5.2 million waive-and-stretch cap hit for Ryan Anderson is still on Miami’s books, as well as a $350,000 waiveand-stretch cap hit for AJ Hammons.