Dedmon latest veteran newcomer, fills void at center
Dewayne Dedmon to sign with Heat, joins Trevor Ariza, Nemanja Bjelica and Victor Oladipo in lending experience to playoff push.
The Heat plans to sign veteran center Dewayne Dedmon, giving Miami insurance behind Bam Adebayo, according to two sources briefed on the situation.
The deal, which is expected to be for the remainder of the season, is contingent on Dedmon going through
COVID protocols successfully and passing a physical.
Dedmon has averaged 6.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 0.9 blocked shots in seven NBA seasons.
He has appeared in 394 games and started 194 games in a career that has included stops in Atlanta, Orlando, San Antonio, Sacramento, Philadelphia and Golden State.
Dedmon most recently played in the 2019-20 season, averaging 5.8 points and 5.7 rebounds in 44 games, including 18 starts, for the Hawks and Kings.
His best NBA season was 2018-19, when he averaged 10.8 points and 7.5 rebounds in 64 games for the Hawks, including 52 starts.
He’s a career 51.6 percent shooter from the field and has shot 33.3 percent (155 for 466) on three-pointers.
He began his career playing for the Heat’s Summer League team in 2013 after going undrafted out of Southern California, then signed with Golden State that September.
The Kings signed him to a three-year, $40 million contract in July 2019, but he lost playing time to Richaun Holmes, requested a trade publicly (for which the NBA fined him $50,000), was traded in February 2020 back to Atlanta along with two second-round picks, in exchange for Jabari Parker and Alex Len.
The Hawks traded Dedmon to the Pistons last November for Tony Snell and Khyri Thomas. He was released on Nov. 24 and has been out of the league over the past four months.
The Heat has been without a natural backup center since trading Kelly Olynyk, Chris Silva and injured Meyers Leonard in different trades recently.
Over the past week, power forwards Precious Achiuwa and Nemanja Bjelica have been handling center duties when Adebayo isn’t on the court.
Dedmon, 31, gives the Heat a 7-footer who can play if Adebayo gets in foul trouble or is injured.
VETERANS FIT IN
It helps that the Heat’s other three newcomers aren’t exactly newcomers.
Trevor Ariza is 35 and in his 17th NBA season. Bjelica is 32 and in his sixth NBA season after spending the first part of his professional career in Europe. And Victor Oladipo is 28 and in his eighth NBA season.
With all three veterans traded to Miami in separate deals in March, they’re all at different stages of their Heat transition. But their experience is helping them fast-track that adjustment
period with just six weeks remaining in the regular season.
“How can you not notice it?” coach Erik Spoelstra said in advance of Tuesday night’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies at AmericanAirlines Arena. “Vic literally did not have a shootaround. We got back and basically walked through a handful of things, and threw him out there in the starting lineup and he was able to fit in very well. His instincts defensively are spectacular.
“And with Beli and Trevor, they are seasoned veterans that play a specific role, and I think Trevor’s role at least for the last decade has been mostly the same on every team. That’s what we always respected about him and we’ve been able just to plug and play him in his exact role he has had so much success with. So I think really it’s just about getting his legs under him and getting used to new teammates. The same thing with Beli.”
While Ariza and Bjelica have already been part of a road trip and participated in multiple practices with Miami, Oladipo took part in his first full Heat practice Monday. In Oladipo’s first two games
with the Heat, he totaled 14 points while shooting 5 of 21 from the field, 1 of 10 on threes and 3 of 7 from the foul line but mixed in some impressive defense.
“It’s getting better and better every day, every game, every practice, every rep, every chance I get to come in,” Oladipo said of his comfort level in the Heat’s system. “Credit to the coaching staff here catching me up, and the film guys doing a great job of giving me film and catching me up with everything, as well. Obviously, it’s not going to come overnight. But I just gotta keep taking one day at a time, one game at time.”
Heat veteran forward Andre Iguodala said he’s impressed with Oladipo because he has “helped us tremendously” with “the way he’s moving the ball and being that threat, he’s taking a lot of pressure off our guys.”
Iguodala added that Bjelica is still getting used to one aspect of his role with the Heat.
“I think he’s adjusting to us yelling at him to shoot it every single time,” Iguodala said with a smile. “He’s laughing and he’s like, ‘Are you guys crazy?’ I’m like, ‘Yo, if the ball touches your
hand, just shoot it.’ We’re very confident in him and what he can do. The funny thing is he can do a lot more than just shoot. He’s going to become that threat for us and it’s going to open up a lot of other things for him, which in turn opens up a lot of different things for other guys. It’s only going to get better.”
Another thing Ariza, Bjelica and Oladipo have in common: It didn’t take them long to become consistent members of the Heat’s rotation. Ariza and Oladipo have already earned spots in Miami’s starting lineup, and Bjelica has played off the bench in each of the first four games he has been available for with the Heat.
“I think we got three veterans, so their learning curve is something you don’t typically see with a young guy trying to come in, trying to adjust,” Iguodala said. “You got guys who have been traded before, who have been in different situations and different organizations. So they’ve seen the lay of the land and how to adjust on the fly . ... I think from what we’ve seen so far, guys are very excited for what lies ahead and the many possibilities.”