IN THE LANE

LATE GAINS: As soon as Monday, the Heat will be able to add an additional player to their roster and still remain under the luxury tax. Adding players late in the game, after the trade deadline and buyout deadline, is nothing new for the franchise, with several notable additions since 2000.

On April 10, 2019, the team added Kendrick Nunn, in a forward-thinking move to lock an undrafted player into their developmental pipeline. On April 12, 2016, the team brought back Dorell Wright for its playoff run, after he had spent the season in China, an option this season with players who have been overseas. On March 18, 2015, there was the team’s third (and final) standard contract for Michael Beasley. On March 22, 2013, Juwan Howard was signed to a standard deal as a means of getting him on the playoff roster for a second championship run. On March 21, 2012, Ronny Turiaf was brought in for center depth, in what would turn into the first Big Three title run. On March 2, 2011, there was the ill-fated play to add Mike Bibby to the first Big Three playoff roster, at the expense of then-released Carlos Arroyo. And on March 1, 2005, there was the return of Alonzo Mourning, in a move that eventually would help produce the franchise’s first title, in 2006.

THE OTHER SIDE: For Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, beyond all the NBA machinations to get the past two seasons played during the pandemic, there also was a business impact on the personal side, with the restaurant he has an ownership stake with, in his hometown of Portland, Ore. He said, as with all restaurateurs, it has been a difficult period. “You really feel for all the small businesses,” he said when asked about his involvement with 23Hoyt, which bills itself as A New American Tavern. “The restaurant is doing better now, but it was certainly a really tough time during the summer and during the fall. Even in Miami, I drive by the places I used to go to all the time that I haven’t been able to go to this year. But I root for them and I’m glad to see a whole lot of people frequenting those places and keeping those small businesses alive.”

SECOND CHANCE: The trade that sent Moe Harkless from the Heat to the Sacramento Kings has led to a second chance for the veteran forward, who has reemerged from his Heat deep freeze to a rotation role, as another round of free agency awaits this offseason. “I just feel like Moe’s brought such a different dynamic to our team,” center Richaun Holmes said. “Such a smart player, especially on the defensive end.” Harkless said he is attempting to add a veteran presence, while also appreciating his status as a relative newcomer. “I’m new here,” he said, “so I try not to come in and have anybody feel like I’m trying to change things and overstep, but I try to chime in as much as I can.” Harkless said it has been a welcomed personal revival.“It definitely feels good to be out there, playing consistently coming from the situation I was in,” said Harkless, limited to 11 appearances in his three months with the Heat.

RETIREMENT STORY: With his career having come to a sudden and shocking end due to blood-clotting episodes in 2015 and ‘16, former Heat forward Chris Bosh empathized with this past week’s sudden retirement of Brooklyn Nets forward LaMarcus Aldridge, due to a heart condition. But the empathy, Bosh wrote in his blog, also was because of style of play. “A fadeaway jumper you just had to admire, even if he was draining it in your face,” Bosh said of Aldridge. “But he also became the kind of player you could develop a relationship with from the stands or through the TV: a big man who could run the court and put up big numbers on both sides of the ball — and never let his head get too big about it. ”And of Aldridge’s decision, Bosh wrote, “It’s a tough decision to make, let alone in the middle of the season. In fact, I can’t even say it’s the one I would’ve made. I tried to keep playing even after I found out about the medical condition that led to my own retirement. It takes some nerve to risk your life to play ball, sure — but it takes real bravery to set that aside because you have a family to look out for.”

NUMBER 39. Times the Heat have held the opposition below its scoring average this season, including 19 times holding the opposition below 100 points.