McGruder has earned a bonus because of his extended time in the starting lineup,
BOSTON — So it turns out that Rodney McGruder was a firstround draft pick after all. Or, to be more accurate, the Miami Heat forward has earned recognition as such.
As part of the NBA’s latest collective-bargaining agreement, a “starter criteria” element was added to reward players who have achieved beyond their draft status when it comes to free agency.
For McGruder, the elevation in status came once he met the criteria requirement of starting at least 41 games (half of the regular season) in advance of free agency.
As such, instead of the Heat being able to retain the right to match outside offers with a $1.9 million qualifying offer by June 30, that offer now must be for $3 million.
“I never even knew that existed,” McGruder said during this four-game trip that concludes Monday against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden.
According to the CBA, a second-round pick or undrafted player who meets the “starter criteria” will receive a qualifying offer equal to 100 percent of the amount applicable to the 21st overall pick of his draft year.
In essence, McGruder, who went undrafted out of Kansas State in 2013 and did not make his NBA debut until joining the Heat in 2016-17, will be afforded the same contract status as if he was Atlanta Hawks forward DeAndre Bembry in the 2016 NBA draft, with Bembry drafted at No. 21 that year.
“I didn’t know that, but that’s cool,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And it shows you that if you have some persistence and some grit, you can end up being the equivalent of a first-round pick.”
McGruder becomes the first Heat player impacted by the “starter criteria.” Norris Cole, drafted at No. 28 in 2011, was on a path toward a similar upgrade in his qualifying offer before he was dealt to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2015.
With the Heat expected to be operating well above the salary cap during the 2019 offseason, the additional impact of McGruder’s cap hold should not be a significant factor. He likely will command in excess of the $3 million per season as a restricted free agent. He would become an unrestricted free agent if the Heat do not extend such a qualifying offer.
McGruder is completing the three-year, $3.4 million contract he signed with the Heat during the 2016 offseason.
In many ways, McGruder stands as the most unlikely of starters, a pattern that began when he started 65 games as a rookie in 2016-17, after time playing in Hungary and then the G League.
“With this organization, they mold players and prep us to be prepared for whatever situation it may be,” he said. “I’ve never thought about being a starter. I just always thought about being prepared for whatever is asked for me.
“Because we always preach the next man up. The first time I ever started I was the next man up. So it’s just being prepared.”
McGruder is appreciative of the faith from Spoelstra, who has continued to pencil him into the starting lineup.
“Coach does a great job of having us ready for whatever situation we may be in,” he said. “It’s a great testament to the Heat culture and having us prepared.”
The CBA defines a “starter criteria” as either starting 41 games or playing 2,000 minutes in a season. Saturday’s game against the Chicago Bulls was McGruder’s 43rd start of the season, now at 1,185 minutes played this season.
“You want to try to reward guys like that however you can,” Spoelstra said. “And that wasn’t necessarily our intention, because it’s all about the bottom line, and this is about the team and winning. But he does so many of the little things, it’s hard to keep him off the court. And the average fan doesn’t get to see it.
“When it all works out like this, it’s a win-win for everybody.”