Summer standout Jarreau signs 2-way contract with Pacers
The Miami Heat’s development program during summer league has paid dividends — for the Indiana Pacers.
Guard DeJon Jarreau, who thrived with the Heat during the NBA Las Vegas summer league, on Tuesday agreed to a two-way contract with the Pacers.
While it is not unusual for a player to thrive with one team during summer league only to sign with another, Jarreau’s defensive acumen and fit in the Heat offense made it appear he was poised to take the next step with the team.
University of Houston coach Kelvin Sampson told the school’s student newspaper the day after the draft, “[Miami] was trying to buy a pick last night and draft DeJon. Had [Miami] had a second-round pick they would have drafted DeJon. They loved DeJon. They targeted him.”
Instead, after joining the Heat after going undrafted in July, Jarreau joins an Eastern Conference rival.
Teams may sign up to two players to two-way contracts, with such players allowed to appear in up to 50 games during the 82-game regular season.
The Heat are expected to add undrafted Kansas guard Marcus Garrett on such a contract, with Garrett currently in the midst of changing his representation.
The Heat’s two two-way players from last season, Gabe Vincent and Max Strus, have graduated to standard contracts for the coming season.
Sidelined by a thigh contusion for the Heat’s two games at the California Classic summer league in Sacramento, Jarreau appeared in all five of the Heat’s games at the Las Vegas summer league, starting four. He placed third on the Heat roster, behind Strus and Omer Yurtseven, there, averaging 11.6 points per game on .477 shooting from the field. His 33 rebounds led the Heat in Las Vegas, with his 29 assists in the five games 19 more than any other player on the Heat summer roster.
Toaccommodatetheaddition of Jarreau, the Pacers waived center Amida Brimah.
Jarreau played three seasons at the University of Houston after he began his collegiate career at the University of Massachusetts. During his senior season in 2020-21, Jarreau earned honors as the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He was named the 2021 NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional Most Outstanding Player and helped lead Houston to the NCAA Final Four.
Heat assistant coach Malik Allen, who guided the Heat summer roster, was effusive in his praise of Jarreau during summer league.
“He’s comfortable with the ball in his hands, making calls, running the team. Those are the intangibles he’s got offensively. So that skill set [it’s] there. It just needs maturing and growth and learning the position a little bit more,” Allen said.
“And then defensively, he’s got great length. He’s got good quickness, he’s disruptive. So he’s got some NBA skills that are there, that he can keep growing into, for sure.”