Morris was a good teammate, but rarely got to show more.Ģ022-23 salary: Team option for two-way contract. What we need to know: Whether the Heat will again go with such a veteran presence in the reserve power rotation or turn toward a more youthful approach. The ensuing 58 games lost to whiplash never allowed Morris to regain a Heat foothold. What we learned: That it is better to allow time to expire in a blowout loss in Denver rather than engage Nikola Jokic with a flagrant foul. What we need to know: Can there be a comfortable compromise when it comes to free agency? And for that decision to be made, it could come down to the role forecast for next season.Ģ022-23 salary: Free agent, after earning NBA minimum this season. Then the injuries hit and the breakthrough turned into a slowdown. What we learned: There were times when Martin was a revelation with his energetic play on both ends, as well as his ability to space the floor with his 3-point shot. What we need to know: How will Lowry, at 36, hold up for the final two seasons of his contract? Will the Heat mandate stricter conditioning standards? The playoffs raised significant concerns in that regard.Ģ022-23 salary: Free agent, with Heat able to match outside offers up to mid-level exception by extending a $2.1 million qualifying offer. But the missed time limited the contribution, most of it time away for family reasons. What we learned: Lowry largely filled his mandate as a floor general, the Heat more cohesive when he was on the court. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)Ģ022-23 salary: $28.3 million, with one additional season on contract. Miami Heat’s Kyle Lowry plays against the Boston Celtics during the first half of Game 6 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference finals playoff series, Friday, May 27, 2022, in Boston. That could make summer league a laboratory. What we need to know: There has been talk of creating an undersized stretch-four role for Highsmith similar to how the Heat this season utilized P.J. The Heat saw enough to convert KZ Okpala’s roster spot to a developmental spot for Highsmith. What we learned: Highsmith had his moments when the Heat roster was ravaged by COVID at midseason. What we need to know: Is the next step there, the ability to emerge as an All-Star-level starter? That is an answer that might have to be determined quickly, with Herro’s extension window opening this offseason.Ģ022-23 salary: $1.7 million team option. Yes, there are defensive issues, but scoring has, does and will continue to trump such concerns. What we learned: Herro excelled in his sixth-man role, while showing potential for something more. What we need to know: If there remains room on the roster to carry Haslem, as opposed to a contributor or developmental project.Ģ022-23 salary: $5.7 million, with extension window ahead of start of next season, otherwise restricted free agent in 2023 offseason. What we learned: Teammates and the coaching staff still swear by his presence. Grade: 83 (Haslem’s total minutes this season, including none in the playoffs.) What we need to know: Is such a role still essential in today’s NBA, with Dedmon shuffled out of the mix by the closing stages of the Celtics series? How the Heat choose to play going forward could go a long way toward determining Dedmon’s Miami future. In many ways, he still stands as the quintessential old-school back-up big man. What we learned: When a big body is needed, Dedmon still has the ability to bang, rebound and dunk. Heat hold Bird Rights, able to exceed salary-cap to re-sign. What we need to know: Can such efforts be sustained as the odometer continues to add wear and tear? The concern is whether all-of-the-time Jimmy Butler is a thing of the past, with it to be more of a case of picking his moments, as he showed in the playoffs.Ģ022-23 salary: Free agent, after earning NBA minimum this season. When healthy and engaged, there are few better two-way players, even at his age. What we learned: That when Jimmy Butler wants to be the best player on the court he still has that ability, as his breakthrough playoff moments proved. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)Ģ022-23 salary: $37.7 million, with three additional seasons on contract, the last a player option. Tucker (17) and forward Jimmy Butler (22) celebrate during the second half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball Eastern Conference finals playoff series against the Boston Celtics, Tuesday, May 17, 2022, in Miami.
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