The Miami Heat has much of its offseason duties in the rear view. With two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, and several other new faces, in tow, the Heat has addressed most of its roster needs. But there is still one open roster spot, and the Heat appears to be trending toward filling it.
On Tuesday, esteemed NBA journalist Marc Stein reported that the Heat is among the teams interested in signing free agent guard John Konchar.
“John Konchar is one of the top free agents available and has drawn interest, league sources say, from Miami, New York, Orlando and Toronto,” Stein wrote.
Konchar, 30, has moved around quite a bit this year. Ahead of last season’s trade deadline, Konchar was traded from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Utah Jazz, who sent Konchar to the Minnesota Timberwolves last month. The Wolves then waived and stretched the remaining $6.1 million on Konchar’s three-year, $18.4 million contract.
Miami Heat Eyeing Konchar to Fill Last Roster Spot
According to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, the Heat has reached out to Konchar’s camp to discuss a potential deal.
“The Heat has 14 players signed to standard contracts and can sign a 15th player to a standard contract without surpassing the hard salary cap under which it will operate this season,” Chiang reported Tuesday. “According to a source, the Heat has spoken to Konchar’s camp about potentially competing with Myron Gardner for a roster spot; the Heat is expected to circle back this week with a decision about whether it will formally offer that opportunity.”
Chiang noted that Konchar, who landed with the Grizzlies after going undrafted in 2019, would be interested in committing to the Heat if the team offered him a guaranteed deal. But there is some doubt that would happen.
“Konchar would have interest in the Heat, but more so if Miami offers a guaranteed deal,” Chiang wrote. “And it seems doubtful that the Heat would offer a full guarantee because that would make it more difficult for Miami to add an appealing player on the buyout market during the season. … A source was skeptical about whether Konchar would take a non-guaranteed deal but wouldn’t totally rule it out.”
Miami in the Market for Another Move
The Heat generated the flexibility to sign a 14th and 15th player to the roster thanks to the small financial haircut Klay Thompson took. Thompson, 36, agreed to a two-year deal worth roughly $11 million last month.
The Heat used its 14th roster spot on big man Nick Richards, who was signed to a one-year nonguaranteed deal.
With the Heat’s point guard depth quite thin, there has been plenty of chatter about the team potentially pursuing free agents like Gabe Vincent and Victor Oladipo. But Miami appears to like what Konchar, a high-energy hustler by nature, brings to the table.
“Konchar, 30, has never averaged more than 5.1 points in any of his eight seasons, but he does several things pretty well and that skill set, versatility, feistiness, high motor, defensive tenacity and experience hold some appeal to the Heat,” Chiang wrote. “The 6-5 Konchar, who can play shooting guard and small forward, frequently dives to the floor for loose balls, and is willing to accept a role as a utility player.”
Meanwhile, Konchar is generating interest from a few other teams, so it remains to be seen how he’ll approach the free agency process.
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