Getty Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has been dealing with a slew of COVID-19 issues this year.
The Miami Heat will have emerging star guard Tyler Herro available for Monday night’s game. The team is looking for their second straight win as it continues to get key players back from COVID-19 protocols.
The Heat (7-12) will also have veteran guards Avery Bradley (knee) and Goran Dragic (groin) back against the Charlotte Hornets. Ditto for Jimmy Butler who scored 30 points on Saturday after missing 10 games due to health and safety protocols. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. at American Airlines Arena.
It’s been a struggle through the first 19 games, with trade rumors increasing to swirl fast in South Beach. Bradley Beal and PJ Tucker remain linked to the Heat in possible deadline deals.
“We’re going to build off of this,” Butler said after Saturday’s victory. “So much to get better at, but we can do it. We’re going to turn this around.”
#CHAvsMIA UPDATE: Avery Bradley (knee), Goran Dragic (groin) & Tyler Herro (health and safety protocols) are all available to play in tonight’s game vs the Hornets.
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Kendrick Nunn Describes Testing Scare
Kendrick Nunn didn’t come off the bench in Miami’s last game after a COVID-19 mixup. The Heat guard hadn’t received his test results prior to tip-off so Erik Spoelstra went with a different rotation.
Erik Spoelstra said Kendrick Nunn did not play tonight because the Heat was waiting on his test results. He was cleared to play at some point in the second quarter, but the rotation was already in motion at that point.
Nunn, who is averaging 12.1 points per game, eventually got cleared to play but Spoelstra kept him out. The former rookie-of-the-year candidate is 100% healthy and explained the scary situation.
“It was just an unfortunate situation where tests didn’t come back in time and I was unavailable,” Nunn told reporters, via the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang. “They told me to go back to the locker room until it came back. I sat back about 10 minutes and I was available after that.”
Nunn has been a key offensive cog this year, especially with Butler and Herro out for long stretches. He was getting starter’s minutes and dropped 28 points on the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 20.
Exact Dollars Amounts for Jae Crowder
It was previously reported that Jae Crowder turned down a one-year deal from Miami to accept a multi-year contract in Phoenix. However, there was conflicting information on the exact financials of that one-year offer.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Heat offered Crowder upwards of $9 million but the 30-year-old wanted long-term stability. Instead, he inked a three-year, $29.1 million deal with the Suns.
Jae Crowder to Phoenix: three years, almost $30 million, AP is told.
Crowder has openly talked about the “chaotic” decision to leave Miami. He got calls from 14 teams, but Suns stars Devin Booker and Chris Paul recruited him the hardest.
“The process was chaotic. I just had to sit back and absorb it all in,” Crowder said, via Sports Rush. “Once I got a phone call from Devin and Chris, those guys made a strong pitch.”
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