Heat Make Surprise Roster Move on the Eve of the NBA Trade Deadline

Getty Jamaree Bouyea defends Cam Thomas during a preseason game between the Miami Heat and the Brooklyn Nets.

The time that has elapsed since the Miami Heat last made a big-time, blockbuster-type move to bolster their title chances may be significantly longer now than fans would have hoped for, but the team’s front office — led by Pat Riley — isn’t resting on its laurels.

On Tuesday, the Heat paid the San Antonio Spurs with a second-round pick to take on forgotten big man Dewayne Dedmon. And while that move didn’t yield any immediate cap relief or on-court rewards, it did open up an additional roster spot.

Rather than jumping at the chance to use said spot for converting Orlando Robinson’s two-way pact to a standard NBA deal, though, the Heat elected instead to add another backcourt piece on a short-term contract on Wednesday.

As announced by the team on the eve of the Association’s February 9 trade deadline, combo guard and Heat summer leaguer/camp player/affiliate standout Jamaree Bouyea was signed to a 10-day contract.

Jamaree Bouyea Fills a Role for the Heat While Riley Explores His Options

After a relatively unspectacular summer league run, the 23-year-old Bouyea elevated his game during camp and the preseason. In four exhibition appearances for Miami, he averaged 8.5 points, 2.5 boards, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 17.2 minutes per contest. He also connected on 60.9% of his shot attempts overall and 50% from deep.

Consequently, he was shuttled over to the team’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, with whom he has been able to spread his wings. Playing 32 combined Showcase Cup and regular-season games, Bouyea has logged a 17-6-6-2 line while shooting 50.8% from the field.

In the end, though, Bouyea’s signing is probably more about roster maintenance than the baller’s potential as an NBA player. By signing him, the Heat have added an extra backcourt body while starting point man Kyle Lowry is dinged up (or getting shopped in trade chatter around the league — pick your narrative there).

Also — and this may or may not be in the team’s thought process — but the earlier Robinsion’s deal is converted to a standard arrangement, the more the Heat will have to pay him in the long run. And while they were happy to give Caleb Martin some extra scratch last season, that was a special situation.

Their positional differences aside, Bouyea’s presence on the roster at least has the potential to help delay any decisions Riley and Co. may be considering with Robinson (with some rotational shuffling, anyway). It’s worth noting, however, that both players were active for Wednesday’s game against the Indiana Pacers.

Heat at ‘Medium’ Panic Level at Trade Deadline

Bleacher Report‘s Greg Swartz just put out a big feature on the panic levels of each of the league’s 30 teams with the trade deadline looming. And while he doesn’t believe the sky is falling for Heat people, Swartz gave Miami a “medium” score and listed off multiple areas where the club could benefit from trades.

Wrote Swartz:

With $29.7 million owed to [Kyle Lowry] next season, the Heat should check on potential returns now.

The Heat could use another forward with size who can shoot and defend, as they rank 27th in three-point shooting percentage (33.6 percent) this season. It would also allow Jimmy Butler to defend smaller wings in the playoffs, as he’s spent 84 percent of his minutes at power forward thus far (per Cleaning the Glass).

Players like Jae Crowder, Bojan Bogdanović and Kenrich Williams would be excellent fits.