Getty Dewayne Dedmon #21 of the Miami Heat reacts against the Philadelphia 76ers during the fourth quarter at American Airlines Arena on May 13, 2021.
After Miami was swept in the first round of the 2020-21 NBA playoffs by the Milwaukee Bucks, fans can expect the Heat to show up next season with very different roster.
Miami added numerous veteran players toward the end of the season, but it’s unknown whether the Heat will retain the talents of Trevor Ariza, DeWayne Dedmon, or Nemanja Bjelica moving forward. However, if the decision was up to Dedmon, he’d remain in Miami.
On May 31, the 7-foot Big Man said he “definitely [hopes] to be back next year” but acknowledges “that’s up to the people upstairs.”
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While Dedmon has obvious flaws, he’s not a bad player. In 2019, he got a big contract from the Sacramento Kings, a three-year deal worth $41 million, but he didn’t prove to be the explosive big man they expected.
He lasted as a starter for four games before being relegated to the second unit. Sacramento wanted to be rid of him so bad that after four months, the Kings sent him back to the Atlanta Hawks along with TWO second-round picks just to get him off their hands.
Dewayne Dedmon on sharing court with Bam: I feel like there is room for us to play together but it takes chemistry, time…once we build that up figure out where we both should be we can definitely see in the future
Dedmon’s story in Miami, however, was quite different. Dedmon was one of the team’s few bright spots during the playoffs. He scored 19 points in Game 2, along with nine rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes of play. The 31-year-old scored four points in 12 minutes of play in Game 3 and went scoreless in Game 4.
Dewayne Dedmon says he’d like to be back with the Heat. (And I think the Heat would like that as well.)
At the end of the day, Dedmon did enough with the Heat to show he still belongs in the NBA. If another franchise is willing to pony up $5 million or so, the Heat won’t use their little salary cap space to match the offer. However, if Dedmon is willing to settle for a deal around the minimum, $2.5 million, he could stay.
Numerous Heat Players Become Free Agents this Summer
GettyPresident Pat Riley of the Miami Heat looks on against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second quarter at American Airlines Arena on December 25, 2020.
As Dedmon mentioned, whether or not he ultimately stays in Miami is up to the Heat’s front office which have a lot of big decisions to make this summer. After such a disappointing postseason run, history has proven that Heat president Riley will not hesitate to dive into a major restructure.
As a franchise, the Heat haven’t been swept in the first round of the playoffs since 2007. After being eliminated by the Chicago Bulls, Miami’s team president Pat Riley didn’t waste any time cleaning house. The Heat quickly said goodbye to James Posey, Gary Payton, Michael Doleac, Jason Kapono, Shaquille O’Neal, and Antoine Walker.
For the upcoming 2021-22 NBA season, aside from Dedmon, Ariza, and Bjelica, the following Heat players are also without job security: Victor Oladipo, Duncan Robinson, Trevor Ariza, Max Strus, Kendrick Nunn, Andre Iguodala, Gabe Vincent, Goran Dragic, and Udonis Haslem.
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Heat’s Big Man Reveals Decision on Returning to Miami Next Season