Following a lengthy recovery from ankle surgery in November, big man Omer Yurtseven is finally on the home stretch of his return-to-play process. A little over a week before this writing, the 24-year-old was cleared to resume on-court work for the Miami Heat.
Between the uncertainty regarding what he’ll be able to contribute over the back third of the 2022-23 NBA season and the fact that Orlando Robinson is still on a two-way deal, though, questions about who will be serving as Bam Adebayo’s backup during the run-up to the playoffs linger.
This much seems certain — veteran Dewayne Dedmon isn’t in the running to fill the role. Between his disappearance from Erik Spoelstra’s rotation, his run-in with the Heat coach a few weeks back (embedded below) and his mystery dinner with team president Pat Riley, the writing looks to be on the wall for his South Beach run.
With that in mind, Riley and Co. appear to have some parties interested in acquiring Dedmon ahead of the league’s February 9 trade deadline, as reported by the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman.
Heat Insider: Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder Have Been Namechecked as Possible Destinations for Dewayne Dedmon
While Dedmon can’t be dumped for nothing thanks to the rules established by the league’s collective bargaining agreement, Winderman noted that the team could potentially move him for a slightly lower-salaried or minimum contract player and still clear enough cash to convert Robinson’s two-way pact to a standard deal.
Miami could entice a team to take Dedmon — who will pull down $4.7 million this year and is non-guaranteed next season — by sending the money needed to pay him through the end of the campaign.
In any case, two teams appear willing to do the Heat the favor of acquiring the 33-year-old. Wrote Winderman: “The Utah Jazz or Oklahoma City Thunder are possible landing spots in a Dedmon selloff.”
What exactly those teams would want in exchange for helping the Heat free up some funds and, potentially, a roster spot for the stretch run remains to be seen.
For his part, Jazz CEO Danny Ainge is known to covet draft assets. And while the Thunder may be at a different stage than Utah in their evolution, they would likely seek to add something to the draft coffers, too.
Dedmon’s Run With the Heat May Be on Life Support Now, But He Played an Important Role in 2021-22
Dedmon may not be Miami’s favorite son at this juncture, but there’s no denying the fact that he was a solid contributor for the club last season. Over 67 games (15 of which were starts) as Adebayo’s de facto backup in 2021-22, he averaged 6.3 points and 5.8 boards in only 15.9 minutes per game.
Meanwhile, he connected on 56.6% of his attempts from the floor and made better than 40% of his tries from three-point range. Dedmon also posted a positive net rating of 3.5 for Miami.
Although the Jazz and the Thunder are the teams he has been linked to, Dedmon could make some sense as a depth piece for a contending team that needs help up front.
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Two Teams Linked to Heat’s Dedmon as Trade Deadline Looms: Report