The Miami Heat still have two or three open roster spots left to fill before the season begins. They currently sit at 12 players following the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade that saw them move more players than they acquired.
However, the Heat have been trying to bring some guys in. They have a trade exception that they can use that will expire August 17th. That exception was given to them after they traded Haywood Highsmith to the Brooklyn Nets, and it is worth around $5.5 million.
Despite that fact, it doesn’t seem like Miami is going to use it before it expires.
GettyMiami Heat forward Giannis Antetokounmpo talks to the media. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Heat Likely Will Waste $5.5 Million Trade Exception
According to Ira Winderman of the South Florida SunSentinel, the Heat are likely going to let the trade exception pass. He mentions that the team is hard-capped thanks to the Antetokounmpo trade, so they likely won’t be able to use it.
“The reality is that because the Heat are hard-capped by virtue of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, they have more exception money at the moment than they can use, now just about $10 million below that hard cap,” Winderman wrote.
It would be a shame for Miami to just let the money go by the wayside, but that happens often with trade exceptions. A lot of the exceptions are so small that they often don’t go to use. What’s worse is that they cannot be aggregated on top of each other, so that makes it even harder to use.
Miami will likely end up signing players to minimum contracts to fill their roster spots. The cap situation will make it hard for them to sign valuable players at this point in the offseason. That’s why their pursuit of LeBron James was so critical, since he was going to sign a minimum deal.
GettyDallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson shoots the ball in a game. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
Miami Still Has Irons in the Fire
That doesn’t mean that the Heat don’t have some irons in the fire to get solid players. Miami has been reportedly interested in DeMar DeRozan to sign. There are also rumors that they are trying to make a move for Klay Thompson, although he would need to be bought out first.
Adding either or both players would make them a more dangerous team. As currently constructed, the Heat lack enough outside shooting around Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. Adding more would help, although DeRozan isn’t known for that.
The Heat will continue to work through the possible scenarios, although the options are starting to run dry a bit as August continues. Miami was really hoping to bring James in. That would have solved a lot of problems when it comes to the starting lineup.
Next season, the cap will open up a bit. That will allow them to make some more improvements. The trade deadline could help as well, although they don’t have much in terms of assets. Next offseason might be where they try to make more meaningful improvements.
Heat Expected to Not Use Trade Exception Before it Expires