Rumors

Kasparas Jakucionis will be another rookie who will try to find his place in Miami. And, apparently, Jovic knows him pretty well. "I know a lot about his game," Jovic revealed. "I followed him in college because he played with my really good friend Tomislav Ivisic, and that's why I watched his game." Jovic also admitted that he was surprised to see Jakucionis dropping to the 20th pick. "I was really surprised when we drafted him because I really thought he was going to be like a Top 10 pick," he said. "But it's for sure a good pick for us. He's a great player. I haven't really talked to him, but I can't wait to see him play. And I'm sure he'll be a great piece for us."

BasketNews

There were some strong rumbles last month that Miami was looking to offload Fontecchio. But that was before the Haywood Highsmith-to-Brooklyn trade that gave the Heat some financial wiggle room under the luxury tax ... and before Fontecchio delivered a reminder of his shooting prowess with those seven 3s Sunday.

marcstein.substack.com

Sources say Miami still hopes to part with veteran guard Terry Rozier even though there is said to be scant trade interest in the 31-year-old. Rozier is scheduled to make $26.6 million this season and the Heat are said to have some interest in buying him out. To be clear, though, no buyout appears imminent.

marcstein.substack.com

A Heat source said Jimmy Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, promised Miami that Butler would comport himself well last season and would never complain about not getting a contract extension. That proved to be untrue, leaving the Heat without any bargaining position at the trade deadline

Miami Herald

Not proactively trading Jimmy Butler before last season. A team source insists that there was no indication that Miami could have received more than one first-round pick — or a superior package — than what it ultimately obtained from the five-team trade (Andrew Wiggins, Anderson, Mitchell and a 2025 first-round pick). The teams that inquired about Butler last summer, when Miami wasn’t trying to trade him, never discussed offering multiple first-round picks.

Miami Herald

A team source said that the reason Heat hasn’t tried to collect a cornucopia of first-round picks — as the Knicks, Rockets and Spurs have done — is twofold. Doing that would run counter to Miami’s core philosophy of: 1). Never again tanking and intentionally taking steps back with the hope of a brighter future. 2). Always trying to win as many games as possible every season, even if the roster isn’t championship-caliber. Trying to miss the playoffs with the hope of landing the top pick in the draft would never be considered under this ownership and management team.

Miami Herald

And the rumors a few weeks ago about a possible release by the Heat? Simone Fontecchio: “In Italy news often arrives late and poorly translated. Since July 4, I’ve been a Miami player and I’m facing a new adventure. Then, we all know the NBA rules and we know that anything can happen.”

Corriere dello Sport

The Heat opted to sign Dru Smith instead of a backup center such as Kai Jones, who auditioned for Miami last week, or veteran center Trey Lyles, who also has been linked to the Heat. Miami isn’t expected to add a backup center in free agency anytime soon, though it’s conceivable that could be addressed with another trade.

Miami Herald

Bobby Marks: The Heat are now $4M below the luxury tax and $9.5M below the first apron hard cap. 11 guaranteed contracts 2 partials (Rozier/Larsson) They will create a $5.6M trade exception. Miami has 1 future 2nd (2027) now available.

Twitter

Shams Charania: Heat shed Highsmith's salary to lessen their salary bill. Nets send Miami a 2026 second-rounder that is protected 31-55.

x.com

Brett Siegel: Number of National TV games for 2025-26 NBA season (ESPN, ABC, NBC, & Amazon): Atlanta: 13, Boston: 25, Brooklyn: 2, Charlotte: 3, Chicago: 3, Cleveland: 24, Dallas: 23, Denver: 26, Detroit: 16, Golden State: 34, Houston: 28, Indiana: 9, Los Angeles Clippers: 21, Los Angeles Lakers: 34, Memphis: 10, Miami: 5, Milwaukee: 18, Minnesota: 28, New Orleans: 2, New York: 34, Oklahoma City: 34, Orlando: 14, Philadelphia: 14, Phoenix: 9, Portland: 8, Sacramento: 9, San Antonio: 22, Toronto: 2, Utah: 2, Washington: 2

x.com

On Monday, I asked a longtime Eastern Conference scout to offer his perspective on Miami’s place in the East following the addition of Norman Powell. Some feedback: “Let’s start with who’s better. I see six teams for sure: New York, Cleveland, Orlando, Atlanta, Detroit, Milwaukee. Philadelphia is better if they’re healthy. So I would say the Heat’s a solid play-in team, in the same ballpark as Indiana and potentially better than Boston. They’re not 10 or 11; they’re more like 7, 8 or 9. “It’s around a .500 team. If they won 45, it would be a great year. They’re not bad, but they’re not good. Chicago is mediocre; the Heat is maybe a little better than mediocre. They have three very good NBA players with [Bam] Adebayo, [Tyler] Herro and Powell. We’ll see about Ware. Andrew Wiggins is meh at this point.”

Miami Herald

Jason Beede: The #Magic will travel to Philadelphia to round out their 2025 preseason schedule, @orlandosentinel.com has learned. Orlando’s full preseason schedule: - Oct. 4: at Miami (San Juan, Puerto Rico), - Oct. 10 at Philadelphia, - Oct. 12: vs. Miami, - Oct. 16: vs. New Orleans

bsky.app

Jason Beede: #Magic managing director Ryan DeVos and Nick Anderson will be in attendance for a Tuesday afternoon press conference in South Florida with Heat representatives regarding the preseason schedule, Miami announced.

x.com