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Mitchell also spoke of the tantalizing defensive possibilities with a roster featuring Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins and himself. “People knew where to put Bam because they know how good he is defensively,” Mitchell said. “But now they have [to deal with] Giannis too? Where are they going to put him? I can pick somebody out of bounds, and if they blow by me, I know someone will have my back. “They want to win Defensive Player of the Year too just as much as we do. We have this competitive spirit, where, ‘I’m trying to win Defensive Player of the Year’ and ‘I’m trying to win Defensive Player of the Year.’ “We have three, really four [great defenders], with Wiggs. There are some matchups he guards the best player. Sometimes I do. I’ve got shifty, quicker guys. He’s got guys who are much taller, get to their spots. The defense is going to be amazing. I can’t wait.”
Heat Central: Donovan Mitchell believes this Heat team adding Giannis and Klay Thompson will be a dangerous team: “All he (Klay) gotta do is stand right there because Giannis has so much gravity. If you help on Giannis, who you gonna help off of? That’s what makes them dangerous. They also got Davion, Wiggins, Bam, Larsson. And they got Spo. He’s a great coach. — Klay is a top 5 shooter ever!”
Heat Central: Andrew Wiggins on reuniting with Klay Thompson: “He’s one of the most competitive people I played with. To have him on the squad is going to be amazing. — He’s one of one. He brings that championship mentality to the team and this is a year that we can do something special and he’s someone that can be a big part of it”
Derek Fisher: A lineup with Bam, Giannis, LeBron, Andrew Wiggins, I mean, they can switch everything defensively. It would be tough to score on that group. The Heat switched over last season, for sure, maybe parts of the season before, but they were playing really, really fast. They limited their pick-and-roll use, and they were using a little bit more of drive, kick, space, cuts, drifting, and I'm not sure if that's a style that they would stick with if Giannis is now there, combined with adding LeBron.
Klutch Sports Group, led by Rich Paul, thought it would be “super easy” to get the Cavaliers or Warriors to trade for Davis, sources said. Since that’s not the case, the Heat have emerged as the leader to sign James since Miami doesn’t have to trade for Davis. The team already has Antetokounmpo and Adebayo and strong role players in Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell, Bobby Portis and Tim Hardaway Jr.
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Heat Central: Giannis Antetokounmpo on being in Miami: “Coach Spo brings the best out of players. I want to be coached hard…. I want people when they’re at work thinking about the Heat. I want people when they’re at their couch watching their favorite show to turn that off and put the Heat… I’m very excited to get in the gym with Bam, Mitchell, Wiggins, all these great players, Jovic.” (Via @GiselleSports) 🔥
Ira Winderman: The Heat have announced that Andrew Wiggins' contract extension is now official. Pat Riley, "Andrew Wiggins has proven to us that he is the quintessential small forward who fits perfectly with this roster. We feel he will be a critical part of what we’re trying to achieve with this team going forward and we feel fortunate that we were able to extend him."
The Heat intends to keep Wiggins as part of this upcoming season’s roster, according to a league source, but he’s still immediately eligible to be traded even after he eventually signs his two-year extension. There was some hope that Wiggins would opt out of his player option to renegotiate his deal into a longer contract with a lower starting salary, giving the Heat more flexibility to operate in free agency this offseason.
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Barry Jackson: OK, clarity on all this, from @Anthony_Chiang and me: Wiggins will get $30 M this season; he opted in (as @JakeFischer said). This gets him under contract for $17 M range next season.