Miami HEAT: Live FREE AGENCY Q&A

Miami HEAT: Live FREE AGENCY Q&A

all right what’s up everybody live edition here of Locked on Heat We’re taking all of your free agency questions right after this [Music] You are Locked on Heat your daily Miami Heat podcast part of the Locked On podcast network your team every day All right welcome to Locked on Heat It’s a live edition here on YouTube doing this 4:30 Eastern time on Monday about an hour and a half before the start of free agency the official start of free agency at least A lot of stuff has already gotten done here And we’re going to cover a bunch of it here uh within the next half hour 45 minutes uh as a little bit more of an updated primer as we get set for the official start of agency here But uh I wanted to open it up first to questions So if you’re watching live go ahead uh and submit your questions uh in the chat in the live chat I’ll try to get to uh as many of them as I can I already put out a call to the Lockdown Heat Insider community over on Subtext If you ever want to join that you could do that with the link in the show notes that we include to every episode Um so I want to get to some of the answers that I’ve already provided some of our uh Subtex subscribers our Lockdown Heat Insider subscribers here Um and uh and if you have a question go ahead Again leave it in the live stream I’ll try to get to them uh as many as I can here before we run out of time But I want to start with this one from Kevin who wrote in to the lockdown Heat insider community What are the chances that a heat deal with Jonathan Kaminga materializes quickly after free agency opens uh Kaminga Okay quickly is the key word that I’m going to take from that question The chances that something happens quickly with Jonathan Kaminga probably not This is more of a slow developing situation uh for a few different reasons Number one Kaminga is a restricted free agent If he was going to move teams if he was going to be if he was going to end up in Miami these things are really complicated The Warriors have experience dealing with complicated signing trades involving multiple teams I think any Kaminga deal to Miami would more than likely involve multiple teams although there are ways to get it done without it But it’s just it’s very difficult and it might not be something Miami wants to do in terms of getting rid of certain pieces and whatever But uh the Warriors did a complicated sign and trade to send Klay Thompson to Dallas last summer and that opened up the cap space for them to go out and sign Buddy Heield and Dan Anthony Melton and a bunch of these other things that they did So they are experienced in it Miami hasn’t really dealt with a a a complicated sign and trade where they’ve acquired a player in quite some time We remember that they signed and traded away Max Struce a couple of summers ago to Cleveland and they got a couple of second round picks That might be more in line of what ends up happening with Duncan Robinson We’re going to put a pin in the Duncan Robinson situation here in a second Um so because it’s so complicated these thing these things just tend to to move slowly because a lot of pieces have to be moved around and you have to get potentially multiple teams on the phone and they might have other things to do in free agency as it opens Golden State might have other things to do as free agency opens other priorities that they’re trying to do first before they deal with the Jonathan Kaminga thing And that’s not even going into the whole part of Miami has not officially been allowed to negotiate with Jonathan Kaminga So the Warriors have tendered Jonathan Kaminga his qualifying offer He is officially a restricted free agent Miami would still in order to negotiate the sign and trade have to make an offer to Jonathan Kaminga but and then kind of get into the sign and trade business with the idea obviously that it would be eventually a sign and trade but talking with his representation and saying hey if we could get a sign and trade done what’s the number that makes sense for you guys because Kaminga would still have to to sign a a new contract so I I would be very surprised if that moved quickly now I will say this the he’d have had interest in Jonathan Kaminga It’s been reported in a lot of different places I do think that the interest is legitimate I think that they are legitimately interested in Jonathan Kaminga It does not mean that they are for sure going after Jonathan Kaminga or that they’re even necessarily making Kaminga their number one priority It just means that there’s legitimate interest and they have thought about what a roster would look like with Kaminga on it with Tyler Herro and with Babio and what that looks like in terms of their timetable especially after uh not getting Kevin Durant I I do think that Miami is looking more at going in a younger direction and I think that was part of the calculus and not offering everything for Kevin Durant a week ago So we’ll see what happens with Kaminga Anthony Slater from The Athletic reported that Miami is interested again Uh I think this is I 20 minutes ago or so Uh not only Miami though but the Chicago Bulls are another team that could get involved in Jonathan Kaminga I would suspect that we might hear from another team or two on the Kaminga front I just don’t anticipate this happening today This might be something that happens this week Uh but I I do think that there’s going to be more reporting on this and we’ll continue to hear more stuff on this but it’s just there’s so many moving pieces that it’s just hard to imagine this happening quickly with Jonathan Kaminga but that doesn’t mean that we won’t hear something on that front um between now and when something ultimately does happen So that’s the first question from the subtext community Um let’s go with this question from Malachi who wrote who writes in “What are these rumors about John Collins to the Heat I’ve been seeing a lot about any truth i’d love to see him in Miami.” Um Miami has liked John Collins in the past I saw the report also I can’t recall where it’s from There’s so many reports going on right now It’s hard to keep track But they have liked Collins in the past I don’t know that he’s a fit necessarily for this roster The one thing because you have Bam because you have Kell Wear and because you have Nikolai Yoic who this team is clearly still committed to in some shape or form I do think that Collins could make sense as another big who could potentially play with Bam and with Wear And if this team if certain things happen this off seasonason and Miami ends up playing Nikico Yoic a little bit more at the three and maybe they eventually move Nico into more of a 34 as opposed to a four five then that does open up some avenues for Collins Uh I I do think that this team has a need uh for another big man potentially Now maybe I I was always thinking maybe more of a veteran traditional center just to back up KL Wear and make it so that you’re not always relying on Kevin Love as that other backup center But Collins although it’s not a perfect fit and he is expensive he’s about $26 million What’s interesting about Collins is that his contract is expiring and Miami as we know doesn’t want to take on a lot of long-term money They don’t want to take on a lot of additional 2026 money and the fact that Collins’s contract expires at the end of the season even if he’s overpaid right now in terms of a reserve big role On the flip side you walk away from the contract at the end of the season So how could that happen two ways that I see Collins potentially happening And again no indication that this is happening I’ I think Jake Fischer said something about Oh that’s where it was from I forgot now I just remembered Funny how that happens John I think Jake Fischer said it on his Bleacher Report stream that they had been interested in John Collins So that’s all I’ve seen of this and I don’t even know when that was So maybe that isn’t that maybe that was true and is no longer true Whatever But in terms of the the the the mechanics of how John Collins ends up in Miami here’s how it would happen hypothetically Two ways They just swap T Rosier for John Collins Now I don’t see Utah doing that because it doesn’t make any sense for them They’re actively shedding point guards right they just bought out Jordan Clarkson They just traded away Colin Ston to Charlotte for uh Nerkich in a very strange trade It feels like something’s happening in Utah Like Windor fingers up in the air like I don’t know what’s going on there but it feels like something more is happening in Utah So I don’t know if that has anything to do with Miami but it is something to monitor because when Utah does stuff it tends to affect a lot of different teams and have a domino effect on stuff But um that’s why I don’t see a Rosier for Colin swap one problem for another problem potentially there I don’t see that as viable because again Utah is actively trying to shed point guards because they’re trying to give as a lot more playing time to the young point guards currently on their roster So that’s one way The other way is a trade involving Andrew Wiggins going to Utah or John Collins I don’t think Miami would do that straight up even if they’re looking to shed Wiggins’s long-term contract Wiggins has another year left on his deal next year It’s a player option I think most people anticipate Wiggins to exercise that player option and enter for agency next year only because not necessarily because he wants to leave Miami I do think that the reports or whatever these rumors are of Wiggins hates it here in Miami I think those are vastly overstated but um because there’s going to be a lot of money in that summer and it would make sense when Wiggins is young to lock in another long-term deal He’s at $30 million next year based on where the CBA is and the salary cap is That’s probably his floor next year as a free agent So I would imagine he would just opt out and sign a longerterm contract with more security and more guaranteed money But that would allow Miami if Andrew Wiggins opts out to just walk away from Andrew Wiggins if they need that cap space for some sort of other move in 2026 So I don’t think Miami is super motivated just to move Andrew Wiggins just to move him That’s kind of what the point I’m getting to So I don’t see Miami just being like “Hey look we’ll give you Wiggins for John Collins straight up It’s an upgrade for you Utah we get off of the long-term quote unquote long-term money again player option for next season for Wiggins I don’t think they’d do it I don’t think Miami would do it Now would Utah include draft capital would they include other assets that could get interesting if you’re Miami that’s the John Collins part of this Again nothing imminent on that front It was just a rumor that’s out there Something I’ve been asked about quite a few times so I at least wanted to address it So those were all theoretical That was not reported That was just the theoretical mechanics of how Collins could end up in Miami Uh Miguel writes in “We need a backup center.” How about Clint Capella looks like Capella is going to go somewhere else where there’s more guaranteed playing time potentially even a starting job The Lakers have been interested in him and that’s been reported and that’s been out there The Clippers have been reported The Spurs have been reported as interested in Clint Capella I would be surprised if Clint Capella ends up in Miami It just doesn’t seem like it’s a top priority for the Heat And it feels like Capella is one of these guys who could get signed within a couple of hours of free agency actually beginning So I don’t see that happening Seth Curry is uh David Rmill is one of his favorite uh offseason targets If Duncan Robinson does move on then I could see Seth Curry as somebody that could potentially be involved there Luke Canard another free agent I think he might not be in Miami’s wheelhouse Although if Duncan leaves I could see them maybe making a call on Luke Canard Tim Hardaway Jr is another guy uh potentially But you know these are all options if Duncan Robinson leaves While we’re on Duncan Robinson I’ve talked around it enough Um I’ll talk Duncan Robinson and then I’m going to start getting to some of these questions here um in the live chat So if you’re watching on YouTube thanks for tuning in here on Locked on Heat Continue to send those questions in I see them coming in I’m not ignoring them I just wanted to get some of these other uh pre-arranged questions out of the way before I started tackling those So get those questions in now if you’re on the live chat Um Duncan Robinson the latest on him the Detroit Pistons have emerged as a suitor according to multiple reports for Duncan Robinson This always made sense I think I mentioned it on the Sunday show I don’t remember if I did but as soon as the Malik Beasley stuff happened and they were closing in on I think it was a threeyear $42 million deal with Beasley and then all this stuff was discovered about the probe into Beasley’s potential gambling on games a couple of years ago He is they are not going to sign him Um and uh that leaves open like there is there’s a need for three-point shooting now in Detroit Malik is incredibly important I think I would have voted him for six man of the year if I had a ballot last year Like he was incredibly important for them last year There’s a clear need for an elite three-point shooter Duncan Robinson clearly fits that He is a free agent If they were to offer him that same deal that they were going to offer to Beasley that would be very competitive And so I do think Duncan Robinson to Detroit is a very real possibility It does not mean that it’s been ruled out that Duncan Robinson can return to Miami Miami currently $1.6 million under the luxury tax So when we’re talking about Miami’s finances this goes for Duncan Robinson and everything else that they were doing here This is a very important point to remember before we do anything else here folks Miami will not play the luxury tax this year unless they believe they are a title-inning team And it’s hard to see a move on the table right now that vaults them from where they are now to a title contending team They even decided that Kevin Durant wouldn’t get them there So as soon as they made that decision it kind of became clear yeah we’re probably going to take a little bit of a step back step sideways whatever We’re not necessarily going all in on this season They want to avoid the luxury tax not just because of McAr’s pockets but also because it avoids the the repeater tax on the luxury stuff and like that and and the and some of the issues that come with team building strategy after that So it makes a lot of sense for Miami to duck the luxury tax this year So they’re about 11.6 million under the luxury tax line They’re a little bit more under the first apron a lot more under the second apron This is not a team that necessarily has to worry about the first apron or the second apron Why does that matter because if they do elect to use a mid-level exception the full mid-level exception or something like that that technically hard caps them at the first apron but again I don’t see them even getting close to that number So I don’t really care about that You you’re going to hear potentially about oh Miami if they do this they’ll be hardcapped If they do a sign and trade for Kaminga they’ll be hardcapped I don’t really care about that I don’t anticipate them wanting to spend that much money up to that hard cap anyway So that is almost immaterial to me Um the only reason that could matter is if by the trade deadline let’s say Miami is better than they expected and there somebody Giannis decides you know what I actually do want to leave Milwaukee Again hypothetical or whatever then then the first then any sort of hard caps potentially become an issue at that point But right now I don’t think it’s something Miami’s worried about necessarily Uh certainly not on the top of their list So if they were going to bring back Duncan Robinson who declined uh he ex he he exercised his early termination option to become an unrestricted free agent he gave up $9.9 million in guaranteed money by doing that he has to have some sort of indication that he’s going to be making up that money pretty quickly and that he’s going to be able to also lock in long-term security with a two three four year deal something like that that goes beyond this this this this season Um that could be from Miami Miami could just offer him what they were going to give him on a guaranteed deal maybe even a little bit more you know bump it up to 10 11 10.5 11 million and and give him another two years on top of that so that he locks in some guaranteed security some long-term security there I could see that happening I could see the same offer coming from Detroit or or another team that’s in need of shooting So Duncan Robinson is going to be a really interesting player to watch here If Miami does bring back Duncan Robinson they’ll be at 15 players That’ll be it So the only way to make a move at that point would be via trade or potentially to create a roster spot in another way And I’m only going to bring this up I’m not going to spend a ton of time on it because I have not I’ve done zero reporting on this specific issue It’s something I literally had just thought about before I started this live stream Let’s say Miami does bring back Duncan Robinson on a team friendly deal and they’re at 15 players and they decide you know what we still want to go and be a player in free agency Or maybe it’s not Duncan Robinson Let’s say they Duncan Robinson signs with Detroit They replace him with Tim Hardaway Jr on a veteran minimum for example Um and they still want to open up a roster spot for somebody else you seeing a lot of buyouts lately with DeAndre Eaton and Jordan Clarkson I wonder if this team would just say “Look we’re 11.6 million under the luxury tax line We could just buy out Terry Rosier not have to concern ourselves with maybe finding playing time maybe not Maybe we’re just over this experience Just take the L on it We traded a first round pick for him It sucks but we’re taking the L.” They could potentially buy out Rosier and open up a roster spot and still use a portion of the mid-level exception to add a player to the roster plus somebody on like a veteran minimum or something like that or the bannual exception or the trade exception or whatever But they could basically sign if they bought out Tay Rosier And maybe if Tay Rosier was willing to give up some money they could open up another million $2 million $3 million which wouldn’t be a lot but it could potentially get them all the way up to the full mid-level of about 14.1 million as opposed to a little bit less than that than they can use right now in order to stay under the luxury tax That I’m going to I’m going to leave it there because I don’t want this to get aggregated or people to go crazy on this It’s just a thought I had I again zero reporting on it It was a thought I had right before the live stream but it is technically feasible that Miami could do it that way All right I want to get to some of our live questions here Um this one comes from Jamal How do you feel about Nikila Alexander Walker should the heat target him in free agency so there was a report again can’t remember where it was from that um that Miami was interested on Nikil Alexander Walker and that they they were you know being mentioned by rival teams as a potential suit I love Nikil Alexander Walker I would love him for Miami He’s exactly the type of player that this team doesn’t have Once you get past the Okay obviously the Heat have a a need for a superstar scorer a guy who can lead your offense and do all these things We know that Okay you get past that What else does Miami need they need real depth two-way players high-end rotation players Nil Alexander Walker can play in the playoffs He guarded Shay Gilas Alexander in the Western Conference Finals This guy can play He could play both sides He could shoot threes He’s got some off the dribble pop Got some playmaking stuff Miami doesn’t have a traditional point guard on the roster necessarily that they trust for big minutes Maybe DaVon Mitchell is the closest I would even consider DaVon Mitchell like a traditional point guard He’s sort of still figuring that part of his game out on the offensive end But could you put Alexander Walker and Tyler Hero in your back court and just say it’s kind of a committee thing Sure why not start two kind of combo guards aso as opposed to one point guard and one shooting guard You could go ahead and start two combo guards or NL Alexander Walker as your sixman coming off the bench You know you start Khal Wear and Bam Adabio plus let’s call it Andrew Wiggins for now D’Von Mitchell Tyler Herro Alexander Walker can come in and play that swing spot while Bam or KL Wea plays the five and the other ones on the bench I think it makes a lot of sense as a six-man I love him He would be my number one target him Um and not including the restricted free agents right i’m not talking about Kaminga I’m not talking about Santi Alama which is might might be another name worth monitoring there But in terms of unrestricted free agents Nquila Alexander Walker that’s a dude That’s a guy who could play in the playoffs a highlevel rotation player that Miami just doesn’t have enough of They don’t have enough high-end two-way rotation players And if Miami is not going to go get that star I think they should be trying to add at least two high-end rotation players when free agency begins Whether it’s free agency trade whatever it might be players who fit a little bit better with what they’re trying to do and can play legitimate minutes in the playoffs Just be deep If you’re not going to have a star be as deep as possible And these are also the kinds of players who you can use now or you can sign now and use in a trade later Right indiana signed Bruce Brown as an unrestricted free agent a couple of summers ago By the trade deadline they were using Bruce Brown as the key salary piece plus three first round picks to go Pascal Seakum Next thing you know they were in the Eastern Conference Finals and then this past season obviously they were in the NBA finals So these are the kinds of things that might not seem like a big deal to some fans now but could set up future moves later And we’ve even seen Miami do this in the past with guys like Deion Waiters James Johnson all these guys who we pretty much said super good players rotation guys on tradable contracts Think he’s a little too high on them as rotation players but ultimately he was right and it ended up starting the Jimmy Butler era So um do I like Nikil Alexander Walker yes I do a lot Uh will we do anything today from Richard Cunningham i don’t know that Miami will I think they would like to do something today but I I think we will learn more about what Miami will look like today The first thing I’m looking at is Duncan Robinson and then what happens after that I’m not going to rule out something surprising happening here with Miami Um the Jonathan Kaminga stuff again I think that’s more slowm moving I don’t think any I they’ve been linked to Demard Rozan a ton um over the last couple months Wiggins for Demard Rosen makes a lot of theoretical sense for both the Sacramento Kings and the Miami Heat I don’t know that that’s something that gets done right away I don’t know that that’s something that gets done today But perhaps uh it is right Maybe Miami just says D Rozan’s our guy Again I’m not sure that hap is something that happens today Um so will they do something today i don’t know but I think we’ll get some more insight on what it ends up uh happening here Um all right We already talked uh about the Rosier thing Um what are your thoughts on Rosier for Jaden Hardy gets off Rosier’s contract while Dallas gets uh doesn’t work salary matching purposes Um I’m not sure that that works Dallas would have to throw some other things in I don’t know that they want to do that Um in terms of uh what Dallas was looking for uh Cody Martin was I just saw somebody ask about Kayla Martin or mention Kayla Martin Cody Martin was bought out by the Phoenix Suns He had a non-g guaranteed contract They’re trying to clear up that roster spot uh and save some money potentially there Miami likes Cody Martin Cody Martin likes Miami That could be something to watch but again I’m not sure that’s a today thing So um there it is on on that Uh Eightton is garbage Why do we keep talking themselves in the draft i would be surprised if DeAndre Aton landed in Miami DeAndre Aton feels more of like a Lakers thing to me if I were just to guess because there’s such a need there because they have playing time DeAndre is he’s big He’s a big name Former number one pick You could say “Oh wow he would be such a great backup center I don’t know that DeAndre has much interest in being a backup center and it doesn’t mean that he’s going to find a starting job somewhere else but if I’m Miami I’m very happy with Kell Wear I’m very happy with Bam out of Bio And I kind of want one of those guys at center for all 48 minutes Right you start with Bam and Wear probably this coming season Bam You know wear comes off the floor Bam moves to center Bam goes to the bench where comes back in at center That doesn’t leave a ton of minutes for center So I wouldn’t be investing a ton in that backup spot although I would like another option there Um besides besides uh uh Kevin Love there Um Al Horford 11 million Is that too much for a vet backup center um he’s old but he’s I would love Al Horford in Miami I think that’d be a great addition 11 million would be too much I don’t know that he’s even going to get that much Who knows but Golden State has emerged as a team that’s going to chase Al Horford a lot and what Golden State and Boston can offer Al Horford because Boston very much in the mix to bring Al Horford back even though they’re trying to save money here I’ve heard that the Celtics could be trying to flip Anthony Simons again Sam Hower is somebody who could get traded By the way if Miami lo loses Duncan Robinson and is looking to replace Duncan Robinson with a similar type of player they have a trade exception and Sam Hower fits that trade exception created by the Jimmy Butler situation Um they also have a mid-level exception They have multiple avenues in which to just absorb Sam Hower And if they do that he’s making $10 million next year That would still fit under the luxury tax and Miami would do be doing Boston a favor there technically because it would be saving Boston $10 million against their cap and they’re trying to reduce payroll still here too So Sam Hower is somebody who I’ve circled as a potential option for Miami if if they’re looking to replace Duncan Robinson with a similar player But in terms of Horford Boston’s still trying to bring him back Golden State’s very interested Golden State and Boston can both offer Al Horford a starting job and that’s not something Miami necessarily can offer unless they feel like hey Horford you’re going to start and we’re going to start bringing Khlo Wear off the bench I don’t know that that makes as much sense for a team that is clearly trying to trend younger here potentially Had they made the Kevin Durant trade then that makes a little bit more sense But they didn’t make the Kevin Durant trade They’re not going that older direction So I don’t really see to Miami um being a thing Florida boy says Danny ain’t doing a deal with Miami I that used to be a thing I don’t think it’s a thing anymore Um let’s see here Kaminga or Bobby Portoris uh Bobby Portoris resigned with Milwaukee so that’s not going to be an option anymore Um I don’t know Did I miss something on Jaden Hardy i’ve gotten a few questions on him I uh pass I’m passing him What do you think of Jordan Clarkson as a pickup i like Jordan Clarkson I I think he he’s a vet clear high-end ball handler has a real live dribble microwave scorer the kind of player who’s not going to fix all of Miami’s problems But when Tyler Herro goes to the bench and if they move on from Terry Rosier in some way or even if they don’t maybe um that makes a lot of sense as a guy who could just soak up some minutes and score some points when this team is in need of it I I think Jordan Clarkson would love to be in Miami just just a thought but I don’t know that that’s necessarily the top priority for Miami I don’t know what the market is for Jordan Clarkson either Um where are we in maybe getting Demar Rozan i talked about this a second ago but not something that I think is going to happen today I think this is something that both teams could revisit if other things fall through I have no idea what the hardest part here is figuring out what Sacramento wants to do They seem to be a team that everybody was like “Watch out for them on draft night They’re going to be making a bunch of moves Look at look at them to be starting moving into the draft and start moving players and stuff and they did nothing So I think there’s a lot of talk coming out of Sacramento with very little bite right very little action I think Sacramento likes to talk about maybe playing a big game and and I at the end of the day I I don’t know what they’re going to do I think they are extremely motivated to do something but I also think that there may be a front office that’s really scared of losing a trade And so when you’re a front office that scared of losing a trade and keep in mind it’s a new front office right now in Sacramento um and if you’re that afraid of losing a trade and looking dumb in front of your fan base I don’t know things tend not to happen but or or happens slowly So we’ll see what happens um there Manny writes in anything to move Rosier Yeah I get it I get it That’s why I mentioned the buyout situation I wouldn’t rule it out Just a thought No reporting on it Please don’t aggro me Um would moving Duncan Robinson off the books and signing Jonathan Kaminga put Miami in the first apron so this part is really interesting Um it could potentially this is why I mentioned that you’re probably going to need three multiple teams more than just Golden State and Miami involved in a potential uh Kaminga to Miami sign and trade situation there If you move Duncan off the books potentially use his deal in a signing trade that goes to Golden State or or a third team or whatever Kaminga would be let’s say I’m just going to I’m going to use a round number I have no idea what the let’s let’s call it $30 million that Kaminga signs for agrees to as a restricted free agent That’s the offer that Miami puts there His everybody agrees that’s the deal that we’re talking about $30 million Just nice round number I have no idea what the Kaminga number might be There’s a couple of ways that you could do this It could be a Duncan Robinson piece that moves somewhere else Wiggins goes back to Golden State for example Uh and then Kaminga comes here and that would keep Miami under the First Apron If Miami gets John’s Gaminga they’re going to do it in a way that keeps them under the first apron This is not a team that wants to pay the luxury tax Not just the first apron the luxury tax Miami I think is interested in Kaminga I don’t think they view Kaminga as we have to have this guy and we’re willing to pay the luxury tax for this guy So there’s ways to do it but it’s going to involve multiple teams and it’s why I think things will be uh uh pretty slow rolling on there Um Lewis writes in “Please no more Duncan White flag He can’t defend.” I get it I get it And this is Duncan Robinson is one of my favorite players in the locker room to talk to I think he’s incredibly insightful incredibly generous with his time with the media and all these things I understand though why Heat fans would are ready to move on from him because he’s a guy who routinely play gets played off the floor in the postseason and even in the regular season as great of a shooter as he is all-time leader in three-point shooting in Miami Heat history Um there’s a lot of regular season value there There tends to not be over the last couple of seasons a lot of postseason value there And if you’re going to be spending $20 million like they have the last couple years or $10 million potentially on a theoretical new contract you’d like that player to be a factor in what you’re doing in the playoffs I could see that working in Detroit They have a ton of versatile defensive wings Kate Cunningham can hold his own defensively um a little bit At least he’s got the potential to do it But it’s really hard to play Duncan Robinson with Tyler Herro It’s hard to play Duncan Robinson in certain lineups And because of that he has a little bit less utility in Miami than he did when it first started happening there So um I get it and I understand why you might not want to commit to a long-term contract there for Duncan Robinson Um so we’ll see what ends up happening there Uh is the Kaminga thing real why would Golden State give up on a promising young player like that what are you hearing i think the Kaminga thing is real I think the Warriors have decided that Kaminga doesn’t work for them And it’s not necessarily that they’re trying to just it’s not necessarily that they would be giving up on Jonathan Kaminga It’s that they don’t want to sign Jonathan Kaminga to another huge contract They’re paying Steph Curry a bunch of money They’re paying Jimmy Butler a bunch of money 50 million uh plus per season for both of those players Uh each of those players Draymond Green is making a a pretty big salary around $30 million So it’s not that they are giving up on Kaminga Although may you could argue that Steve Kerr already gave up on Jonathan Kaminga by not playing him in the playoffs but there’s a lot of money that’s getting tied to Jonathan Kaminga here potentially And if they can turn that slot into somebody who could play with Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green because right now in Golden State Kaminga can’t play with Draymond and Jimmy Butler That’s three non-shooters guys who teams don’t respect from three-point range It kills their spacing It’s one thing when Kaminga is on a rookie contract making $8 million or whatever it was It’s a different thing when he’s making 30 million plus or whatever he’s going to make on this next contract So um it just makes sense for the Warriors to move on Now don’t rule out the Warriors not finding a deal that they like throwing the money at Kaminga anyway and then trying to find a trade in the middle of the season before the trade deadline Don’t rule that out Don’t rule that out But I do think it’s trending in a direction where both sides would like between Golden State and Kaminga both sides would like to have a resolution to this and Golden State can go into next season feeling like they have a roster that they like because they went into last year having whatever 12 13 14 guys who they liked but also knowing that they were going to make a trade mid-season that there was just too many guys that needed a consolidation trade and that they wanted to go after somebody maybe not Jimmy Butler at the time but a star at the caliber of Jimmy Butler and they ended up obviously trading a bunch of those pieces in to go get Jimmy Butler So um I don’t think that the Warriors want to kind of do that whole song and dance of we have this roster but we know it’s not going to be the roster by the trade deadline I think they’d rather have their roster pretty much set by the beginning of the season But I don’t think that they’re going to just give Kaminga away for nothing just to accomplish that either But I do think that there’s real motivation for both Kaminga and Golden State to move on and figure out what their next uh what their next step can be Um let’s find another uh question here or a comment Drew is back Yeah Uh hasn’t been talked about a lot I feel like locally but Miami did uh make Drew Smith a restricted free agent I’ll go out on a limb and say market’s not going to be super robust for Drew Smith as a restricted free agent I don’t think that you’re going to see a whole lot of teams calling up Drew Smith’s agent and being like “Uh we’re ready to make a big offer that Miami is just not going to be willing to match.” They could bring Drew Smith back as a two-way player I think that’s sort of the idea here Um we’ll see what happens Josh Christopher not coming back Isaiah Stevens not coming back Miami will probably fill these two-way spots whether it’s Drew Smith or not but they’re going to fill these two-way spots with some of these players that they signed as undrafted free agents Um so I think summer league very is going to be very very competitive for Miami Um should we at least call for Chris Paul um I don’t see the point again had Miami actually made the move for Kevin Durant Chris Paul Al Horford these guys make sense They’re aging super they’re aging stars who are ready to win right now Um tail end of their careers whatever I’m not here to debate the efficacy of that strategy I just think in terms of actually call giving Chris Paul a call I I I probably wouldn’t do it Although I do like the idea of having a veteran point guard there to help Casperis Yakonis the Heat’s first round pick kind of figure out life as an NBA point guard because right now there’s not really anybody in that locker room for him to learn from in terms of highle point guard play I like the idea of bringing somebody in who can do that but it sounds like Chris Paul wants to stay on the West Coast and and I don’t see him coming to Miami especially with this roster without somebody like Kevin Durant or somebody that he could play off of Um do you think Kaminga is worth a trade or should the Heat just take this as a gap year i think you could do both I don’t think Kaminga is ready to win right now He’s still super raw I don’t think that’s a guy who moves the needle for you this season He’s a guy that you take a swing on as a second draft guy Didn’t work in Golden State because a ton of the like it just it was the wrong fit I argued it when the Warriors drafted him like I was like this is a terrible pick Like I like Kaminga as a talent I don’t like him at all as a fit in Golden State He just doesn’t work with Steph Curry Um but this is a guy who wants to get his shots I think you could do both right i think you could trade sign and trade for Kaminga Give him the rock Let him explore all the corners of his game and figure it all out It’s probably going to look a lot like what Jordan Pool in Washington looked like the last couple years where it’s like it’s not always pretty It’s not always efficient but he’s getting shots up and he’s figuring it out and we’re all going to figure out who Jonathan Kaminga is as a player There’s a chance that it pops right kaminga is a a top 1% athlete Like he’s an elite talent When you just talk about talent he’s got all of it The physical attributes athleticism all of it Um but Golden State had to beg him to rebound had to beg him to defend had to beg him to play within a system That’s going to be a big learning curve even in Miami even if he gets more of an opportunity than he did in Golden State he’s still gonna have to figure out how to fit in Miami And he proved in his time in Golden State it just takes him a little while to figure that kind of stuff out in terms of his fit But you can just give him the rock and let him figure it out for a whole season deal with the some of the uncomfortable learning curves and the growing pains and all that Maybe you lose a bunch of games Miami has their pick next year unp uh they have their pick for 2026 Maybe it ends up in the lottery while you’re figuring out who Jonathan Kaminga is as a player I actually think trading for Jonathan Kaminga is sort of a gap year strategy and not a bad one right you’re getting younger you’re you’re accumulating talent I think that’s something that makes sense I’d be interested in Benedict Nathan Me too I don’t know that uh Indiana wants to move him I think that they actually prefer to see what he can do as a potential starter while Tyrese Hallebertton is out If they are forced to move somebody um maybe it’s TJ McConnell I don’t know that that makes a ton of sense for Miami Um maybe it is Benedict Mathan I I think they would like to keep him I don’t think he’s off limits I also don’t think Miami has the stuff to go get Benedict Matan Um why spend money on Nikil Alexander when he’s not that much better than Highmith or uh Himeakas Jr Focus on Kaminga i say both Why not why not both potentially i don’t know that they could do it I shouldn’t have said that Uh spoke too soon Uh Nick Alexander Walker though is much better than Heywood Highmith and and Haime Hawkeyes Jr Um have you heard anything on the Heat interested in Russell Westbrook no I haven’t heard anything uh in terms of them being there uh or interested in in in Russell Westbrook Anything on an Andrew Wiggins trade from Raymond Forbes um we don’t know what’s happening here I will say this Miami is open to trading Andrew Wiggins I think they have taken phone calls on Andrew Wiggins They’re not going to move Andrew Wiggins just to move Andrew Wiggins But I do think if you’re looking at a team right now with 14 players under contract we’ll see what happens with Duncan Robinson uh but potentially 15 players under contract The only way to really shake the roster up is to move one or two of these players Andrew Wiggins Terry Rosier I think the Heat are exploring options on both of those players They won’t move them just to move them I think they actually value the fact that Rosier’s contract is expiring I don’t think they’re going to As much as Heat fans don’t want Rosier on the roster I think the Heat are okay with Rosier being on the roster because the money comes off the books and could potentially be used as an expiring salary by the at the trade deadline when maybe something that they actually like shows up So keep that in mind Um and uh did we just resign somebody sorry there’s a Florida Panthers thing Brad Marshian coming back to the Florida Panthers Brief uh hockey update Go Panthers Um love that move Hopefully Miami can make some similar type of moves Um yeah So we’ll see what happens Don’t think they’re going to move anybody just to move him but I do think that they uh will try to do something Wes what do you think Miami’s biggest target should be in free agency i I think they just need a high level rotation player That’s why I like Nikil Alexander Walker I don’t know that I have a position in mind necessarily There’s not a point guard I I I would love this team to go get a legitimate point guard I don’t think there’s anybody in free agency that makes a ton of sense that I would make my number one priority There’s plenty of point guards I like Trey Jones it sounds like he’s going back to Chicago I don’t know if that’s done or not Um but I liked him Tyus Jones could make some sense I know Miami had interest in the past Taius Jones had interest in him in the past Not sure I I think Tyus Jones could maybe get a starting job somewhere else I don’t know that that makes sense in Miami Um I like Maxi Clever as a restricted free agent The one thing that Miami does have here if they do nothing and if they just don’t do the Kaminga thing and Duncan Robinson leaves let’s say Duncan Robinson signs with Detroit Let’s just call it Detroit Let’s say Duncan Robinson signs with Detroit Miami has 14 players under contract They’re going to have about $12 million of space below the luxury tax line and multiple ways to use that They can use that Even though they don’t have cap space they have uh the the smaller mid-level the bigger mid-level exception the bannual exception and a Jimmy Butler trade exception that’s worth $16 million They have multiple ways that they can use that space they are in position to go get a guy So if Miami decides within the opening minutes of free agency if if you see Duncan Robinson sign somewhere else Miami could zero in on a target very quickly Very quickly if that’s what they want to do And that doesn’t mean that that takes Jonathan Kaminga out of um out of the equation They could do something right now and figure out all the math later It becomes a little bit more complicated at that point because you don’t have as much room but it doesn’t become impossible So if you watch watch Duncan Robinson That is the first domino here Uh sign Luke Canard could be an option I wouldn’t give him the full mid level I’d probably give him a portion of the smaller mid-level but if Miami specifically wants somebody to replace Duncan Robinson Um Lucard at least fits I mentioned Sam Hower before you could just absorb his contract do Boston a favor in terms of reducing payroll um and just get something done right now But again I don’t know that if you’re losing Duncan Robinson that you’re looking to replace Duncan Robinson with a similarly priced player Maybe you can use um a veteran minimum but again if you’re only dealing with one open roster spot this is why I never really understood bringing back Kash Johnson I like Kashad Johnson You couldn’t just wave him and bring him back on a two-way contract That was always a little curious to me because you guaranteed his money for next year right away That could have been an open roster spot I ne I don’t really understand what they were trying to do there with Kashad Johnson I thought for sure wave him let him clear waiverss sign him back on a two-way contract because the only reason he was on the roster last year was because Drew Smith got hurt Drew Smith was going to get that 15th roster spot and he got hurt and then they had to fill the spot It was 14th roster spot They had to fill the spot and so they just promoted Kashad Johnson It was right place right time kind of thing I like again I like Ashad He has shown zero at the NBA level for him to have a guaranteed roster spot for next season but they did it anyway Um what else here what else here what else here what else here um I don’t think that’s fair Come on Be nice to Cody Martin He likes Miami I remember watching Cody Martin Cody Martin used to um visit the Heat uh when he was playing for Charlotte and obviously they were not in the playoffs during the 2023 playoff run and Cody Martin used to come to every home game and cheer on Caleb Martin from courtside seats and I just thought it was really really cool of Cody Martin He would be in the locker room or out not in the locker room he’d be outside the locker room after all those games got to know the team a little bit and spent a lot of time in Miami I live here in uh in Bickl and I used to walk around during that year and just see Kayla Martin and Cody Martin just walking around with their sunglasses on together and I couldn’t figure out which one was which and they kind of just reminded me of the the twins from Breaking Bad The way they just like would walk around in lock step um in in Mara Bickl Village and stuff like that So I thought that was that’s a little story for you there Uh we need another point guard I think that they could definitely use a backup point guard I just don’t know who makes a ton of sense there but uh Jordan Clarkson does make some sense Forbes a lot of stuff here I like all your things Uh Sam how’s your ideas wholesome and spicy Wholesome is funny Um spicy definitely Um Derek White to Miami A boy can dream Keep dreaming Don’t see that happening Um again I I don’t know that they go I don’t know that they go like for like I don’t know that they try to replace Duncan Robinson with Duncan Rob with another Duncan Robinson Although I do think Sam Hower would make some sense there But I I I just think um that there’s some other options I’m not a Kaminga guy dude I get it If you’re not a Kaminga guy that’s fair Frankly I don’t know how you watched Jonathan Kaminga this past season and feel really confident in Jonathan Kaminga Golden State certainly did not So like this is a guy who doesn’t have a go-to move offensively has to kind of play in the open court Um kind of a loose dribble not a great shooter wants to take a bunch of mid-range shots When you get him to cut and do all the back door stuff and dunk he’s incredible But it just felt like Steve Kerr always had to beg him to do the things that he wanted to do Jonathan Kaminga wants to beat Kobe Bryant I wrote a story on Jonathan Kaminga his rookie year in Golden State And he told me that he used to find money walk to the internet cafe in his in his town and use his money to just watch YouTube highlights of Kobe Bryant This guy wants idolizes He wants to be Kobe He wants to do the mid-range spin move He want He works on it all the time It’s what he wants to do Golden State obviously didn’t have room for that Frankly I don’t know that Miami has a ton of room for it Although I’d be interested in experimenting with it and trying but I don’t know anybody that just sees John the Kaminga is like “Yep that’s the answer.” Because I don’t know how you watch him these last couple years and believe that You could be the biggest Kaminga fan in the world right and I’m not anti the deal I’m just saying like it’s risky man Like even getting him at $30 million uh is a little risky Um so basically the Kings are the heat of the West Coast Lol It’s funny I I heard Ryan Russell say that this morning or maybe it was the opposite like the Heat or the Kings or whatever They kind of like them together in terms of not having a plan That seemed a little harsh um to me Where is Kyle Anderson in the mix of all this so Kyle Anderson is also a guy with an interesting contract situation too His contract next year is non-g guaranteed for this I’ll I’ll clarify that for this upcoming season he’s under contract guaranteed $9 million 2026 2027 it’s non-g guaranteed for $910 million something like that That makes him an interesting trade candidate It also makes him a player that Miami can just keep I think they like Kyle Anderson fine He was definitely a throwin in the Butler trade I don’t think that they went out of their way to go get Kyle Anderson In fact they tried to trade Kyle Anderson after in the in the Butler deal in that in that deal But um I think they like him fine I kind of like Kyle Anderson as a backup center like in a Nick like the way the Clippers used Nick Batum last year as a backup four five So when I kind of write down my depth chart every once in a while I experiment like what if Kylie Anderson just gave you five five six seven minutes a night as a small ball five and you just went small ball lineups and that could make sense with Kaminga on the roster but or even like Yoic or something like that playing the four Um that could be pretty interesting But Kyle Anderson on the roster right now he could potentially be used as a piece to go get a player that fits a little bit better He’s probably behind Yoic I think Miami would prefer that Nico get those minutes over Kyle Anderson which is why I kind of like can he play center because I don’t know that I like Nico playing center Um give me some insight on Westbrook Sorry if I missed it earlier I don’t see it happening Um let’s see here Is Jaden Ivy a possibility loaz this is a guy who’s very interesting and I keep coming back to He’s got one more year left on his his rookie contract Detroit doesn’t seem to love him Gets injured Whatever Um Duncan Robinson or Jane Navy Does that make sense for Detroit probably not Feel like Detroit could just use their cap space and not do that or use it on Lukard or somebody like that and keep the asset But Jaden Ivy’s interesting I I like Jaden Ivy I liked him a lot coming out of the draft and I I liked what he did last year um before um before getting hurt I wouldn’t mind it I just don’t I don’t know if that’s necessarily what’s going to happen Will Vlad Golden end up being the backup big this is the uh the undrafted free agent that they signed out of Michigan Big seven foot Russian guy A lot of skill there Was one of the top undrafted free agents on the market when Miami picked him up Um is he going to end up being the backup big i think he could end up certainly being the uh one of the two-way spots and maybe get some minutes there I like it Uh let’s see what else Gershan Yabiselli for the mid-level exception I I like Abiselli I don’t love him as a fit in Miami mid-le maybe I wouldn’t hate it Just really feels like they need Nico to fill that backup four spot doesn’t it really feels like he’s got to make that make that leap Bradley Beal and a first from Phoenix for Wigs and Rosier still has a no trade clause that probably still comes over Um I’ve seen that floated Was it Zack Low maybe who floated it ah I don’t know I don’t love it Cam Whitmore over Kaminga I love Cam Whitmore similar players in that they don’t love to pass the ball that they’re very much looking to call their own number all this kind of stuff But um Cam Whitmore was almost involved in the trade from uh the Kevin Durant trade He almost he he might be playing in Phoenix right now Instead Houston decided that they wanted or or Phoenix rather decided that they wanted mult like what was five second round picks They wanted all those second round picks as opposed to Cam Whitmore But if Cam Whit I think Cam Whitmore is available that’s another second draft guy that I would like Now is there a Kyle Anderson from Cam Whitmore or something like that a small contract for a smaller contract Maybe maybe that’s something that’s out there I I would like for Miami to take a chance on a guy like Cam Whitmore This is what I’m talking about Second draft guys take a chance on a talent This is what I’m talking about Is Marcus Smart or CJ McCullum an option um McCollum’s tough to get to in terms of the salary number He’s making about $30 million Even if you did a Rosier from McCullum swap you’re adding another $4 million onto Miami’s books I don’t know that they want to do that Marcus Smart is making 21 million Rosier is making 26 $27 million I like Micros Uh Marcus Smart wants to play for a contender Now I don’t know that Miami is necessarily a contender I also don’t know how many contenders actually want Marcus Smart I do know this Miami is at least a contender to be a playoff team and Washington definitely isn’t which is where Marcus Smart is now Would Washington do Marcus Smart a solid and Marcus Smart’s agency and representation a solid and say you know what we’ll just do it Marcus Smart for Terry Rosier Maybe Miami throws in a second round pick Just swap them out We don’t really care either way We’re going to be losing Terry Rosier actually might make more sense for us anyway than Marcus Smart does um maybe with a little bit more rope here he builds up his trade value has a bounceback gear change of scenery and we can move him by the deadline because I don’t think Marcus Smart has a ton of value uh right now in Washington and I don’t think he will because he’s just super unmotivated right now playing for a lousy Wizards team But Marcus Smart in Miami I like him as a DaVon Mitchell backup And then you have Mitchell and you have Marcus Smart as these uh point of attack type of similar point guards I like it Um let’s see We’re starting to run out of time here but let’s see Uh do you think Spo and the coaching staff could fix him or Cam Whitmore i think is him Jonathan Kaminga Yeah I look I love this I love this developmental staff And whether or not they can or not these are the kind of risks that Miami hasn’t necessarily taken in the past Uh and I think these second draft guys with a ton of talent these are the kinds of guys who you bring in refurbish shine them up a little bit get them into Miami’s uh development program see what they can become and whether they become rotation pieces staples for you later on foundational pieces for you later on or potential trade pieces later on That’s the way you build assets It’s the way that you increase your roster flexibility It’s the way that you get in on some of these other trades that that uh that they’re not in on and haven’t been on over these last couple of years Um all right Let’s see I’m going to try to get maybe a couple more here Um I’m seeing a lot of people keep asking about Kuminga uh Russell Westbrook some of these other guys Um John Collins Um I I covered it I’m I’m sorry if you missed it I I covered a bunch of that stuff already Um Larry Markin as a name I wonder what Larry Markin thinks to all this stuff I I think Utah is up to something I don’t know if they’re that means that they’re going to trade Larry Markin I don’t know that Miami makes a ton of sense for Larry Markin Again you’ve got Bam you’ve got KL Wear You could play Larry Markin at the three We saw him do it in Cleveland Is that his best spot i don’t know It also cost you something to get Larry Wiggins in Utah There’s a bunch of trade constructions that that work maybe multiple teams Just calling that out I don’t know that anything’s going to happen there but um all right Uh all right I I had a bunch of stuff I got another question about DeAndre Aton I I talked about that a few minutes ago Um free agency is going to start in about half an hour David and I are going to be back shortly after that to recap everything that happened I was going to go for 30 minutes I ended up going for almost an hour here Thanks to everybody who tuned in I’m going to end it there Thanks for jumping on for the live stream Those are the latest updates Um quick reminder just couple of things to just remind you right off the top as we get into free agency here The number one thing that you want to be watching for right away within the first minute or so Duncan Robinson What happens there does he sign somewhere else or does he come back to Miami on a team friendly deal with a couple more years tacked on that’s the first thing that you’re looking for If he comes back Miami is at 15 players The only way that Miami can make any improvements on the roster at that point I would be watching Andrew Wiggins I would be watching Terry Rosier as trade guys I mentioned the potential for a Terry Rosier buyout earlier Don’t think it’s on the top of Miami’s list but you’re seeing a lot of guys get bought out DeAndre Aton uh Jordan Clarkson I think buyouts are a little bit are becoming a little bit more common in the NBA You could still do it and have enough money to potentially make a move with the mid-level exception Even if you bring Duncan Robinson back if Duncan Robinson leaves Miami is going to have a big portion of their mid-level exception that they can use and they could potentially do something quickly So I I think that there is a chance that Miami does something tonight if Duncan Robinson signs somewhere else So that’s the first domino is the Duncan Robinson part Miami right now finances quick quick just refresher on that Uh with Duncan Robinson not under contract they are 11.6 million under the luxury tax They are not going to pay the luxury tax So they’re 11.6 million under the luxury tax right now Um that’s the amount of space that they have So if Duncan Robinson come back comes back it’ll be for a figure less than 11.6 If they go sign another player as the roster is currently constructed something less than 11.6 six Um the Jonathan Kaminga thing is real We’ll see I don’t know how motivated Miami is but I know that they are showing interest That’s something that’s probably going to be a little bit slower because it’s so complicated in these restricted free agent signin trades for a lot of different reasons Uh if you want more information it’s a lot of numbers and CBA mumbo jumbo I talked a little about about it earlier but Google it If you’re really interested in Kaminga go ahead and Google it There’s a lot of stuff about salary matching how kaminga’s uh look Jonathan Kaminga base your salary If you really want to figure out how that sign and trade works because it gets very complicated So that Jonathan Kaminga base your salary or um sign and trade base your salary Google that and you’ll get a little bit more insight into why I’m talking about why it’s so complicated Um but that’s better for you to read than me to try to explain on a podcast because that’s just bad radio Um I think Miami can have interest in several different free agent targets I think Nil Alexander Walker does make sense I like Maxi Cleber I think Memphis would like to keep him but they’re also trying to shed money Who knows what happens there but I think there’s other names that could potentially make some sense too Um that’s it for now Uh very excited Free agency starts 6 p.m We’re not going to be away that long This was supposed to be a half hour long stream Went for an hour I hope this was informative I hope this helped We’ll see what happens Um David and I will be back shortly after we get some of this news happening free agency starting 6 pm Eastern Thanks for tuning in

Wes Goldberg answers questions about the Miami Heat ahead of free agency officially starting at 6pm ET.

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