Miami Heat

Fresh off a dominant NBA Finals, free agent forward Bobby Portis is drawing interest from the Miami Heat, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. 

Finding a legitimate big man to pair with Bam Adebayo in the front court next season is one of Miami's most pressing tasks this offseason. Portis, 26, fits in rather well, per Jackson, who noted the Heat should have signed him last year instead of Maurice Harkless. 

"He has the range, defensive length and athleticism that would be helpful alongside Adebayo," Jackson reported. "He would have strongly considered Miami last season if there had been stronger interest, according to a source. We hear the Heat has some interest in him, but we’re not certain to what extent."

Portis averaged 11.4 points and 7.1 rebounds in 66 games last year and provided a massive boost in the postseason while averaging 8.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per night. His defense, energy and spacing made him a perfect fixture alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Robin Lopez as the Bucks won the title. 

It's unclear how much Portis could command as an unrestricted free agent, but with an NBA championship on resume now, that price is sure to go up. The 26-year-old earned $3.8 million last season as he wrapped up a two-year deal with Milwaukee. 

Jackson believes signing Portis would eat up the majority of Miami's $9.5 midlevel exception.

"Keep this in mind: If the Heat operates as an over-the-cap team, it has a $9.5 million midlevel exception and a $3.6 million biannual exception," Jackson wrote. "If the Heat operates under the cap and thus uses cap space, it has a $4.9 million room exception."

NBA teams can begin negotiating with free agents beginning August 2. 

After helping the Bucks clinch their first title since 1971, Portis will be a name to watch, especially for Heat fans. 

The Miami Heat are reportedly "very interested" in signing Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry in free agency. However, if the Heat don't land him, they will set their sights on Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie, among others.

Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald provided the report.

"According to a source, Nets impending unrestricted free agent point guard Spencer Dinwiddie is expected to be among the players of interest to Miami if the Heat doesn’t land Lowry," the duo wrote.

Dinwiddie suffered a partially torn ACL during the Nets' Dec. 27 loss to the Charlotte Hornets, and his 2020-21 season ended up being over after just two games.

However, Dinwiddie has been cleared for basketball activities since June, per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic, who relayed comments from Dr. Riley Williams (Dinwiddie's surgeon):

Dinwiddie averaged 20.6 points and 6.8 assists in 64 games for the 2019-20 Nets. Both marks were career highs.

A return to that 2019-20 form would be a welcome sight for whichever team signs Dinwiddie in free agency.

With superstar point guard Kyrie Irving limited to only 20 games in 2019-20 because of injuries, Dinwiddie's scoring, distributing and leadership helped Brooklyn to advance to the playoffs. However, he did not join the team in the Orlando bubble for the postseason after testing positive for COVID-19.

Dinwiddie provided an idea of what he's looking for this summer during a conversation with Howard Beck of Sports Illustrated on the Crossover NBA Show (h/t Jared Ebanks of SLAM): 

The Heat are in need of a point guard.

They have pieces in place to be an Eastern Conference contender, with All-Stars Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler leading the way. However, they need a pure floor general who can lead the team on a long-term basis.

Lowry could be that guy, but Dinwiddie is a solid option as well for a team that is two years removed from making the NBA Finals. The Heat's 2020-21 season ended with a first-round sweep at the hands of the eventual NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks.

The Miami Heat are reportedly "very interested" in signing Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry, who is set to enter unrestricted free agency.

Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald shared details of Lowry's reported desired contract parameters Monday: 

Days before the start of NBA free agency, the Miami Heat remains very interested in impending free agent point guard Kyle Lowry but faces increasing competition.

According to a source in touch with the player, Lowry would like a guaranteed three-year deal, averaging $30 million per season.

Even if he doesn’t get $30 million, he’s very likely to command an offer topping $25 million.

The 15-year NBA veteran averaged 17.2 points, 7.3 assists and 5.4 rebounds last season for the Raptors. He made the All-Star Game each year from 2015-2020 and helped lead the Raps to the 2018-19 NBA title.

The Raptors have some tough decisions to make after a disappointing 2020-21 season during which they finished 11th in the Eastern Conference and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2012-13.

It was a trying year for the Raptors, who had to play "home" games in Tampa's Amalie Arena due to COVID-19 concerns and border restrictions. They ultimately lost 10 of their last 11 games to finish the year 27-45.

The Raptors were also shorthanded and injured all year, and no player started more than 56 of the team's 72 games. Lowry was notably out for 26 contests.

The former Villanova star was exceptional when he was on the court, and Toronto could very well bring him back, but interest will be high elsewhere.

Miami, for instance, is just two years removed from an NBA Finals appearance.

The Heat lost to the eventual NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of last year's playoffs, but they still have a talented crew that includes a pair of All-Stars in Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. An addition like Lowry could vault them into the upper echelon of Eastern Conference title contenders.

Chiang and Jackson noted Miami could also work out a sign-and-trade with Toronto for Lowry rather than signing him outright as a free agent.

"Miami’s other option would be working out a sign-and-trade with Toronto, but it’s questionable if the sides can agree on compensation," they wrote.  "The Heat remains reluctant to include [shooting guard Tyler Herro] in a sign-and-trade for Lowry, according to a source."

For now, the date to watch is Monday, Aug. 2, which is when teams can begin negotiating with free agents.

The Miami Heat are often considered a potential landing spot anytime trade rumors begin to circulate about star players. After all, living in Miami and playing next to Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo is an intriguing proposition that would presumably interest a number of superstars.  

And whenever those rumors pop up, Tyler Herro's name is ultimately floated as part of the package going the other way. But the young guard isn't sweating it. 

"I'm done listening to all that, honestly," he said Wednesday, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. "I think every time that we're not playing or even if we are playing, my name is brought up in something. So it is what it is at this point. I'm focused on getting better, getting this team better."

Those rumors will likely resurface this summer. If Damian Lillard decides to request a trade, for instance, the Heat will inevitably be linked to those talks, even if such a trade doesn't make a ton of sense since the Heat would almost assuredly have to sacrifice Adebayo in such a deal.

A trade package built around Herro and Precious Achiuwa—the Heat have basically no draft capital to offer, given previous trades, while Duncan Robinson and Kendrick Nunn are each restricted free agents—will get them laughed off the phone. And it's hard to imagine Lillard being thrilled at the proposition of being traded to an Adebayo-less Heat team, unless he's really clamoring for some South Beach living. 

Besides, keeping players like Adebayo and Herro around while signing a free agent point guard like Kyle Lowry might be more appealing to Pat Riley anyway. 

Of course, Lillard won't be the only star player to be mentioned in trade rumors this summer. And that means that Herro's name will ultimately be floated in other potential deals. 

But the Heat may be wise to hold on to the 21-year-old. He averaged 15.1 points, five rebounds and 3.1 assists per game this past year, though his three-point shooting (36 percent on 5.5 attempts per game) took a dip from his rookie season (38.9 percent on 5.4 attempts per contest). 

He also disappointed in the postseason after being excellent during the team's run to the NBA Finals in the Orlando bubble, averaging just 9.3 points while shooting 31.9 percent from the field as Miami was swept in the first round by the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks.

It's fair to argue that Herro's trade value isn't as high as it would have been last summer, though he's still an attractive trade chip if Miami goes star hunting. More than likely, however, he'll remain in Miami.  And he's hoping to bring a title to the city.

“It looked like a lot of fun,” he told reporters about watching the Bucks win a title. “That’s what we’re building up to do and I don’t plan on going anywhere.”

The Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves are expected to be among the teams to pursue restricted free agent John Collins this summer.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported those four teams could target Collins with an offer sheet to lure him from Atlanta. The Hawks will have the opportunity to match any offer given to Collins, but it remains to be seen if they're willing to meet open-market prices.

Charania reported Collins may have played his way into max-contract status, which would be $125.9 million over four years for a non-Hawks team. Collins has been open about his desire for a max deal, saying the Hawks especially should reward him for his improvement. 

"When we're talking max numbers and money, I feel like I definitely [am in] the conversation to have earned that money with the Hawks specifically, but obviously I know there's business and we don't always get exactly what we want," Collins said in May, per Sarah K. Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "But I want to be a Hawk. I want to stay with the Hawks.

The conversation regarding Atlanta's willingness to pay Collins the max may have changed after the Hawks' surprising run to the Eastern Conference Finals. It would not be a surprise if management emphasized talent retention no matter the cost. The Hawks would also likely struggle to replace Collins if they allowed him to walk, so this may be a matter of the team having to match any offer sheet he receives.

It's unlikely that Collins is a top priority for any of the teams mentioned in free agency; he's almost certainly a backup in case they miss out on bigger stars on the open market. Collins' free agency may wind up lasting well past the first week of August as he tries to maximize his value. 

Before the Miami Heat made a surprising run to the 2020 NBA finals, Jae Crowder and Jimmy Butler brought intensity to the Orlando bubble with a series of one-on-one games during a practice that lasted 30 minutes to an hour, per Zach Lowe of ESPN.

"The trash talk became so profane, and so personal, it was borderline uncomfortable, team sources said," per Lowe.

The battle initially began with trash talk during five-on-five scrimmages before the veterans cleared the court to settle things one-on-one. Butler eventually won, but teammates reportedly appreciated Crowder for bringing an edge to practices during the end of the seeding games last year.

Miami earned the fifth seed in the East but went on to beat the Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA finals.

While Butler has earned a reputation for his intensity on the court, it's Crowder who is known to push teammates during practice.

The veteran also had intense battles with Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Smart and Evan Turner when he was a member of the Boston Celtics.

"People thought we didn't like each other—that's how bad it was," Thomas told Lowe.

This style has helped Crowder push teams to their limit, which he is doing now with the Phoenix Suns. The squad hadn't reached the playoffs in any of the last 10 years, but the offseason additions of Chris Paul and Crowder have the team three wins away from an NBA title.

With 89 playoff games on his resume between the Suns, Heat, Jazz, Celtics and Mavericks, the 31-year-old continues to fill his role to perfection.

Miami Heat shooting guard Tyler Herro reportedly has a "75 percent chance or better" of being traded during the 2021 NBA offseason.

Ethan J. Skolnick of 5 Reasons Sports reported Thursday that Herro is "not on Jimmy Butler's clock" in terms of trying to help the Heat win a championship in the immediate future, which makes him the franchise's most valuable trade asset this summer:

The University of Kentucky product made an instant impact after Miami selected him with the 13th overall pick in the 2019 draft. He averaged 13.5 points across 55 appearances while mostly coming off the bench as a rookie, and he put up 16.0 points per game in the playoffs during the team's run to the Finals.

Herro didn't take a significant step forward in his second NBA season, though. He averaged 15.1 points while shooting 43.9 percent from the floor in 54 games during the 2020-21 campaign, and he's graded out negatively at the defensive end in each of his first two years in Miami, per FiveThirtyEight.

Heat president Pat Riley expressed confidence the 21-year-old Wisconsin native is still capable of taking his game to another level following the season.

"He'll figure it out. We'll figure it out with him," Riley told reporters in early June, adding: "Maybe he had a sophomore jinx or whatever."

Herro is under contract with a team-friendly $4 million cap hit for the 2021-22 season, and he can't become a restricted free agent until after 2022-23. It makes him an intriguing trade target for a rebuilding squad that can take the pressure off his development outside of a title chase.

Meanwhile, there's a sense of urgency for the Heat, who came within two wins of the 2020 NBA title but were eliminated in the first round of this year's playoffs by the Milwaukee Bucks.

Butler, 31, has one more guaranteed season on his four-year, $140.8 million contract and holds a player option for the 2022-23 campaign. Miami will want to upgrade the roster around him this summer to ensure the championship window remains open for at least those two seasons.

As Skolnick alluded to, however, the roster isn't exactly overflowing with high-end trade assets, which is why Herro figures to become a key piece of any offer for another star in an offseason blockbuster.

If he's not dealt, Miami will be counting on Herro to emerge as a more consistent two-way contributor next season.

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro and assistant coach Chris Quinn were among the members of the organization who provided supplies to first responders and others impacted by a building collapse in Surfside, Florida, on Thursday:

The Miami Marlins also stepped in to help out:

Per CNN's Jason Hanna, Leyla Santiago and Amanda Watts, more than 50 people are currently unaccounted for after a 12-story residential building collapsed Thursday morning. One person is confirmed dead.

"We are going to do everything we can possibly to identify and rescue those who have been trapped in the rubble," Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told reporters.

Officials are working to locate and rescue the missing persons and investigating what led to 55 of the building's 136 units collapsing. It's unclear if ongoing roof work at the building was a factor. 

At least two people have been rescued alive from the debris thus far.

Surfside is a beachfront town on the outskirts of North Miami.

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo has committed to play for the United States' men's basketball national team at the Tokyo Olympics.

Adebayo's agent, Alex Saratsis, relayed the news to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The 23-year-old big man averaged 18.7 points on 57.0 percent shooting, 9.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists for the Heat in 2020-21, his fourth NBA season.

He also made the NBA's All-Defensive Second Team for the second straight year.

The men's national team is looking for its fourth straight Olympic gold medal. Here's how the roster is shaping up, per Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports:

Adebayo will represent the United States for the first time. He tried out for Team USA before the 2019 FIBA World Cup but did not make the cut.

The big man did not seem happy about that decision nine months later:

He was named a finalist for the Olympic roster in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics to 2021.

Adebayo has improved his play since the FIBA cut, making the 2020 NBA All-Star Game and helping to lead Miami to an Eastern Conference title. He averaged a double-double that season (15.9 points, 10.2 rebounds).

The ex-Kentucky star will step onto the world stage as he searches for Olympic gold. The opening ceremony is set for July 23, and the final day of competition occurs Aug. 8.

Jimmy Butler reportedly won't attempt to win a second straight Olympic gold medal this summer. 

Per Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Miami Heat star won't play for Team USA during the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. 

Butler was included on USA Basketball's list of 57 finalists for the Olympic men's team that was released in March.

Shams Charania and Joe Vardon of The Athletic reported Tuesday that Damian Lillard and Draymond Green have committed to play for Team USA in Tokyo this summer. 

Butler's reported decision to bypass the Olympics comes after a long two-season stretch for the five-time All-Star. He led the Heat to an appearance in the NBA Finals last season, which ended Oct. 11. 

The NBA began the 2020-21 regular season on Dec. 23, giving Butler and Miami just 73 days off. He also missed 20 games this season because of injuries and after testing positive for COVID-19 early in the year. 

Butler averaged 5.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists for USA Basketball during its run to the gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016. 

The United States is one of eight men's teams that has already qualified for the 2020 Games.