MIAMI – In a move that gets the Miami Heat back under the punitive NBA luxury tax but also leaves a potential void in the power rotation, the team on Friday night informed their former first-round pick Precious Achiuwa that he was being waived.

The move came ahead of Saturday’s 5 p.m. waiver deadline, the timeframe needed to avoid counting salary against the payroll at Monday’s roster deadline.

Achiuwa, selected by the Heat at No. 20 in the 2020 NBA draft, was added to the roster on the eve of training camp on a non-guaranteed veteran-minimum contract. That salary would have put the Heat over the 2025-26 luxury-tax threshold.

Instead, the Heat are left at the waiver deadline with Bam Adebayo, Kel’el Ware and Nikola Jovic as the only true elements of the power rotation on the standard roster.

Achiuwa had an uneven run during his comeback bid, having been away since he was dealt to the Toronto Raptors in the 2021 offseason. He then returned to the Heat after the New York Knicks bypassed returning him from last season’s roster.

Achiuwa did not play in Friday night’s preseason finale, a 141-125 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies at Kaseya Center that completed an 0-7 preseason.

Achiuwa appeared in four exhibitions with the Heat, playing 47 total minutes, with 19 points and 21 rebounds. He shot 7 of 17 from the field.

With the Heat operating at the NBA maximum offseason roster limit of 21 players, the team got down to the regular-season limits by waiving camp tryout players Dain Dainja, Dez Mbeng and Ethan Thompson. All three are expected to move on to the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

In somewhat of a surprising move guard, Jahmir Young, who previously was with the Chicago Bulls, was elevated from his Exhibition 10 tryout contract to a two-way contract.

The maneuvering left the Heat with 14 players under standard contract, one spot below the NBA maximum, needing to work at that roster configuration to avoid the luxury tax.

Under standard contract to the Heat entering the season are Adebayo, Jovic, Ware, Simone Fontecchio, Tyler Herro, Keshad Johnson, Kasparas Jakucionis, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Pelle Larsson, Davion Mitchell, Norman Powell, Terry Rozier, Dru Smith and Andrew Wiggins.

Under two-way contract remain Myron Gardner and Vlad Goldin, now joined by Young. Players on two-way contracts, however, can be swapped out for other options at any point until midseason.

Based on the waiver-claim process, the Heat roster still could be reshuffled for their season opener Wednesday night against the Orlando Magic at Kia Center.