Pelle Larsson received two stamps of approval this month, one that significantly boosted his net worth and another that presumably boosted his ego.
Less than two weeks after Larsson signed a four-year, $60 million extension, Giannis Antetokounmpo on Monday quickly mentioned the third-year guard as a player who has impressed him.
“Pelle is [expletive] — excuse my language — Pelle is good,” Antetokounmpo declared at Heat Media Day at Kaseya Center, on the eve of the start of training camp at Florida Atlantic University. “I didn’t know, but he’s good.”
Larsson responded with humility, which was no surprise to anyone who has been around him:
“It’s good,” he said. “We haven’t started the season yet. I’m sure we’re going to have moments where we clash and moments where we like each other more than others. It’s good to have it start out at that.”
With his new deal, Larsson snagged by far the largest financial commitment of any second-round pick in the 2024 Draft. He said he preferred to sign an extension than enter restricted free agency next summer.
“It’s easier to get it done now,” he said. “It means a lot to keep calling Miami my home. I wake up here every day with a smile on my face, come to work, walk among some legends in this building and be part of that for a longer future. This [extension] means a lot to me coming from them.”
What was his reaction emotionally when his agent told him the Heat was guaranteeing him $60 million?
“It was really blank,” he said. “It was not until later, when I talked to my parents, that they made me realize how crazy it is. I have been playing basketball for free for most of my life. To have this now is insane.”
The message from Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra, in the aftermath of the extension, “was keep doing what I’ve been doing and being who I am on the court.” That includes high effort, pesky defense, assertive drives to the basket, playmaking (3.4 assists per game last season), and a blossoming offensive game (11.4 ppg last season in 70 games and 54 starts).
“Now we’re bringing in some new guys I think I’m going to fit well with,” he said.
One summer priority was improving his three-point percentage from 33.7 and 32.3 his first two seasons.
The goal, he said, was “fine-tuning and changing the mentality of what shooting is, not as much target practice but more chasing the comfortable feeling and not just trying to aim too much.”
He said he has learned a lot about shooting from former Heat teammate Duncan Robinson. “And now Klay Thompson is here, so I get to pick his brain.”
Larsson expects to have more ball-handling responsibilities after Tyler Herro, Kasparas Jakucionis and Jaime Jaquez Jr. were dealt to Milwaukee.
“We have maybe less point guards,” he said. “I go from being a clear wing to a 2/1 [combo guard]…. A lot of guys can bring it up. I will probably end up being a one [point guard] in some lineups; I handled the ball more than I ever had this summer [in European World Cup qualifying games for Sweden]. So I got some practice.”
Larsson will make $2.3 million this season before his extension kicks in next season. The fourth year of the contract is a $16.3 million mutual option, meaning the Heat and Larsson each has the ability to lock him in that season (2030-31).
“He’s relentless.” Spoelstra said. “…That’s why he’s been such a winning player; it’s been tough to keep him off the floor… You are happy for a guy that gets rewarded like that; it’s well earned.”
This and that
▪ Andrew Wiggins said he agreed to his unusual new three-year, $64 million contract — which dips from $30.2 million this season to $16.5 million in 2027-28 — because “I’m trying to do what’s best for everybody, because obviously I want to be here.
“I want to be part of this special team. I want to do something that can help everybody out.”
The Heat preferred that structure — instead of a lower first-year salary and higher second-year salary — in order to have more flexibility under the luxury tax threshold next summer.
The third year of Wiggins’ deal is a $17.5 million player option.
▪ Guard Klay Thompson says Giannis Antetokounmpo “does stuff that shocks you. As mobile as he is for his size, I’ve never seen that before.”
▪ Nikola Jovic said he hasn’t had any back issues for months and his goal is to be “a sparkplug off the bench, hopefully.”
▪ Heat newcomers seemed pleased that Spoelstra is keeping the up-tempo style that he implemented last season. “I love the fact we play fast,” Thompson said. “Guys are willing to make the extra pass.”
▪ Center Nick Richards said his camp was shocked that the Heat’s nonguaranteed contract offer was the best offer he received all offseason. Richards’ one-year, $3.1 million contract will become guaranteed if he’s on the team on the opening night of the season.
▪ Every Heat player passed their conditioning test. “Everybody is coming in in great shape,” Spoelstra said. Davion Mitchell has said he failed the test last year but lost 10 pounds this offseason.
▪ Forward Simone Fontecchio was amused that “at the beginning of the offseason, people were saying there’s not enough shooting.” Now, he says he has never been on a team with this many skilled three-point shooters.
Veteran guard agrees to deal
The Heat is signing 6-4 veteran shooting guard Lester Quinones, agent Scott Nichols told The Herald. It’s expected to be an Exhibit 10 deal that comes with a training camp invitation.
Quinones has averaged 4.8 points and shot 34.6 % on threes in 54 career games for Golden State, Philadelphia and New Orleans. He played for NBA G League United last season after being waived by the Magic in training camp last October. His last NBA appearance was in April 2025, for New Orleans.
His NBA resume includes one 21-point game and four 17-point games.
The Heat has been cycling through players on Exhibit 10 deals, which is a path to funnel both prospects and veterans to its G-League affiliate in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Veteran NBA guard Dennis Smith Jr. will join the Heat on Exhibit 10 deal in the coming days.
The players on Exhibit 10 deals, including Quinones, hope to wrest one of the Heat’s two-way contracts that currently are held by Tre Donaldson, Vlad Goldin and Keshad Johnson. Goldin appears the most vulnerable of those three.
This story was originally published September 28, 2026 at 2:54 PM.
Miami Herald
Barry Jackson has written for the Miami Herald since 1986 and has written the Florida Sports Buzz column since 2002.