MIAMI — From the moment the Miami Heat swooped in for Giannis Antetokounmpo on the NBA trade market and left themselves hard-capped for the coming season, it became evident a veteran bent would be the approach with the roster.
That proved to be the case at Saturday’s waiver deadline, with the Heat cutting Bez Mbeng, Kylor Kelley, Gabe Madsen and Eric Ausar, with intentions of funneling the quartet to their G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Those moves reduced the Heat’s roster to 14 players under standard contract, one below the regular-season maximum, and three under two-way contract, the league maximum.
The Heat still have one additional decision due ahead of Wednesday’s 7:30 p.m. regular-season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Kaseya Center, with that the deadline for the full-season guarantee on the contract of center Nick Richards.
While 5 p.m. Monday is the official NBA opening-night roster deadline, Saturday at 5 p.m. stood as the de facto deadline, in order for players to clear the 48-hour waiver period.
The Heat’s moves on Saturday present the option of potential claims for players waived elsewhere. The Heat currently have room below their hard cap to add one player at the NBA veteran minimum.
The other, more likely, approach would be to start the season with 14 under standard contract and save remaining space below their hard cap for utilization on the buyout market. Players waived prior to March 1 remain eligible for another team’s playoff roster.
In addition to Richards’ contract not becoming guaranteed until opening night, the only other current contract not fully guaranteed for the season is that of guard Myron Gardner, who holds a $500,000 guarantee of his $2.2 million 2026-27 salary, which becomes fully guaranteed on Jan. 10., the date all NBA contracts become guaranteed for the season.
The Heat, in recent years, due to their position against the luxury tax, have opted to open seasons below the 15-player standard-contract limit.
For the moment, the Heat’s roster stands as:
Standard contract (14): Bam Adebayo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ryan Conwell, Simone Fontecchio, Gardner, Tim Hardaway Jr., Nikola Jovic, Pelle Larsson, Davion Mitchell, Bobby Portis Jr., Richards, Dru Smith, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins.
Two-way contract (3): Tre Donaldson, Vlad Goldin, Keshad Johnson.
Two–way contracts can be swapped out at any time, paying half the veteran minimum and allowing such players to be on the active roster for 50 of the regular-season’s 82 games, ineligible for the playoffs. However, as long as the standard roster remains below the 15-player maximum, all two-way players on the roster cannot be eligible for more than a total of 90 regular-season games.
The Heat closed out their preseason at 3-2 with Friday night’s 136-115 loss to the Orlando Magic at Kia Center, with Antetokounmpo given the night off and Conwell leading the Heat with 21 points, their lone player with more than 13.
Unavailable for the Heat in the loss were Adebayo (groin), Smith (calf), Larsson (illness) and Ausar, who had been signed the day before.
Based on the approach of coach Erik Spoelstra in the games when his prime roster components were available and in action, the Heat appear poised to open the regular season with a lineup of Adebayo, Antetokounmpo, Wiggins, Thompson and Mitchell.
Beyond that, the rotation could be fluid, with Portis, Hardaway and Larsson expected to anchor the second unit.
“I have an idea of the direction we’re going,” Spoelstra said, “but I mentioned this the other day, I’m not stressed out about the rotation for Wednesday night. We’ll have that rotation, but I’m also thinking about the big picture, and we’re going to need everybody in this locker room.
“Our depth is a big strength of ours, and we will be maximizing our depth throughout the course of the season.”
For now, it will be three days of practice ahead of the franchise’s 39th season.
“I think everybody’s ready to get started on Wednesday,” Spoelstra said. “We have a quality opponent coming in, and it’ll be Wednesday Night Lights. I think everybody’s excited about it.”