{"id":755447,"date":"2026-07-10T21:51:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T21:51:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/755447\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T21:51:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T21:51:14","slug":"summer-league-combination-of-lebron-speculation-heat-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/755447\/","title":{"rendered":"Summer league combination of LeBron speculation, Heat action"},"content":{"rendered":"

LAS VEGAS \u2014 To say Friday was a case of split attention for the Miami Heat at the NBA Summer League would be an understatement.<\/p>\n

On one hand, the Heat\u2019s summer roster was pushing past the Bucks\u2019 summer roster 119-86 at Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus, with Heat General Manager Andy Elisburg and coach Erik Spoelstra looking on.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, just prior to tipoff, ESPN, from their perch in a balcony above the court, was interviewing LeBron James agent Rich Paul, who was offering his latest thoughts on his client\u2019s approach to NBA free agency.<\/p>\n

With the Heat an uninterested spectator in that regard, as well.<\/p>\n

Asked during his appearance on ESPN where the process stands, Paul said, \u201cWe are taking this thing very seriously. But, at the same time, we\u2019re having fun. I think it\u2019s great for the fans.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s his decision and he has earned the right to make any decision he wants.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust like you guys, we are all waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the Heat included among those on that waiting list, their personnel moves on hold as they await whether there will be a return engagement with the forward who helped lead them to NBA championships in 2012 and \u201913.<\/p>\n

Paul downplayed a vetting process.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has to think about things from a playing standpoint,\u201d Paul said. \u201cWhen you have a player like him, he unlocks something on all 30 teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe team he chooses? I don\u2019t know yet. It\u2019s his decision. I\u2019m just waiting on his decision. We\u2019ve been around this league long enough, It\u2019s his 24th season. We understand how things work. We understand how teams operate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Should James bypass the Heat<\/a>, the expectation is the Heat would quickly pivot elsewhere to fill out the two or three remaining spots on their standard roster.<\/p>\n

But, for the moment, no James timetable.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have one,\u201d Paul said. \u201cI don\u2019t put a timetable on things. It\u2019s not a game or something that\u2019s a gimmick or trying to lead people on.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the Heat have about $6.5 million of their mid-level exception to offer, more than some other James suitors, Paul downplayed the salary aspect.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake the money out of it,\u201d he said. \u201cMost times, you are saying where is the most financially respectful opportunity? In this case, you throw that out that window. You can actually evaluate it and make the best decision for yourself. This is unchartered territory for an athlete.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to be competitive, have the opportunity come late April or early May to give yourself the best opportunity of winning. He\u2019s not chasing a ring. He will make the best decision for himself. He has earned the right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Five Degrees of Heat from Friday\u2019s game:<\/p>\n

1. Familiar faces: Seated opposite the Bucks bench were three of the players the Heat sent out in the trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a> and Bobby Portis: Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kel\u2019el Ware.<\/p>\n

The other player sent out in the deal was on the floor for the Bucks, with Kasparas Jakucionis in Milwaukee\u2019s starting lineup.<\/p>\n

Jakucionis, back from playing for the Lithuanian national team earlier in the week, closed with 11 points in his 22 minutes on 2-of-10 shooting, six assists and five rebounds.<\/p>\n

2. Herro says: Herro was interviewed on Prime\u2019s broadcast during the first half, addressing the trade to the Bucks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, it\u2019s part of the business,\u201d he said. \u201cA place like in Miami, and organization like Miami, they wanted championships, they play for championships, and it\u2019s part of the business. I know how good I am, and what I\u2019m capable of.\u00a0 And I just got to continue to keep working and try to stay healthy and just represent this new team how I\u2019m supposed to.\u201d<\/p>\n

While viewing it as a homecoming.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m finally back home,\u201d said Herro, a native of the Milwaukee area. \u201cI\u2019m super excited to be back home. It feels like a great opportunity for me \u2014 the guys that came with me from Miami, as well as the young guys that were on the roster.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a vet on this team and I just want to represent the city and the state that I\u2019m from, so I\u2019m super excited.\u201d<\/p>\n

With no rancor.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all love in Miami,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve seen a couple of the guys, coaching staff. Chris Quinn, Spo. We\u2019re all good in Miami, and an opportunity for both sides to reset and get a fresh start. We\u2019re both super happy for this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Herro did not comment on a reported altercation with Heat center Bam Adebayo at a hotel prior to Friday\u2019s game, brushing off comments attributed to Herro earlier in the week regarding Adebayo.<\/p>\n

2. Other trade elements: \u00a0Also taking in the action courtside was Portis, who sat with the Heat coaching staff and Heat guard Davion Mitchell.<\/p>\n

In addition, in action for the Bucks was Nate Ament, the forward out of Tennessee taken with the No. 13 pick in last week\u2019s NBA draft that the Heat sent out in the Antetokounmpo deal.<\/p>\n

Ament closed with six points, three rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes.<\/p>\n

3. Conwell can: Second-round pick Ryan Conwell again played as a Heat featured attraction, closing with 19 points. The 3-point shooting again was uneven, with the guard out of Louisville missing his first five 3-point attempts.<\/p>\n

The No. 37 pick last week closed 7 of 16 from the field, including 2 of 8 on 3-pointers, with three assists.<\/p>\n

4. For starters: The Heat opened with a lineup of Conwell, Trevor Keels, Vlad Goldin, Tre Donaldson and J\u2019Vonne Hadley.<\/p>\n

Jahmir Young, playing off the bench, matched Conwell\u2019s 19 points for the Heat, with Keels and Goldin each scoring 14.<\/p>\n

5. Up next: The Heat continue their Las Vegas schedule with a 3:30 p.m. Eastern game Saturday against the summer roster of the Orlando Magic. A day off then follows, before a Monday 8 p.m. game back at the UNLV campus against the summer roster of the Cleveland Cavaliers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LAS VEGAS \u2014 To say Friday was a case of split attention for the Miami Heat at the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":755448,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[2558,8173,355,99],"class_list":["post-755447","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-latest-headlines","tag-miami-heat","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/755447","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=755447"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/755447\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/755448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=755447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=755447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=755447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}