Miami

Heat

It’s no secret that Lillard wants to be in Miami, and the Heat want him to be their point guard as the franchise looks to win another NBA title. But there’s been no movement on a possible trade, so the Heat have to consider other plans should no deal be made. Among the possibilities are Herro shifting over into the point guard role or Richardson taking on the job himself. While Herro’s fantasy value would receive a slight boost, as he’s already a mid-round option at worst in most leagues, Richardson becomes a must-draft player in standard leagues if given the opportunity to run the show. Regardless of what happens if the Heat can’t acquire Lillard, Jimmy Butler will still have the basketball in his hands quite often. Kyle Lowry will likely continue to come off the bench, thus limiting his fantasy value.

Just over a week after he was waived by the Celtics, Champagnie has earned an opportunity with the Heat. The Exhibit 10 contract simply means that he’ll be invited to training camp, giving him the opportunity to earn a roster spot. Even if Champagnie were to make the most of this opportunity, he’s unlikely to impact fantasy basketball this season.

Cain spent his rookie season with the Heat after going undrafted in 2022. He didn’t play much, but Miami has had a lot of success with undrafted players in the past. However, he’ll likely spend the majority of this season in the G-League. This wasn’t Miami’s only move today. They also signed Alondes Williams to an Exhibit 10 deal, so he’ll get a chance to make the Heat’s roster during training camp. Williams spent last season with the Long Island Nets, and he’ll probably be in the G-League once again this year.

Swider played on a two-way contract with the Lakers last season as a rookie, and he’s not expected to play more than a depth role for the Heat in Year 2. Swider’s contract will be of the Exhibit 10 variety, which only guarantees him a spot for training camp. He can be left alone in redraft formats.

Cain performed well in Las Vegas, averaging a little over 15 points per game in five appearances while shooting better than 45% from the field. He wasn’t consistently in the Heat rotation last season, with the majority of his minutes coming on nights when the Heat were severely shorthanded. Cain’s play in Las Vegas could serve as a springboard into competing for more minutes on the back end of the Heat rotation. But that won’t impact much when it comes to fantasy basketball. Dru Smith, who’s in a similar position, finished Sunday’s victory with 16 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals in 26 minutes.

A few days removed from getting embarrassed by the Nuggets, the Heat bounced back in a big way Sunday evening. And Robinson, who was one of the top-performing big men during the summer, was a big reason why. He did much of what he wanted offensively while also having an impact on the defensive end of the floor. The majority of Robinson’s minutes as a rookie came when the Heat were without Bam Adebayo. Given how well he played this summer, Robinson is well-positioned to claim the backup center job. That won’t make him a valuable fantasy option due to the presence of Adebayo, but he can be an effective streamer on nights when the Heat are shorthanded in the post.

Herro’s name has come up quite often in trade rumors this summer due to the Heat’s reported interest in acquiring Damian Lillard from Portland. With the Trail Blazers said not to be interested in Herro, the general consensus has been that Miami will need to find a third time to take on Herro. Utah was mentioned in connection with Herro recently, and now Toronto. The Raptors were among the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA last season, and they’ve got a major hole to fill with Fred VanVleet moving to Houston. Herro’s offensive skill set could help address both of those issues while also keeping some of the pressure off of first-round pick Gradey Dick.

With Orlando Robinson and Dru Smith joining Jaime Jaquez Jr. on the sideline, Bouyea took on a leading role offensively for the Heat. While he had a very good night, not committing a turnover whole leading the Heat in points, rebounds, and assists, the same can’t be said for many of his teammates. Jamal Cain (9/3/1/0/1) had a tough night, going 4-of-14 from the field, but that won’t impact his status with the Heat much (if at all). As for Bouyea, he was signed to a two-way contract on July 1, so at a minimum he’ll be in training camp with the Eastern Conference champions.

Cain has been a solid option this summer after playing in 18 games during his rookie season. If he keeps playing well, he could end up being part of Miami’s rotation this season, especially if they have to trade away multiple assets in a Damian Lillard trade. However, even if he sees minutes, he won’t be a massive contributor outside of the deepest leagues.

Robinson has had an excellent Summer League so far, which continued in this game. The Heat have lacked depth at center behind Bam Adebayo, and Robinson could end up being the answer. There is competition for the spot with Omer Yurtseven still in town, but if Robinson keeps playing like this, he could end up seeing 16-18 minutes next season.