When the Miami Heat finally shipped out the heavily disgruntled Jimmy Butler, there were several moving parts to the trade deadline blockbuster deal. Originally, the Heat acquired PJ Tucker as part of the initial framework of the trade— but the 24-hour Tucker reunion didn’t last.
That is because Pat Riley and the front office immediately flipped the 40 year-old Tucker into Davion Mitchell.
The final version of the Butler move featured Miami acquiring a package of Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, Mitchell and a first-round draft pick. All three of those newcomers each had nice moments in their half-season Heat stint, but Mitchell is the one who really left a mark the most.
The 6-foot combo guard earned the nickname “off night”, because his defensive skills were so pestering that he would force opposing players into having ‘off night’s’ offensively. And the scrappy fifth-year newest addition lived up to his nickname.
Whether you’re a fan of gritty defense or just enjoy taking smart risks, Rooli might have something for you, too — check them out for a chance to hit it big!
Mitchell’s gritty point-of-attack defense on the perimeter made it a perfect fit under coach Erik Spoelstra and the infamous Heat Culture. However, he is set to become a free agent, and all of Heat Nation is hoping he re-signs and becomes a long term piece.
Luckily for Miami, that sentiment may appear to go both ways.
In 30 games played for the Miami Heat this season, Davion Mitchell averaged 10.3 points, 5.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals on 50% shooting and 45% from 3-point range.
Mitchell made his true mark in the two play-in tournament games. He provided a huge two-way impact and knocked down some clutch buckets in the process. That success carried into the first round against the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he was one of the rare positives for Spoelstra in the 0-4 series loss.
He brings the versatility to be impactful in either a starting or bench role. Like a lot of underrated rotation pieces usually do under Spoelstra, Mitchell had the best stretch of his NBA career with the Heat.
The scoring and efficiency numbers were a significant career-high. Additionally, his playmaking took a leap in Miami.
Considering the complete failure of the Terry Rozier acquisition, the Heat are limited on point guard depth. Tyler Herro was forced to run point for large portions of this past season. Ideally, Herro should remain in the much more comfortable shooting guard position for the most part.
Re-signing Mitchell can help make that happen, and his fit with his new Heat team has been undeniable.
Unfortunately, there may be some stiff competition with teams hoping to swoop in on the restricted free agent in the near future. His play-in and postseason performances only helped increase his value to opposing teams.
He has quickly become a fan favorite, and he has the stats and energy to back that up. Hopefully, Mitchell’s admiration for the Heat organization is enough to help in negotiations to remain in South Beach during this upcoming offseason.
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if bam adebayo is your best player next year you are a playin team.second best player top 8 team.third best player a champ contender.off season goal get 2 better than bam,until that is done your looking at mediocrity for years to come.how does that happen no fn idea.bam has to be our aaron gordon kuminga og announoby miles turner naz reid
okc minn ny ind final 4.our heat prob bottom 4 wash charl brooklyn
vet team vs young legs team
has michael porter jr had his eyes tested
caruso on joker better than bam.okc athletes too much for denver .but pat loves his whitesiders.maybe next year try pelle on joker
With the draft order formally set ahead of the draft combine, a look at names various mock drafts have linked to the Heat at No. 20:
ESPN: Liam McNeeley, UConn, guard, freshman.
The Athletic: Jase Richardson, Michigan, guard, freshman.
The Ringer: Will Riley, Illinois, wing, freshman.
Yahoo Sports: Noah Penda, France, wing, 20 years old.
CBS Sports: Joan Berenger, France, center, 18 years old.
Bleacher Report: Ben Saraf, Germany, guard, 19 years old.
SB Nation: Riley.
USA Today: Richardson.
HoopsHype: Richardson
NBADraft.net: McNeeley.
Of this group, Richardson may be the best choice. Some good prospects in this range. If the right players are available, I would still look into trading down for Nets 26 & 27
SB Nation is off their gourd, Riley is already our GM.
He may be dusting off his shooting guard skills.
Lol you read my mind
hot in hhh land
not
Heat could also trade pick up for better pick. Might have to give up a young player. Could be worth it, depending how far they can move up and who is available. If not, I would hate to see them trade with Brooklyn and have someone they can really use fall to #20 and get drafted by Brooklyn.
Maybe Heat will trade up for a player they really want. Hate to see them swap with Brooklyn and have player they want/need get taken by Brooklyn or #21-25.
Sure, depends on who they’re looking at. As you know, all these mocks have something different after the first 8-10 picks. One that I am looking at has the following players at 26 and up to early second round:
Riley, Yang, Clayton, Wolf, Philon, Penda, Broome, and Kam Jones.
I wouldn’t mind landing 2 of those. They generally don’t trade down, so it’s all academic. But I do think the draft is pretty deep. It doesn’t seem to have many ss level players, but a lot of 5-9 rotation players. As you say, spitballing.
I know Beringer, which is playing here in Slovenia right now. Interesting player, but he is playing basketball for 4 years or so.
He will need three more to be ready for NBA.
The right player for a tanking team. Not for the Heat.
I have read and seen videos on him. Very young and raw with good upside. Very athletic. He is definitely a project but do you think he could give you 10 minutes a game at backup center?
How about trading our #20 pick to OKC for Nikola Topic? He has been recovering since last summer with ACL injury. I had my eye on him last year but OKC snapped him up at #12. Check out his profile. This is what caught my eye.
https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/nikola-topic
I would take him in the second. Thats exactly what Heat needs. But it would cost much more then a pick.
Nope already have one to many Tyler herros on this team non athletic one way players…..thanks but no thanks
Get your story straight. Although Herro actually is a very good athlete. Speed, jumping, etc. What he isn’t is a good defender, although his defense has improved. He’s now middle of the pack, better than Lillard, Haliburton, Russell, McCollum, Irving, LaVine, Beal, Booker and others.
hes not middle of the pack no way
Tyler Herro Defensive Rating (114.9)
https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/tyler-herro-defensive-rating
NBA Guards Defensive Ratings (107.4 – 123.2)
https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask?q=nba+defensive+rating+leaders+point+guard+2024-2025
i dont need any of that def rating sun whoever snd however they determine that not sure but u just watch the games and hes bad. especially second half of seasonand ty jerome playoffs.i think darius garland explained it the best
If we reached conclusions only on what we personally observed, we might conclude, like Kyrie, that the earth is flat.
ask darius garland
Doesn’t change factual data that SM presented. You don’t watch every player from every team, so you form an opinion based on your very limited first hand experience. That’s not to say he is a good defender – he isn’t.
pls tell me how u can rate a defender.how the sytem works.in football if a wr catches a pass vs db thats obvious.if a lt lets up a qb sack thats clear as day.i dont understand those #s canu explain how that is derived for defenders.i watch other teams rc got nba package especially playoffs.i can tell u jokic and luka are in the category of dunc and tyler .as far as the brothers go dont see any worse than ty and dunc i can think of just from watchiing them on tv,im being honest cause if u cant guard u cant play for hfl4l and hhh4l.
You can look it up. It would take far too long to try to put it here. But I’ll try a little football defense example. If a defensive lineman has 12 sacks in a season, you may consider it great. And it’s exciting, and it stands out when you’re using your eye test. You may consider him the best defensive player on the team. But maybe the opposite side lineman gets far more quarterback hurries. Not as dramatic, not as sexy as those sacks. But he may be rated a better defensive player than the high sacks guy. There are many subtle things a player may do that rates him higher.
Oh, and amongst others, brothers Lillard, Young, and Sexton are all worse.
lack of strength matters in defense he gets bullied alot.hes a bad defender nothing else to say sun
Really like this idea
Hardly. He is a good defender, with potential to be even better. The problem is offense, which is basically non existent, with no signs some day it could be better.
RC I think the Nets idea is creative but we already have a logjam of young potential guys
I certainly appreciate what you’re saying. I look at it like this. Imo, the young players order of value – Ware, Jovic, Jaquez, Pelle, Keshad (because he hasn’t yet been given the opportunity). I am not counting the 2-way players. I assume 1 or 2 of the above could be part of a trade. So, if they were able to get both a backup center and a backup point guard in the draft, it would further the youth movement and also add valuable rookie contracts.
Speculation is fun, but I just want to see what the team will actually do.
Here’s some more pie in the sky stuff.
Rozier, Robinson, Jaquez, 2026 2nd rounder for DeJounte Murray and Olynyk
Wiggins sign & trade for Kuminga
PG: Murray/Mitchell/Smith
SG: Herro/Larsson/2025 draft pick
SF: Kuminga/Highsmith/Anderson
PF: Bam/Jovic/Johnson
C: Ware/Olynyk/Love
Isnt Murray more of a shooting guard?
He, like Mitchell, is a point guard who has been used primarily as a shooting guard. In Atlanta, Murray spent most of his playing time deferring to Trae Young, becoming much more of a combo guard and scorer with the Hawks. Last season made people forget that Dejounte was strictly a point guard in San Antonio and even notched 9.2 assists per game in 2021-22. He was an all-star that year.
looks like more of a 2 .prototypical nba body.lean tall muscular.get him sun man .u should have pats fax # by now i hope.no more 1 wayers allowed in miami.by ty by dunc thnaks for nothing
He moved from PG at San Antonio to SG at Atlanta because Hawks already had some guy named Trae.
2016 NBA Draft Profile | Dejounte Murray
June 21, 2016 10:19 AM CDT
Freshman, PG, Washington
6’5”, 170 lbs
6’9.5” wingspan
He has good size for either point guard or shooting guard. He plays very fluid, almost snake like. He can get above the rim and isn’t afraid of contact inside. He has good instincts and is electric in transition. He’s an above-average ball handler, although some of his moves are a bit unorthodox. He did a great job of attacking passing lanes on defense, leading to nearly two steals per game. Athletically, he’ll be fine and has an extra bounce to his step, keeping defenders on their toes.
The question would be his fir with Herro.
That looks good! I can taste it all the way here 😋😉
I dont want NY, SGA, Edwards and Westbrook win it all.
That leaves Indiana to root for.
One more game for Nuggs…SGA and co not out of the woods yet
celts are getting heaterized
so without 1 superstar you can get at least one good game and get obliterated the next. Celts need both Jays to win
Even then, not guaranteed. Supporting players need to do better than they did tonight.
on road if your best player suks u have little chance to win.browns a 2 tatums a 1.
I blame Jrue Holiday…maybe haven’t fully recovered from recent injury.
But like ive said, parity in the league right now is at its highest. No back to back champions for the past 5(?) years.
Plus, Celtics need to dump salaries this year to get under apron or face stiff penalties. OKC and Houston are in good spots because they have a bunch of young guys on rookie contracts and many draft picks coming up to keep bringing in young starts and trading older ones for more draft picks.
i wrote on ny blog i thought holiday was best all round player on cs a few years ago .wow what has happened to him id take duncan robinson over him.hes unplayable now
Maybe KD asks out and list Miami (again) his preferred team. so Wiggs+Dunc and cross fingers Phx bites. So Ware, Bam, KD, Tyler, Mitchell. Looks good. Its nice to daydream 😊😅
suns will do whats best for them
Interesting article on why Duncan Robinson’s trade value is high. Worth the time to read.
Here’s why Duncan Robinson will be one of the NBA’s most coveted trade targetsThe Miami Heat guard is a valuable trade chip. (allucanheat)
Here’s a couple of excerpts:
“Robinson’s partially guaranteed contract makes him valuable to teams in financial trouble. That’s where Robinson comes in. The Suns and Celtics could target Robinson in a trade in an effort to get under the second tax apron. They would have to make other moves to create space, but saving $10 million would get them most of the way there.”
“As teams look to create a cushion against either the first or second aprons, they could give Miami a call. When it comes to the Suns, Robinson could be a required part of any Kevin Durant trade. A theoretical package of Andrew Wiggins and Robinson would save the Suns enough money to get under the first and second apron.”
“If the Heat don’t trade Robinson, they could waive him to potentially get under the luxury tax line, too. Pat Riley during his end-of-season press conference said that avoiding the luxury tax would be a priority.”
not the Celts. Suns yes pls. Bos a conf foe and im always wary of former players that can burn the Heat, suddenly getting better, when we face their new team.
Just look at what Max Strus did to us in the playoffs this year.
Averaged 11 points a game. He laid a big goose egg in closeout game vs Indiana. 0/9- FGs & 0/6-3 Pts. (Still better deal @ $16M vs Duncan @ $20M).
Celtics or Suns would love to buy him out and save a cool $10M. That’s what Heat should do unless they can package him and a couple of stiffs for a player who would move the needle.
And that’s the challenge, convincing a trade partner Miami isn’t just gonna cut Duncan.
Teams over the aprons would trade for him so they can buy him out and save a cool $10M. If Heat does it they save the $10M.
Yup. If another team takes him for the purpose of getting below the cap, we save $19.8 million. If we cut him, we save $10 million in cap space. Win-win.
We don’t save $19.8M if we trade him and get something back of equal value which would go against our cap.
The incentive for a team to trade for Duncan is to send one or more of their players of equal value to Miami so they can buy Duncan out and save the $10M. The questions for the Heat are: 1) how does Miami intend to get under the first apron so the team is not heavily penalized and 2) which team is desperate to get under the second apron and what/who are they willing to give up?
In the end, It may be better for Miami to pay Duncan off, save $10M, take it’s 2025 pick, try to trade some/all of the players on expiring contracts and play the season out with our 5 best starters and players on rookie contracts.
In one more season, several contracts are due to expire (Rozier, Anderson, Highsmith, Love) plus, by that time, Spo should know which of the younger players are worth keeping and which ones should go (be traded/not be extended). In addition, Miami will have a 2026 first round pick due, possibly a lottery pick.
Unless a deal that is “too good to be true” drops in Miami’s lap, the team should hang loose. The very last thing Miami needs to do is get desperate or act impulsively. As with the “Butler situation” NBA teams can smell desperation 3,000 miles away.
My bad. I knew that one moment and didn’t know it the next moment.
As for the rest, repeating it over and again, even though it makes perfect sense, may have no bearing on what actually happens. I am interested to see how it plays out in these coming weeks. One thing we can bank on is Riley & co will ensure the team avoids the repeater tax. Beyond that? No idea.
im sure theres better players they can get for less than 10 mil.our davion is one example.can u see dunc trying to guard these athletes currently playing
Miami won’t get Davion for less then $10M this year. They might not get him at all if Riley tries to lowball him.
he can go to pat and say u paid a guy who couldnt guard my grandmother 20mil.duncs contract could be a problem for pat with dav
They also paid more than that for Rozier who is due to make $26.6M. One thing has nothing to do with the other. Here’s the best we can do. If it’s good enough cool. If not, “Thank you for flying Lufthansa.”
Pay Robinson $9,888,000 to walk and save $10M. That’s a start.
pay 10 to walk pats the worse u sure u cant do pt work from home for us
I already am except I’m not getting paid for it. Plus, nobody pays attention to me but you, RC, Emily, Vagi, that HHHfortherestofmylife dude and a couple of others. Pat is too cheap to pay for creative help…or top notch players. He has champagne taste on a Keystone budget.
i live and die with your heat posts they keep the heat in me,although its 90 so i think how cool u look to cool me off
Say what? I like blogging. It gives me time to relax and write and escape from all the corruption, hatred and intolerance that exists in the world/country these days. Very disgusting and very sad.
65 here at 3:00PM. Summer weather is from late July- early August thru late Sept-mid October. Glad I’m not in Arizona. It’ll be in the 100’s there next week.
90 in miami played tennis 730a 930 a chest is still tight from heat exhaustion
mickey the cheapskate
Obviously along with 20 other owners.
can u imagine 55 trying to guard some of these athletes currently playing thats why pat needs to go .hes behind the times living in the 60s mode.dunc might have been 3rd team nba in the 60s
That’s why you can’t pay herro, that or tell him to come off the bench again (said it before will say it again) it’s his best role on this team. Starter/go to guy he’s not it…..sorry not sorry
in the real season he gets so picked on that hes almost unplayable.in the reg season u can get by with his duncanish d.still rather him traded for a 2 wayer that avgs 12-15 pts a game.tys points are over stated with the amount he lets in.not a winning player ask ty jerome
DeJounte for Herro +
Zion for Wiggins + Pick
Hmm?
wow pels might do that considering the injuries of theirs,your brilliant sun .
Thanks Heat. It gets better. Zion Williamson signed a 5 year, $197,230,450 contract with the New Orleans Pelicans, including $197,230,450 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $39,446,090. In 2024-25, Williamson will earn a base salary of $36,725,670, while carrying a cap hit of $36,725,670 and a dead cap value of $36,725,670. But wait, there’s more.
Contract details per The Athletic/Mike Vorkunov (12/21/23)
Guaranteed seasons became non-guaranteed due to games played clause:
Guarantee triggers exist if certain criteria has been met:
Further protections via:
if zion could ever get in shape and stay healthy hed be a top 5 -7player hes that good,id take a flyer on him and get him in shape
Dejounte is out with an Achilles injury requiring surgery and rehabilitation, which takes 7-12 months to heal. He could return to play some time between October 2025 and January 2026. I think Miami can get him at a reasonable price. His natural position is point guard, although he has been utilized primarily as a shooting guard. Him and Davion would make one hell of a 1-2 punch at point guard or as a tandem at closing time. They would be a nightmare for opposing guards. Add Zion and the Heat could be really scary!
pat i know u read hhh.we have a guy here from san diego with some great ideas.pay attention u can learn something from him
Miami still has a very marketable Robinson (because of the buyout clause).
In addition, the team has expiring contracts Rozier ($26.7M), Anderson ($9.2M), Highsmith ($5.6M) and Love ($4.2M) and several marketable players on rookie contracts.
If Miami could pry DeRozan away from Sacto for Rozier, Jaquez and a 2nd rounder, that would be great.
See Heat, there are a few options out there, other than selling the ranch or embracing the tank. The glass really is half full…if it is handled properly.
demars a west coast guy see him maybe as a laker .look at the teams currently playing now we are no where close to them .gonna take 3 -5 years to turn ship around
Talk about turning the ship around! Barely a month ago, you insisted that this very same team could beat anybody in the east as long as they played the ‘gr8 8’. How is it possible that this team, with exactly the same players it had then, has gone from that to ‘we are no where close to them’? Perhaps you did a little overvaluing yourself.
I thought you only walk after you get thrown four balls, or get hit by a pitch.
hit by pitch not a walk
Four balls = Walk
Hit by pitch = Awarded first base
Payoff/Buyout = Walking papers
Released = The boot
balk?
A balk is a penalty for a pitcher’s illegal movement on the mound when there are runners on base, and the penalty is that all runners advance one base. The batter remains at the plate and continues to try to hit.
However, a batter can advance to first base on less than 4 balls if he is hit in groin area by a pitch.
Depending on how hard he is hit in the groin, he may advance without any balls at all.
I didn’t want to say that around mixed company and all, but you’re absolutely right. I should have been more specific and said 2 or less balls.
pitch clock violation
In baseball, a pitch clock violation by a pitcher is penalized with a ball (not a walk), while a violation by a batter is penalized with a strike.
However, when a catcher’s interference occurs, (e.g. catcher’s mitt touches the bat while the batter is swinging) the batter is awarded first base and runners advance only if forced.
If they buy Dunc out can they still re-sign him (at a more appropriate number)? Not like he doesn’t have value, and if he goes who will take his place in the Good Greek commercials?
Give this guy a quality deal come on man we need dudes like this in our current tumultuous time
Davion wanting it here. Why? Because Heat culture rules lol
Even if this team have “failed” in the last years tons of players wants to wear the Heat jersey.
Technically a ton of players is only, like, 20 players.
But all we need is 15, so we’re good!
Glad you recently decided to increase the frequency of your visits to this fine establishment. I believe I’ve recently detected a very slight increase in your use of irony, satire and sarcasm. However, I may be mistaken.
The more tired I am, the less my filters can stop the stupid commentary that I always secretly want to make.
I’ve had three marathon meeting sessions of 10 hours or more at work this week (so far). I have no filter anymore.
Same thing happens when you’ve been retired a few years. The filter button no longer works. Researchers have linked age-related shrinking in the frontal lobes with declines in inhibitory control and social recognition. Commonly referred to as AOOFTG (All Out Off F***s To Give). There is no known cure.
Maybe 5 to 7 superstars and the rest role players? I need the breakdown 😁
Davion is like PJ Tucker (although much younger). He’s a pit bull who takes pride in his defense and gives 100% every play. He has found a team that also emphasizes defense, which is a perfect fit for him. If Riley disrespects him with a lowball offer he’ll go to a team that appreciates him and is willing to pay him fair market value (whatever that is these days).