The Miami Heat begin their 2025 Las Vegas Summer League journey on Friday at 4:30 p.m. EST against the Atlanta Hawks!
The Heat have already played three Summer League games in the California Classic, going 2-1 with wins over the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors. That took place from July 5-8, where there were a few notable standouts, including Heat second-year guard Pelle Larsson and second-year forward Keshad Johnson.
On Friday, Miami will be pitted against first-round rookie Asa Newell, whom I was a fan of in the pre-draft process. They will also have former Heat two-way guard Josh Christopher and Nikola Djurisic, whom the Heat traded to the Hawks in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Miami will have three second-year players available — Johnson, Larsson and Kel’el Ware, who earned All-Rookie honors last season — in addition to first-round rookie Kasparas Jakucionis, who struggled in the California Classic.
Miami Heat Las Vegas Summer League Starters:
- Kasparas Jakuciuonis, G
- Kira Lewis Jr., G
- Pelle Larsson, G/F
- Keshad Johnson, F
- Kel’el Ware, C
Atlanta Hawks Summer League Starters:
- Kobe Bufkin, G
- Nikola Djurisic, G
- Jacob Toppin, F
- Asa Newell, F
- Nelly Junior Joseph, C
Broadcast Info:
- Tipoff: 4:30 PM EST
- TV: ESPN2/ESPN
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It looks like Wiggins isn’t going anywhere. That’s a good thing if the team can’t upgrade the position. (see below) After all, a two-way player with 19.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks isn’t that bad. Who knows, Rozier may get his mojo back and improve his marketability, if nothing else. Now if the Heat can just find a good PF/C to insert in the rotation with Bam and Ware, that would be great!
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/top-trade-target-in-nba-comes-off-the-board-on-saturday/ar-AA1Iu1o8?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=025ec9298ba44190c59e06616a8a60ad&ei=19
Excerpt of solid article by Ira in assessing the Butler trade after the recent dust has settled. And there could be more coming, of course:
*Outgoing from Heat: Jimmy Butler, Josh Richardson, Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson, two second-round picks.
Incoming to Heat: Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell, Norman Powell, Kasparas Jakucionis.*
As for those 2 second round picks, we received one from the Strus trade, and the other from the Bryant trade.
So many negative comments after that trade took place, especially from the glass half empty crowd. I thought it was a good trade at that point, or we would’ve been stuck with quitter for the rest of last season and his value would’ve been lower at season’s end. The trade looks pretty darn good to me now based on the above. Kudos to Riley and staff.
I thought the Butler trade return was as good as Riley could get, at the time. I also thought that he could have gotten more if he had traded Butler before he quit on the team at the time he started slacking off and bitching prior to the 2024-2025 season.
I noticed a list of the 10 worst contracts among injury-riddled players in 2024-2025 prepared by Forbe’s Magazine. Interestingly, the 7th worst contract is Jimmy Butler’s.
Production Value: $20.4M. 2024-2025 Salary: $48.8M Difference: -$24.8M
Note: Miami did not have one player’s contract on the list.
As much as several of us have been bitching about Riley’s poor decisions and failure to make trades to improve the team, based on your summary, I must give credit where credit is due to Riley and staff. It is very apparent that he has taken lemons (the quitter, two 2nd rounders and marginal rotation players) and made lemonade (Wiggins, Mitchell, Powell and Jukucionis). I don’t think there is another GM in the NBA who could have done that.
Yes, the Miami Heat’s glass is definitely half full. I am now looking toward the future much more optimistically. Furthermore, I’m sure Riley’s not done yet. There are deals to be had out there. Now is a time for patience as well as positive, creative and strategic thinking.
GO HEAT!!!
And suddenly, the Heat have created what appears to be a pretty competitive team that, as you point out, will probably see at least one more addition. Whereas some of us thought the Heat would take years to rebuild the team, it seems possible we could compete for a top 4 or 6 seed in the weakened east. Hopefully, hfl will find his joy. And, as you have pointed out, we still have some expiring contracts and draft picks. Here is another quote from the article (I use asterisks as quotation marks seem to trigger that waiting for approval bs)
*As a matter of perspective, Butler will earn $54.1 million this coming season. Wiggins, Powell, Mitchell and Jakucions will earn a combined $64 million.*
I share your optimism. Things are looking up. Let’s see what else falls in Riley’s lap. He’s on a roll. Still have at least $60M in expiring contracts (if you include Powell) and about $40 if you don’t. Life is good!
GO HEAT!!!
That one more addition, if it’s the right one, could put us right back into the mix. We are close now and it will be fun to watch the rest of the summer in anticipation.
See above. I also was too harsh on Riley at times but I still can’t exonerate him for everything, there have been some missteps. But, I will say time has shown he now is batting a more reasonable percentage on his hits and misses and where I was wrong is in thinking the game has passed him by. The old coot still has some magic left. Turning Love and SloMo into Powell was some high level sorcery.
No GM is infallible. Riley has tripped over his own ego any number of times to the detriment of the team. It’s fair to call him out at those times. Most everyone here knows he waited a year too long to trade Butler. If I (and others here) could see the writing on the wall, I don’t know why he didn’t. He can be overly loyal at times. Now we are all hoping he doesn’t make the same mistake with Herro.
Amen! Herro and his scoring is very marketable. Right off the top of my head they would love him in Milwaukee and Utah…for different reasons.
How about Philadelphia. The fans there would love him.
Agree fully on Herro. And if JK shows early signs of being the real deal, Herro becomes more dispensable. I love Herro, and will root him on wherever he goes. But, his contract situation is untenable. And, he could bring back just what we need, a power forward, maybe 6’8” to 6’11”, with two way skills, or some rim protection. We need that more than Ty right now. But, Ty could bring us a quality player. His value is now established.
Also good comment about Riley. Loyalty has definitely been a trait that has led him to errors.
You must respect results. Miami Heat Culture didn’t leave when Butler left. It remained in Miami. What Butler took with him was his own personal culture of quitting everywhere he has been.
Herro’s situation is similar. Heat should offer him $35-$40M. If he doesn’t accept it, he should be traded next offseason.
I was happy with the trade and said so at the time. Jimmy put us in such a difficult position I thought Pat did great getting what he got.
And, again, there is a place for glass half empty responses when appropriate. The glass half full crowd can be pretty unrealistic at times too. What we say needs to be as accurate as possible and when you are wrong, you own up to it. I just had to with KJ yesterday. You own up even if it’s just obliquely or with a joke. And you do so even when it could be that the jury is still out on a player or a move. I say that because another thing you see is when people post something negative or positive and then more information comes in, often they tend to disregard it in order to still be right.
Anyway, just rambling on a quiet day. Hope everyone is doing well.
I mean, I have no idea how good, or not, Kaspar will be. Time will tell. But particularly for young players, to judge them too soon is unfair. Some need a year or more to develop. And things must be put into perspective. If your number 15-20 pick develops into a good 15-25 minute bench player, you’ve done well. If he becomes a starter, great job! It’s different if you have a top 5 pick. That player has to be held to higher standards, has to be ready to contribute just about immediately.
Good comments. You were right to preach patience.
Thanks 30!
JK made shots and cut TO, the rest remains the same. He is a very good young player.
He is also fast as hell, reminds me a bit on Goran regarding that.
Cooke, Kira and Goldin shows some interesting stuff, but Johnson had another non impactfull game. It looks to me exactly the same player as he was a year ago. Thats not good.
About Ware.
This boy need a kick in his ass.
I thing he should be kicked out of summer league team with notion, that the same will happen in the autumn, if he continue like that.
I fell some Hassan W vibes, thats the only way to cure that.
He is fast. Quick reacting too. I saw some of why he’s considered to have so much potential. .
looks like the rookie had a bounce back game. That’s a good sign, it’s a long season.
Jakunionis A Much potential
Larsson A Looking good
Johnson C Still raw
Ware D Poor effort
Goldin C Shows potential
I hope more trades coming. Heat has holes to fill and players who need to go
Sucks that we lost, but kaspar the friendly ghost played his best game, he carried them in the first half, 2nd half not so much, but guys just wasn’t making enough shots. He still impressed me tho, finished with 24/4/4 and shot the ball went 4 for 9 from 3. At one point was on fire in the 1st. His D is also underrated, made plays Defensively, and moves feet well, on ball D looks solid. He has 2 way potential. Also pelle been looking good as well. Zac said he Been trying to get that foul merchant title this summer, and I agree, he took some courses in the Jimmy butler foul merchant class. Also so far for me I think Cooke is in lead for that 3rd 2 way spot.
Yup. Since Dru hasn’t signed his contract yet, we technically still have two 2-way spots open. Cooke has looked very good, Lewis too.
Drusky bandwagon still here! I think he could have been our Davion Mitchell, he just got derailed by injuries. I remember at least one of them was a freak accident on that uneven Cavs court. Sign Dru to a multiyear minimum, that dude will have a breakout year eventually
I think Dru has a two-way offer on the table for 2025-2026 which he hasn’t yet signed. I believe the plan is to see how he plays when he returns from surgery and rehab for a torn Achilles tendon injury before signing him to a regular minimum contract. The team was about to sign him on a standard contract least season when he was injured. I believe the spot went to Keshad instead. He may be able to return by the 2025-2026 opening game or by end of year at the latest.
Yes, in response to Big Guy referencing the 2-way contracts, is why I noted Dru hasn’t signed his. (See below, we were responding at the same time apparently). I don’t know what he’s waiting for really. And, yes, when he was hurt, the standard contract went to Keshad.
I like Dru and, like you, believe he was really showing his potential before the injury. But I think signing him to any regular contract would be a mistake at this point and it’s unlikely to happen. Rather, he should sign the 2-way contract and show that he is fully recovered and can stay healthy for the entire season. After that, it would be easier to assess whether he should be signed to a regular contract. Remember, too, that at 27, he is no longer a young developmental prospect.
He has shown resilience and perseverance. I wish him success.
Nice overall game except for giving up 20 offensive rebounds and, due to that, being out rebounded 48-32.
Thankfully, this will quiet the Kaspar narrative for at least one game. Also nice games by Lewis (again), Pelle, Vlad the Impaler, Cook, and Keshad.
Oh well, Looks like we are going to fall short. But, got to play in a close game. Mostly a good experience.
KJ to wide open Pelle to tie, clank. The play was there we just didn’t make it
20-6 in offensive rebounds is pretty dang poor
Another thing about Kaspar, looks good on the d, puts a lot of pressure on the ball. Pelle also good on defense.
Ware just jogging on defense on that last play. Needs to have a fire lit under his ass.
He’s doing it often and it’s maddening. I imagine the coaching staff lights in to him after this game.
That is the two criticisms I see. Ware’s motor, at least in this game, was at about 75%. There were moments he could have exerted more effort. But, he is a major rim protector even when not fully engaged. And it would be better if when he altered a shot, others boxed out better.
I feel like ware don’t give a dam about SL, like ai with practice. Being in his 2nd year, but agreed about his motor, we shouldn’t be getting beat that badly on offensive boards 20-6 with 2 7’1 guys.
That is exactly the reason teams passed on him draft. He had a reputation for dogging it/laziness. He looked like would prefer to do something other than playing basketball. He didn’t hustle worth a f*** today. No excuse. Maybe Heat should be looking for a starting C (Vucevic?)
KJ would have more assists if these bums could finish lol
Pelle is reminding me of old Iguodala’s game, definitely not young Iggy. Almost exact same size. Just helps in various ways.
Larsson trying to get the free throw merchant label this summer. Lol
That Pelle play with 2.9 seconds was pretty cool. Amazing how far you can go in 2.9 seconds lol
Yeah, Pelle had some impressive moments in the 3rd.
That play by KJ just a moment ago where he’s out on the wing dribbling, has to make some moves, spins and passes perfectly to a guy who butters it. That was pretty freaking sweet even though the play did not end up with a score.
Goldin alley-oop poster was pretty sweet too
Yes, KJ is ballin’.
Kira Lewis has played very well in SL. He should be on a roster, but we are too full at the moment.
Get rid of Dru Smith. Two serious injuries and he’s fine, but more steady than upside play.
Has to be a regular contract because he has too much tenure for a 2-way.
I did not realize that, so thank you, sir.
I live to serve 😀
Nice block by aware. His positioning on defense has been fairly awful, but nice to see him make a play.
Well to extrapolate on some of the ridiculous recent comments, I can now officially confirm that Kaspar is the greatest player since Larry Byrd, and every GM is going to be fired for not taking him.
Sure, it is absolutely silly for me to suggest this, but trying to bury this kid for 3 bad SL games was laughable!
I was saying that Cali Classic is less competitive than a park pickup game. Zero energy and vibe.
Yes, that was dumb by whoever.
If you find out who that was, text me at my private number. 😆
Incoming call from XXX-XXX-XX30
We’re just having some good old fashioned summer league fun here.
LOL!! 😂
Whoever it was is probably glad he was wrong.
With how Kaspar is playing, poor Ware is going to get tossed by the fanbase. lol
He is putting forth zero effort, which was the drag on him in the draft last year. But hard to re-write his performance last year.
Possibly suffer from Wiggins-itis, which is a shame as both are super talented, but feels like they would prefer to be doing some other career. Hope to see a better 2nd half
Yeah gotta hope it kicks in at some point. And I’m certainly not ready to give up on Ware, but I’d happily drive Wiggins to the airport to get him outta Miami. Hope I’m wrong, but that play last year, tells me he doesn’t belong.
Guess we can stop talking about how overwhelmed Kasparas is. Playing well today.
But he’s white and 19! 😛 😛