Heat Beat Buzzes While Giannis And Bam Sit Out

By the Heat Nightly Desk · Friday, September 25

The Heat have not played a game, but the outlets that cover this team already have plenty to say about the roster and the money behind it. Every storyline this week runs into the same wall: a camp still filling out with its top two players day-to-day.

Heat Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Beat Stays Busy

Miami is still 0-0 with the opener weeks away, but the outlets covering this team are not waiting on tip-off. This week's chatter split three ways: praise for Pelle Larsson's new deal, projections for Giannis Antetokounmpo's ceiling in Miami, and a new name on Erik Spoelstra's staff. Camp is the only thing actually happening, and it should be the filter for all three.

Extension, No Terms

Hot Hot Hoops called Larsson's new deal a crucial piece of business for the roster, and All U Can Heat put him in a category of his own among Miami's recent extensions. Neither outlet has the number: the club confirmed a four-season extension on September 18, and the terms still have not surfaced publicly. Praise without a price tag is still just praise.

Cap Meets The Hype

All U Can Heat pointed to Antetokounmpo's top-five ranking on ESPN's list and floated the Knicks' cap trouble as a potential opening for Miami to add around him. The roster's own numbers complicate that: payroll already runs $208.3 million, above the $200.4 million tax line, with Antetokounmpo's $58.5 million salary the largest piece of it. Room to add is not the same as cap space to spend, and Miami does not have much of either.

New Voice On Staff

The Miami Herald's Anthony Chiang reported that new assistant Vin Baker described his bond with Antetokounmpo in personal terms, saying the star is like a son to him. That is a staff hire settling in, not a scheme change — nothing in the roster or the injury list points to a system shift before a game has been played.

Camp Comes First

Two of Miami's top scorers from last season, Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, are both day-to-day walking into the first week of camp, with an estimated return around October 1. Every projection about this roster's ceiling waits on that health first. The record is 0-0, and it stays that way until camp turns into games.

Did Pelle Larsson sign a new contract with the Heat?

Yes, Miami signed him to a four-season extension on September 18, though the financial terms have not been made public.

Are Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo playing in Heat training camp?

Both are listed day-to-day — Antetokounmpo with a left knee issue, Adebayo with a back issue — with an estimated return date of October 1.