Delon Wright not only was signed by the Miami Heat to help their depth, but his addition also reportedly may have kept him away from a major Eastern Conference rival.
The Boston Celtics reportedly had an interest in Wright after the veteran guard was bought out by the Washington Wizards last month, but he chose Miami and the playing time it was promising instead.
The 31-year-old now could have more of an impact in how the Eastern Conference plays out this season than anyone would have guessed. Thanks to some injuries the Heat were dealing with, that playing time for Wright was necessary almost right away.
He was in the starting lineup and played more than 35 minutes in his Miami debut and then played almost 17 minutes the next night in the second game of a back-to-back set.
Since then, however, Wright played just a tad more than three minutes in his next outing and has not been used at all in Miami’s past three games.
His decline in activity has coincided with the return of Terry Rozier from injury. Rozier, who also was acquired by the Heat during the season, suffered a knee injury but was able to come back sooner than expected. Thanks in part to the NBA All-Star break, he missed just four games.
Wright appeared in 33 games with the Wizards this season and averaged 4.1 points and 2.5 assists per contest for them. In his three games for the Heat, he is at 5.0 points and 3.0 assists per contest.
In addition to possibly being guaranteed playing time, he also had ties to Miami in the past. His brother Dorell is a former Heat player, and Delon Wright hung out with him and others during a playoff series between them back in 2016.
The Heat seem to be headed back to the postseason this season as well. They are 35-27 and in sixth place in the Eastern Conference after a loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.
With another game upcoming at the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, perhaps Delon Wright will be given some playing time as part of the back-to-back contests.