The Miami Heat are starting to readjust their roster after failing to land Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers and seeing him land with the Milwaukee Bucks.
OFFICIAL: The Miami HEAT have waived Jamaree Bouyea and Caleb Daniels and signed Jon Elmore and Cheick Diallo. Following those roster moves, the HEAT waived Elmore and signed RJ Hampton to a Two-Way Contract.
More info ⬇️ https://t.co/VTZQC16M1B
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) September 27, 2023
In the wake of Lillard leaving the Trail Blazers for the Bucks in a three-team deal that was reported Wednesday, the Heat waived Jamaree Bouyea and Caleb Daniels and signed Cheick Diallo. They also waived Jon Elmore and signed R.J. Hampton to a two-way contract.
Diallo played last season overseas and has appeared in 183 NBA games, averaging 5.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per contest with the New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns and Detroit Pistons.
Hampton has played in 162 NBA games, including 47 last season split between the Pistons (21) and Orlando Magic (26). He is averaging 7.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists per outing in his NBA career, which also includes a stint with the Denver Nuggets.
Daniels signed a deal with the Heat last month after participating in Summer League games with them this offseason.
The parting with Bouyea can be considered somewhat surprising even though he appeared in only four games for the Heat last season. The 24-year-old drew rave reviews from teammate Orlando Robinson after a strong showing during Summer League play in Las Vegas, where he averaged 7.3 assists per game.
The Heat were linked to Lillard throughout this offseason after the 33-year-old requested a trade from the Trail Blazers almost three months ago. It was at times reported that Miami was Lillard’s only acceptable destination, but he wound up with the Bucks, where he will team with Giannis Antetokounmpo to create a formidable Eastern Conference obstacle for the Heat.
Miami may have a reasonable fallback, with Portland reportedly entertaining offers for Jrue Holiday, who was one of the pieces it acquired from Milwaukee in the Lillard deal that included the Phoenix Suns.
The trade of Lillard to the Bucks was so surprising it drew a claim of tampering from Heat star Jimmy Butler that has been seconded by teammate Tyler Herro.
The Heat reportedly lost out on several players this offseason while waiting for a resolution to their pursuit of Lillard. Now that they know that result, they are making moves on the fringes of the roster with NBA training camps about to open.
Miami may no longer be considered a strong championship contender after losing out on its preferred offseason target, but fans should remain confident that the Heat organization will do whatever is possible to put the best team on the floor that it can.
