Miami Heat centers Bam Adebayo and Orlando Robinson (25) practice drills during an NBA basketball training camp,
MIAMI — The competition is about to be put on public display for the Miami Heat.
Monday night, there is the team’s annual Red, White & Pink intrasquad scrimmage at Kaseya Center that benefits cancer research.
Tuesday night, the Heat return to Kaseya Center for the first of the five exhibitions on their preseason schedule, facing the Charlotte Hornets.
After a week of closed-door sessions at Florida Atlantic University, clearer insight could be gained on where the Heat are headed with their NBA-maximum 21-player preseason roster.
“We want to get guys into rhythm, right away,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We want to start to get a framework of what a rotation will look like. I doubt it will be all determined, even by the last preseason game.
“I want to look at some of these guys and also reward them for the work they’re putting in, this summer and training camp.”
But first it is important to appreciate the math:
— By Oct. 23, the Heat must cut down to no more than 15 players on their standard roster and no more than three players under two-way contracts;
— With 13 players currently under standard contract, the Heat will face a decision on how many such contracts to carry. Once the season starts, teams cannot go with as few as 13 players on standard deals for longer than 28 total days, including no longer than any 14-day stretch. Once such limits are reached, the NBA requires signing a 14th player to a standard deal;
— Based on their position against the hard salary cap, if the Heat open the season with a full complement of 15 players under standard contract, they would move above the NBA’s punitive second luxury-tax apron, which then limits certain types of personnel machinations. For that reason, it is likely the Heat go most of the season with no more than 14 standard contracts, even then with luxury-tax concerns with that 14th standard contract;
— However, if a team is not carrying a full complement of 15 standard contracts, then the number of eligible games for players on two-way contracts are reduced. At 15 players, the Heat would be allowed to have two-way players on game-night active rosters 150 nights (the 50-game limit per player). Below 15 on the standard roster, that 150 is reduced.
As for positional and rotational battles, Spoelstra, as could be expected, hardly is tipping his hand, and likely will not offer true clarity until far closer to the Oct. 25 regular-season opener against the visiting Detroit Pistons.
“What will my rotation be? I have no idea at this point,” he said during training camp. “It’s highly competitive. I think we’re deeper than we were last year. So guys are fighting and competing.
“We’re not really talking about the rotation, or that kind of thing yet. I have some time. Not a lot of time. But we’ll figure it out. We’ll figure it out for game one. We’ll have a rotation. And then I’ll be ready to adjust as necessary throughout the course of the year.”
For now, further inspection will come during Monday’s public scrimmage, the five exhibitions, and the work on the practice court in between.
“It’ll inform us. And then the regular season will inform us,” Spoelstra said of his rotation plans. “It doesn’t mean that’s what it’ll be all year long. We’ll adjust, if necessary. If we don’t need to adjust, then we’ll keep with the plan.”
In the interim, questions remain.
Job certainty: The 13 players under standard contact are Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Caleb Martin, Kyle Lowry, Kevin Love, Josh Richardson, Duncan Robinson, Haywood Highsmith, Thomas Bryant, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic and Orlando Robinson.
All but Orlando Robinson are fully guaranteed, but even he would appear to have roster security under a standard deal, because of the Heat’s position against the salary cap and luxury tax.
The two-way deals: Jamal Cain, Dru Smith and A.J. Hampton currently hold the Heat’s three two-way contracts.
Such deals, which pay half the standard minimum salary and allow for up to 50 games on the active roster, can be subbed out at any time.
The 14th standard contract: The Heat could promote one of the two-way players to a standard deal to fill the 14th spot on the standard roster and then offer the vacated two-way deal to one of the remaining five players on camp tryout contract.
Another option could be to promote a tryout candidate to the standard roster without a guarantee, thereby maintaining roster flexibility and not risking the status of a player currently on a two-way deal (if a current two-way player is moved to a standard deal, he then would have to clear waivers should the Heat opt to return such a player to a two-way contract).
The hopefuls: Currently under tryout contracts are Cole Swider, Drew Peterson, Justin Champagnie, Alondes Williams and Cheick Diallo.
Swider and Peterson could be the next featured shooter in the Heat’s Duncan Robinson, Max Strus developmental lineage.
Champagnie and Williams would offer athleticism and defense on the wing.
Diallo would add bulk to a power rotation somewhat lacking in that aspect.
The Heat’s 14th roster spot also could be culled from another roster at or after the Oct. 23 5 p.m. NBA cut-down deadline.
