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Heat keep two-way qualifying offer in place for Goldin; Herro puts Adebayo incident behind him
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- Heat keep two-way qualifying offer in place for Goldin; Herro puts Adebayo incident behind him
LAS VEGAS — When it comes to a two-way contract for the coming season, Miami Heat center Vlad Goldin remains in limbo, but also in control.
The Heat allowed their Monday deadline to pass without withdrawing the qualifying offer that has been in place for the former FAU Final Four center who went undrafted out of Michigan in 2024.
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What it means is that Goldin retains the right to accept a two-way contract from the Heat at any point, while also retaining the right to seek a standard deal elsewhere.
Two-way contracts pay half of the minimum salary of standard contracts, making the two-way salary for 2026-27 at $678,882.
Goldin currently has a $91,000 guarantee in place on his Heat qualifying offer, the largest guarantee allowed on a two-way deal.
Players on two-way contracts can be active for up to 50 of the regular season's 82 games, typically spending the remainder of the season in the G League. Players on two-way contracts are ineligible for the playoffs.
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Goldin appeared in nine games for the Heat last season, playing 24 minutes. In 24 appearances last season for the Heat's G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls (S.D.) Skyforce, the 7-footer appeared in 24 games, averaging 11.3 points on .608 shooting, 7.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots.
His play during the ongoing summer league largely has been uneven, coming off a Monday night performance in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers' summer roster when he shot 0 for 6 and closed with four points, eight rebounds, three blocked shots and three turnovers.
"This is all part of Vlad's development," summer-league coach Wayne Ellington, the Erik Spoelstra assistant, said after the loss to Cleveland that dropped the Heat to 1-2 in the Las Vegas NBA Summer League. "This whole summer league, this is all part of his development. He'll continue to get better."
Herro v. Adebayo
Prior to Monday night's game, former Heat captain Udonis Haslem, currently a player-development executive with the team, addressed Friday's scuffle between former Heat guard Tyler Herro and Heat captain Bam Adebayo, when Adebayo allegedly made contact with Herro.
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"I've talked to both of them," Haslem said. "I don't have any takeaway on it. I mean, I felt like it was blown out of proportion, felt like it was made bigger than what it was."
Haslem said he does not expect fallout from Adebayo's blow to Herro when the Heat play Herro's Milwaukee Bucks this coming season. Herro was dealt in the trade that landed the Heat Giannis Antetokounmpo.
"It's a lot of time that they'll have to figure things out before the season comes around," Haslem said.
Herro told ESPN he is moving on.
"Honestly, I'm just trying to move past all of it," Herro said. "I'm focused on Milwaukee and building something special. They obviously just traded the greatest player in their history, so we want to come in and help continue what they've been doing."
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Keshad update
Also making an appearance at Monday's game was unsigned forward Keshad Johnson.
Johnson, who did not receive a qualifying offer from the Heat ahead of free agency, said he would welcome a return, having had discussions with the team.
"If the opportunity presents itself," he said, "I for sure want to be (with the) Heat. For sure."
With roster space tight, one possibility could be Johnson returning on a two-way contract, an avenue allowed for players with three or fewer seasons of NBA experience.
"I'm open for whatever," he said.
The forward who went undrafted out of Arizona in 2024 before then immediately signing with the Heat, said he has spoken to several teams.
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"I've talked to a lot of teams all around the league," he said.
With his preference clear.
"I love the 305 forever," he said.
Gardner's wait
It turns out the ankle injury that sidelined Myron Gardner in the Heat's summer-league opener two weeks ago in San Francisco wasn't so minor.
Agent Jake Cohen said the swingman who was upgraded last season from a two-way contract to a standard deal is expected to need six to eight weeks to recover from the injury sustained July 3 against the summer roster of the San Antonio Spurs at the California Classic. Surgery is not required.
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Gardner has a $500,000 guarantee on his minimum-scale contract for next season.
The recovery period should have Gardner back on the court well in advance of the Heat's Sept 29 start of training camp.
More ailments
Gardner is one of several Heat players to deal with summer-league injuries.
Guard Ryan Conwell, the second-round pick out of Louisville, missed a second consecutive game Monday due to hip soreness, with a hope he can return before the Heat conclude summer league.
He last played when he scored 19 points in Friday's victory over the Bucks' summer roster.
Guard Trevor Keels, coming off Saturday's 32-point performance in the loss to the Orlando Magic's summer roster, sat out Monday due to knee soreness.
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Also sidelined Monday for the Heat was Meechie Johnson, the undrafted guard out of South Carolina, due to a calf issue.
The Heat return to action at the Las Vegas NBA Summer League on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET against the Toronto Raptors.
The Heat then will have one additional game to close out their summer schedule, on either Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
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