If Heat chase the guard Devin Carter after it clears itself refusal? In the mail article for subscribers only Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel notes that the team has a long history of signing the sons of former Heat players or “those whose parents had ties to the organization.”
This certainly applies to Carter, whose father Anthony Carter spent the first four of his 13 NBA seasons as a player in Miami and most recently served as an assistant coach for the Heat. Anthony is currently an assistant with the Grizzlies.
As Winderman points out, while Devin was seen as a promising prospect coming out of Providence a couple of years ago, he’s dealt with multiple injuries since being selected 13th overall in 2024, and now two teams — Sacramento and Atlanta — have decided they don’t want him on their rosters for 2026/27. The background information on those injuries plays an important role in the Heat’s evaluation of Carter, Winderman adds.
Here’s more on Heat:
- In the same story, Winderman notes that the Heat have both the roster and cap space to add Carter at No. 15 on the standard roster. However, they would be very close to their first apron if they were to add a player like Carter to a veteran’s minimum deal, and Winderman believes the best course of action is “prudence.” Heat has a center Nick Richards on a non-guaranteed transaction and Myron Gardner on a partially guaranteed contract, so it’s possible that the final few roster spots could look a little different before the season starts, depending on what happens in training camp and the preseason.
- When a reader suggested Heat wait until Pele Larson hits restricted free agency next summer to discuss a new contract, Winderman disagreed, writing that Larsson’s value could “soar” if he continues his upward trajectory in 2026/27. If the two sides can find an acceptable salary compromise, Winderman believes Miami would be better off extending Larsson now rather than waiting.
- In another story for The Sun Sentinel (subscriber link), Winderman compares the 2026 offseason — when the Heat traded for the Bucks superstar Janice Antecumba — and the current roster until the summer of 2004, when the Heat traded Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant and draft capital to the Lakers Shaquille O’Neal. The Heat reached the Eastern Conference finals in 2004-05, losing a seven-game series to Detroit, before overhauling their roster in the 2005 offseason, Winderman writes, and winning their first championship in 2006.
