The time has come when NBA teams can now sign free agents to 10-day contracts. Who should the Miami Heat look at?
A season ago, Tyler Johnson signed a 10-day contract with the Miami Heat. Then another one. Then, eventually, Johnson was signed for the balance of a tumultuous Heat season.
Johnson has grown, between then and now, into a reliable NBA role player. His development triggered the trade of long time point guard Mario Chalmers. He’s arguably Miami’s best 3-point shooter, an earnest defender and a hustle player. With Hassan Whiteside blowing up into a 7-foot phenomenon, Johnson sticking the landing on the NBA stage should not be overlooked.
January 5 marked the day in which NBA teams could begin signing free agents (including D-Leaguers) to 10-day deals. The Heat would have to clear space to add anyone to a 10-day contract. That could mean the end for someone like Jarnell Stokes (unless they can trade Beno Udrih to, say, the Brooklyn Nets, who are in need of a backup point guard with Jarrett Jack out for the season), should the Heat want to have a roster spot to play with.
For the sake of the exercise, let’s say they clear a roster spot. Who, then, should the Heat target for a 10-day contract? Let’s start with their own D-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
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