Miami Heat sign Derrick Walton Jr. to a two-way contract

The Miami Heat have signed a point guard, and a skilled 3-point shooter, to one of its two-way contracts, the team announced.

Today’s NBA demands 3-point shooting, and the Miami Heat are loading up. On the same day the Heat announced the signing of Matt Williams, they also signed guard Derrick Walton Jr. to a two-way contract, the team announced. Both are skilled 3-point shooters.

Walton Jr. appeared in four summer league games with the Magic in Orlando and averaged 10 points, 3.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds in 20.5 minutes while shooting 46.9 percent (15-of-32) from the field and 50 percent (6-of-12) from 3-point range–the third-highest clip at Orlando summer league among players with a minimum of 10 attempts.

At the University of Michigan, Walton Jr. appeared in 127 games, becoming the only player in program history to record at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists. He shot 40.1 percent from 3-point range during his collegiate career.

Walton Jr. helped lead Michigan to the 2017 Big Ten Championship and was named the Big Ten Tournament MVP. During the NCAA Tournament, the Wolverines made it as far as the Sweet 16, defeating No. 2 Louisville to get there.

Walton Jr. went undrafted despite his prolific collegiate career, partly because of his size. Listed at 6-foot, he measured in at 5-foot-11 without shoes at the combine. Recently, however, smaller guards have been able to carve out a role for themselves. Namely Phoenix’s Tyler Ulis and Dallas’ Yogi Ferrell.

While competing in Orlando, he made an impression on the Magic’s coaching staff. Per the Orlando Sentinel’s Josh Robbins:

"“I love everything about him,” said Chad Forcier, the Magic’s lead assistant coach. “I don’t care if he’s 6-5 or 5-5. I like the way he plays the game. He’s a competitor. He’s fearless. He’s very skilled. He plays both ends of the court. I’m a fan”"

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The Heat haven’t shied away from smaller players in the past. They took chances on Tyler Johnson and Rodney McGruder that paid off.

Walton Jr. will play on a two-way contract, which was introduced by the league this season to provide each team with two additional roster spots that can be used on players who will play at both the developmental league (the G-League) and NBA level. Players on two-way deals can appear in a maximum of 45 NBA games, and can get paid up to $275,000 in a season.

Therefore, Walton Jr. will spend most of his time playing for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat’s G-League team.

He could also be a valuable insurance policy in the event of an injury to Goran Dragic. The Heat don’t have a true backup point guard, and Walton Jr. could be called up to play some minutes if Dragic has to miss some time.

Next: Heat sign 3-point specialist Matt Williams

The Heat also announced the signing of former University of Central Florida guard Matt Williams. Like Walton Jr. Williams is also a skilled 3-point shooter. With Dragic and Dion Waiters locked into long-term deals, the Heat are built as a drive-and-kick offense. Clearly, they believe they can use all the spacing they can get.