Last summer, the Miami Heat stole Cole Swider from the LA Lakers by bringing him aboard on a two-way contract. The pairing was short-lived after he departed recently to sign a non-guaranteed standard deal with the Indiana Pacers.
Swider appeared in 18 games for the Heat a season ago, averaging just 2.3 points, 0.4 rebounds and 0.3 assists in 4.8 minutes.
As Miami proved to be one of the most injury-stricken rosters in the league, the opportunity for Swider was there to step up. Injuries opened the door for players like Haywood Highsmith, Caleb Martin, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent over the years. Unfortunately, Swider didn’t seem to make the most of the brief opportunities he received.
There were some clear holes in his all-around game, mostly on the defensive end. He seemed to be a one-dimensional player that relied mostly on shooting ability. It has been clear that the Miami scouting department and staff are attracted to versatile players who can hold their own on defense.
Highsmith, for example, earned a regular rotation spot by impressing the Heat with point-of-attack defense. Initially seeing an unproven player make an impact on that end is encouraging, as more often than not the offense will come over time. Swider just simply couldn’t provide that impact.
There is no doubt that he could have impressed at training camp and potentially stole a two-way spot from Dru Smith. But Swider was offered a better deal from the Pacers for a standard roster spot. Good for him.
However, there’s a big reason why the Heat could regret letting him go this summer.
Cole Swider recently signed a deal with the Indiana Pacers, but the Miami Heat could regret losing such an elite outside shooter.
Swider established himself as a solid development piece with his outside shooting ability. Last season with the Skyforce, the undrafted wing was one of the G-League’s top three-point shooters. He shot 47.1% on 10 three-point attempts. To shoot that efficiently on such high volume is the best way to show how elite of a marksman he is.
During the Heat’s championship summer league run, Swider averaged 13.5 points on 49.1% from deep, including several clutch three-pointers. He was on a similar trajectory as Duncan Robinson and former Heat shooter Max Strus. Neither Robinson nor Strus were viewed as good defenders right away but developed other parts of their game over time.
If Swider received that same opportunity to progress in other areas, he could have wound up as the next undrafted success story. In a league where three-point shooting is a huge part of the game, elite snipers like Swider are valuable. If the Heat gave him a two-way or non-guaranteed deal like the Pacers did, he could have added some shooting insurance for a team that always needs it around Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
Robinson and Tyler Herro, the team’s best shooters, both suffered injury problems a year ago. Keeping Swider around could have provided some depth in that department.
As nice as it would have been to keep Swider around, his persistence to receive a standard deal made it unlikely he would remain in Miami. With the Heat’s tricky financial situation, they wouldn’t have been able to offer a standard deal without going over the second apron.
The Heat's financial and roster constraints made it difficult to keep Swider, and he deserves a chance to make a standard roster. But if he turns out to be the next elite three-point shooting specialist, the Heat could still regret letting him get away.