Forward Nikola Jovic says he’s happy to still be with the Heat after seeing his name pop up in trade rumors this offseason, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The 23-year-old Serbian says he “wasn’t really worried” about the speculation, but he’s excited to be back for a fifth season in Miami.
“I was happy that I stayed,” Jovic said after going through a workout on Wednesday in Las Vegas. “I thought I was probably not going to be here. But I’m really happy. Obviously, not only because I’m going to share the court and play with [Giannis Antetokounmpo], but I’m also happy that I’m going to be able to learn from one of the greatest power forwards ever. The way he lives, the way he treats basketball, and stuff like that.”
Jovic is coming off a disappointing fourth season in which he averaged 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists on .366/.269/.683 shooting in 47 games (17.2 minutes per contest). The 27th overall pick in the 2022 draft admits he struggled with motivation after signing a four-year, $62.4MM extension last October, but he’s determined to turn the page on 2025/26 and recently had a pair of impressive outings for the Serbian national team, Chiang notes.
“It’s good,” Jovic said of his play with the national team. “I think it builds your confidence back up a little bit. Like I always say, I know how good I am. I never didn’t believe in myself. But it’s always good to look good and play good for your country. It’s good to build my confidence back up a little bit.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- One benefit of the Heat’s extension with Andrew Wiggins is the two years that were tacked on look team-friendly, observes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Wiggins exercised his $30.2MM player option for next season and the extension will pay him a combined $33.8MM for the ’27/28 and ’28/29 seasons. The structure of Wiggins’ contract could make him an in-season trade candidate ahead of the February deadline, depending on how the team is performing to that point. Jackson also looks at the pros and cons of using part of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Tim Hardaway Jr., a durable and confident outside shooter who isn’t a great defender and hasn’t necessarily performed well in the playoffs.
- While he’s clearly no longer at his peak, the Heat still need LeBron James far more than he needs them, contends Chris Perkins of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Perkins argues the Heat would have much higher odds of making a deep playoff run if the 22-time All-Star is on the roster, but that’s true of his other suitors as well, and all of those clubs appear closer to a title than Miami.
- Free agent guard Trevor Keels holds no bitterness towards the Heat after the team decided not to give him a two-way qualifying offer last month, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Keels is playing for the Heat’s Summer League team after spending most of last season with their G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. “The last couple of Summer Leagues, I didn’t really get the opportunity to play. I was just kind of on the bench,” Keels said of summer time with the Knicks and Timberwolves. “So now that I get to play. I’m just going to show them what I can do. I’m going to earn a two-way back or earn a contract back. I don’t look into it as, you know, this team did me this way, did me that way. I love the organization. They do a good job of communicating. And I’m all in. They know I’m all in, and I’m going to do whatever it takes to get a contract or two-way.”
Source: www.hoopsrumors.com