Miami Heat: 2018-19 NBA season preview

2018-19 Roster

Key additions: N/A

Key subtractions: Luke Babbitt (free agency), Jordan Mickey (free agency), Derrick Walton (free agency)

The Miami Heat had an unusually low amount of roster turnover this offseason. They were one of two teams without a pick in the first or second round of the draft. Free agency options were also limited, as nearly all of their core players were locked into multi-year deals.

Their biggest transaction was re-signing Wayne Ellington to a one-year, $6.3 million deal. An integral part of Miami’s dribble-handoff offense (they had the second highest dribble handoff frequency last season at 10.6 percent of all possessions, per NBA.com), Ellington shot an impressive 39.2 percent from 3 on 579 attempts. He even set a Miami Heat franchise record in the process:

To ensure his place on the the 15-man roster, Miami also converted Derrick Jones Jr.’s two-way contract to a standard, league minimum deal. Considering Miami’s past success with developing undrafted players like Tyler Johnson and Rodney McGruder, Jones serves as a solid end-of-the-bench developmental project. He could also provide spot minutes at the small forward position, a void Miami has struggled to fill at times.

The losses of Luke Babbitt, Jordan Mickey and Derrick Walton should have minimal impact at best. They struggled to find significant playing time on Miami’s deep roster.