Q: Ira, Jaime Jaquez Jr. regressed as much as any player this side of Terry Rozier, so why would the Heat pick up his option before seeing if he gets it? – Paul.
A: First, the deadline for such options is the end of October, so it’s not as if there was going to be an evaluation period of significance beyond the preseason. Plus, rookie-scale options are practically a formality, unless a player falls off the edge of the earth to a degree far more severe than what was the case last season with Jaime Jaquez Jr. Jaime’s option for 2026-27 is for $5.9 million, basically lower than any salary-cap exception. Plus, by picking up that 2026-27 option, it allows the Heat to either extend Jaime or make him a restricted free agent in 2027, able to match outside offers. For as uneven as Jaime was with his play last season, he remains not only an asset, but a cost-effective asset.
Q: Ira, you mentioned an extension for Nikola Jovic but only an option for Kel’el Ware. Why not lock in Kel’el, who already is a starter? – Matt.
A: Apples to oranges. Nikola Jovic was a 2022 first-round pick, therefore two years ahead of Kel’el Ware in the option/extension cycle. The Heat for now remain very much in control of Kel’el’s future, without having to commit to future money. In addition to this week picking up Kel’el’s $4.7 million option for 2026-27, the Heat a year from now can lock in their 2027-28 team option on Kel’el for $7.1 million. So unlike with the immediacy with Jovic and his extension window, an extension window for Kel’el likely won’t open until the 2027 offseason. Such is the value, from a team perspective, of the rookie scale.
Q: Did the Heat make a mistake not bringing back Thomas Bryant? – Al.
A: And yet another question I’m not sure I would actually ever see again in the mailbag. This came in the wake of Thomas Bryant on Tuesday signing with the Cavaliers. Actually, I thought Thomas could have made a degree of sense of the Heat, based on knowledge of the system and being a known quantity as a quality presence in the locker room. But with last season’s emergence of Kel’el Ware, Thomas recognized a limited Heat role going forward, with the Heat working with him on that trade with the Pacers. Still, with Kevin Love gone, Thomas could have helped round out this roster, possibly even more than the Heat keeping their eye on Precious Achiuwa. Frankly, Thomas Bryant over Keshad Johnson seemingly would have made sense for this current Heat roster construct that is lacking options at center.