Confirming that the Heat have interest in John Konchar, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald cites a league source who says the team has internally discussed whether to make the free agent wing a contract offer.
As Jackson details, the Heat have spoken to Konchar’s representatives about the idea of having him come to training camp and compete for a roster spot with Myron Gardner, whose minimum salary is only partially guaranteed for $500K. Konchar would reciprocate the Heat’s interest but might be waiting for a guaranteed contract offer, Jackson explains.
Jackson suggests that the Heat may be willing to offer Konchar a non-guaranteed deal that would become fully guaranteed if he makes the opening night roster, which would be similar to the contract Nick Richards signed with the team. While a source who spoke to the Herald was “very skeptical” about the idea of Konchar accepting a non-guaranteed offer, that source didn’t rule out the possibility.
Miami currently has 11 players on guaranteed standard contracts, while a 12th player – Pelle Larsson – is a lock to make the regular season roster. Gardner and Richards don’t have fully guaranteed salaries and the Heat have enough room below their first-apron hard cap for a 15th man, so those back-end roster spots could undergo some changes before opening night. According to Jackson, the idea of keeping the 15th spot open until closer to the trade deadline “holds some appeal” within the organization.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
New Bulls guard Norman Powell may have created the impression that he was second-guessing the Heat’s offseason roster decisions when he spoke last month about how the team’s cap situation made it impossible to re-sign him. However, Powell stressed during a recent appearance on a YouTube stream that he thought Miami made “good moves” over the summer, singling out the additions of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Klay Thompson. “They got some dawgs,” Powell said, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “Shout out my man D-Mitch (Davion Mitchell), ‘Off Night,’ and Bam (Adebayo). They’re gonna be good. I’m excited to see how it all comes together.”
Previewing the Bulls’ backcourt for 2026/27, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times writes that Powell’s presence has been “beyond positive already” and suggests the veteran may be just as important off the court as on it for a young Bulls team. Cowley adds that former No. 8 overall pick Rob Dillingham has spent time working out with Powell this offseason and is determined to take a step forward after struggling in his first two NBA seasons.
Tyler Kolek has averaged just 9.9 minutes per game in his first two seasons with the Knicks and it’s unclear whether a larger role will be available for him in 2026/27. Still, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Post relays, Kolek is hoping to show this fall that he deserves a spot in the team’s rotation, indicating that he’s focused on being aggressive when given opportunities to play. “Early on in the (2025/26) season, I was finishing at a high level. And then later on in the year, I was getting in there, maybe I was looking a little too passive,” the third-year guard explained. “So just looking for my shot, being more aggressive in the paint, and then that opens everything else up. Having the defense collapse, and then finding sprays for our guys.”