Jul 2, 2022; San Francisco, CA, USA; Miami Heat guard Mychal Mulder (12) dribbles against Los Angeles Lakers guard Scotty Pippen Jr. (1) after a screen by center Orlando Robinson (59) during the third quarter at the California Summer League at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
The Heat front office may be spending time trying to acquire Kevin Durant, but these three Summer League players could crack the roster as well.
Miami is one NBA franchise that isn’t afraid to make a seismic deal to improve their hopes of winning another title. That’s why Kevin Durant is a name on the lips of virtually every Heat fan at the moment. He may be dominating summer headlines in South Beach, but the team’s savvy front office has their eyes focused on Summer League as well.
That’s because the Miami Heat could really benefit from finding a couple of key contributors to help their on-court product and potentially lower their luxury tax bill. If a couple of guys from the team’s Summer League roster can show they’re worth a regular-season roster spot it could really help the team’s bottom line.
Miami only projects to have two open roster spots at the moment, but that could change if a big trade materializes. Nonetheless, keep a close eye on the following three guys to fight it out to make the Opening Night roster.
Who could stick around from the Heat Summer League roster?
3. Mychal Mulder
Mulder is an electric athlete who leveraged those natural gifts into contracts with several teams during his professional career. He arrived in Miami on a two-way deal last season and has hopes of earning a better deal this season.
The former Kentucky standout’s relatively advanced age (28) is working against him at this stage of his career. He’s capable of soaking up garbage minutes for Miami in the regular season but it’s highly unlikely he’ll ever blossom into anything more. Keeping him on a two-way deal is the right move for the Heat unless roster spots open up in an unbalanced trade.