The outlook for the Miami Heat looks murky these days just 15 months after they unexpectedly reached the NBA Finals for the second time in four seasons.
There are rumors that franchise player Jimmy Butler could get traded not too long from now, and the franchise has been unable to acquire its big-name trade targets over the last couple of years, including Donovan Mitchell and Damian Lillard.
Per Chris Haynes, free agent Nassir Little has agreed to sign with the Heat on a one-year contract.
Free agent wing Nassir Little has reached an agreement on a one-year deal with the Miami Heat, league source tells me. pic.twitter.com/w2hgdXD44d
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) September 23, 2024
Little, a 6-foot-6, 220-pound forward, played for the Phoenix Suns and averaged 3.4 points and 1.7 rebounds in 10.2 minutes a game last season after spending the previous four years with the Portland Trail Blazers.
He was originally the No. 25 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Blazers after playing one season of college basketball at the University of North Carolina.
The Heat were hoping to build on their success in the spring of 2023 last season, but injuries set them back and held them to a 46-36 finish.
They were able to win the play-in tournament and claim the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, but without Jimmy Butler, they couldn’t even compete with the Boston Celtics, who waxed them in five games.
The previous year, Miami had outlasted Boston in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals despite blowing a 3-0 series lead and having to win Game 7 in Beantown.
Butler can opt out of his contract next summer, and therefore Miami will have to figure out what path it wants to go on pretty soon.
