Miami Heat Finalizes Roster With Signing Of Guard Delon Wright
The move had been anticipated for the past two days following Wright”s buyout agreement with the Washington Wizards, allowing him to enter free agency on Friday. However, he needed to clear waivers before the Heat could sign him.
With the inclusion of Delon Wright, the Miami Heat”s roster has reached the NBA maximum of 15 players on standard contracts. Additionally, the team is currently carrying the maximum allowed three players on two-way contracts.
The 29-year-old guard, known for his defensive prowess and playmaking abilities, is expected to contribute to the Heat”s backcourt rotation.
Wright, a nine-year NBA veteran, has appeared in 494 career NBA games (84 starts) and averaged 7.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.22 steals and 20.8 minutes.
The Wizards bought out Wright on Friday and waived him. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on the same day that Wright intended to sign with Miami.
He received the prorated veteran’s minimum, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald tweets.
Wright, 31, had been with the Wizards since signing a two-year, $16MM contract with the club as a free agent in 2022. He appeared in 83 total games for Washington across those two seasons, averaging 6.1 points, 3.3 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 20.2 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .450/.350/.854.
Wright had an expiring $8.2MM deal prior to the buyout. After averaging 15.1 minutes per contest in his first 29 games this season, Wright logged just 18 total minutes in the Wizards’ first four games after the trade deadline, signaling that he was no longer part of their plans, so his buyout agreement didn’t come as a huge surprise.
The Heat were looking for point guard depth following Dru Smith‘s season-ending injury and the January trade sending Kyle Lowry to Charlotte.
The Heat had an open spot on their 15-man roster. Miami was permitted to sign Wright despite being over the first tax apron because his pre-waiver salary was less than this season’s non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($12.4MM).
