Miami Herald Sports Summer league star Josh Christopher was signed to a contract by the Miami Heat. Christopher’s two-way contract was officially confirmed by the Heat on Thursday.
To clear space for Christopher to sign, Miami released guard Zion Pullin from his two-way deal. With Christopher replacing Pullin, the Heat now have Keshad Johnson, Dru Smith, and Christopher occupying its three two-way contract slots. Three players on two-way contracts can only be signed by NBA teams at a time.
Players on two-way contracts are eligible to play in 50 regular-season games for their NBA team but are not eligible for the playoffs. Two-way contracts pay half of the NBA rookie minimum and are not subject to the salary cap or luxury tax. There is no effect on a team’s salary cap when switching out two-way contracts. Following an outstanding summer league campaign, 6-foot-4 guard Christopher, weighing 215 pounds, was awarded a two-way contract.
Christopher was averaging 19.3 points, three rebounds, 1.8 assists, two steals, and 54.1 percent from the field, 21 of 40 (52.5 percent) from three-point range, and 15 of 15 (100 percent) from the foul line in the Heat’s six-game run to the Las Vegas Summer League championship. The team-high 24 points he scored on 6-of-10 three-point shooting in Monday’s title-clinching victory over the Memphis Grizzlies earned him the MVP award for the Las Vegas Summer League final game. The Heat summer league head coach Dan Bisaccio responded to a question regarding Christopher’s performance in Las Vegas earlier this week by saying, “This is a microcosm of all the work that he is done behind the scenes.” Many of those are what are referred to as the “unseen hours,” which you spend working with a strength coach or working alone in the gym late at night.
Having been taken in the first round of the NBA Draft just three years prior, Christopher, who is still only 22 years old, has potential. Twenty-fourth overall in 2021, he was selected by the Houston Rockets.
With their announcement on Thursday, the Heat demonstrated their commitment to spending more time working with Christopher. On the other hand, he has previously spent a few months in the team’s development program. Following his season-ending stint with the Heat’s G League team, Christopher started practicing with Heat coaches in Miami in May in anticipation of his summer league opportunity. Though the Heat have been focusing on improving Christopher’s three-and-d skills, he is well-known for his ability to score. He shot over 50% from long range and totaled 12 steals in six games in Las Vegas during the summer league, demonstrating his progress in both areas.
When Christopher helped the Heat win the Las Vegas Summer League, he remarked, “I have been able to play basketball for a long time.” Nevertheless, I believe that whole Heat culture thing has only made me better. In all honesty, I do not believe I have ever played a finer run of games than this one. How was Christopher tested by the Heat while he was working out of season? They advised me to focus on defense rather than offense at initially, he claimed, challenging him more on the defensive end. Hence, I made an attempt to hang my hat on security. Since I was not concerned about it, I believe that has really improved my ability to play offensively.
As a first-round pick of the Rockets, Christopher had a circuitous journey to get to this point in his basketball career: he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, waived by them, signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz, and was later waived by the Jazz in January. Through his first two seasons of professional play, Christopher made 138 appearances (four starts) in NBA regular-season games. In three of the six NBA games, he scored 20 points or more. He also played more than 30 minutes in each of the other six times. Yet, in his third NBA season, Christopher participated in 23 G League games but did not play in any NBA games last season. He started the previous season with the Salt Lake City Stars, the Jazz’s G League affiliate, then went halfway through to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat’s G League club.
After meeting Christopher in May, Bisaccio remarked, “He showed up with a willingness to just do whatever is necessary.” Being selected in the first round indicates that he had several opportunities. Sadly, he joins the G League after that, and we were quite lucky to be able to sign him. ‘What can I do to get better?’ he exclaimed upon arriving in Sioux Falls with [coach Kasib Powell]. In what way may I influence the game?Consequently, I think highly of him. ‘Well, I am a first-round draft pick,’ he might have easily announced. This or that is what I should be doing. Perhaps there was something wrong with this that I did not realize. We will keep challenging him because he demonstrated a commitment to develop and improve. Pullin’s stint with the Heat on a two-way contract came to an end too soon.
After being selected undrafted out of Florida last month, Pullin inked a two-way contract with the Heat shortly after. In his six games during the Las Vegas Summer League, Pullin averaged just 5.3 points, one rebound, 1.7 assists, and 0.2 steals per game. In the final four games in Las Vegas, Isaiah Stevens began ahead of Pullin, who had started as the Heat’s starting point guard at the beginning of summer league. After the Heat terminated Pullin on Thursday, he became an unrestricted free agent. WHERE THE CURRENT HEAT ROSTER IS LOCATED Currently, 18 players are on the Heat’s preseason roster.
The following fourteen players have been signed by the Heat to regular contracts for the upcoming campaign: Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier, Duncan Robinson, Haywood Highsmith, Kel’el Ware, Kevin Love, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Josh Richardson, Nikola Jovic, Thomas Bryant, Alec Burks, and Pelle Larsson. Although the Heat’s regular roster is still one player short of the 15-player maximum allowed by NBA rules, the team’s salary-cap shortage is projected to force it to start the 2018 regular season with 14 players on normal agreements. The Heat do not have enough space beneath the punitive second apron to add a 15th player to a regular contract unless a trade is made to alter the salary cap calculation.
Smith, Johnson, and Christopher are the three Heat players on two-way contracts.
Also signed to an Exhibit 10 contract by the Heat is Stevens, a Colorado State product who went undrafted last month despite showing promise in summer league play. With an Exhibit 10 contract, which is essentially an invitation to training camp, Stevens is the only player the Heat currently have signed. Teams are also prevented from signing players by Exhibit 10 contracts. To make a decision on whether to move Stevens to a standard or two-way roster position or waive him, the Heat have until the day before the regular season begins. Cole Swider and Alondes Williams are among the other Heat standouts from the summer league who are still unsigned and might receive an NBA contract. Williams and Swider both had two-way contracts with the Heat at the end of the previous season, and now they are free agents.
A team that plays in the NBA summer and preseason may have up to 21 players under contract. To begin with, rosters must be reduced to a maximum of eighteen players (15 on conventional contracts and 3 on two-way contracts). Prior to starting training camp on October 1st, 2024–25, the Heat are planning to host their yearly media day on September 30th.