The Heat did not let the opportunity to acquire the services of the most talented player of the recently concluded summer league pass them by and this Thursday, July 25, they announced that they signed shooting guard Josh Christopher to a two-way contract.
With all three two-way player spots already filled, Miami had to waive guard Zyon Pullin, who thus becomes a free agent.
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Christopher, who was named the MVP of the summer league championship game, helped Miami capture its first title in this event in Las Vegas.
The defenseman played in all six games, starting four, and averaged 19.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.8 assists in 25.9 minutes. He shot 54.1 percent from the field (52.5 percent from 3-point range) and a perfect 15-of-15 from the free-throw line.
In the tournament, Christopher scored in double figures on five occasions and recorded four 20-point games, including a 20-point fourth quarter on July 15 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
He finished the summer league with a +68 plus/minus differential.
The Heat’s new two-way player was selected in the first round at number twenty-four overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2021 NBA Draft. He spent last season in the G League between the Salt Lake City Stars and the HEAT affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Christopher appeared in 18 regular-season games (seven starts) for the Skyforce and averaged 15.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.39 steals, and 27.4 minutes while shooting a team-high 43.9 percent from the field and 90.5 percent from the foul line.
He also had multiple steals in five games and scored in double figures in 12, including a season-high 40 points and 10 rebounds on March 19.
Meanwhile, Pullin, who originally signed a two-way contract with Miami on July 1, appeared in all 6 games (one start) in Las Vegas and averaged 5.3 points, 1.7 assists, and 1.0 rebounds in 11.9 minutes.
Christopher now joins Keshad Johnson and Dru Smith as players on two-way deals, arguably one of the best trios in the NBA.
The Heat currently have a payroll of $186,810,316 million with 14 players on regular contracts, above the $140,588,000 million salary cap and the luxury tax limit set at $170,814,000 million, although below the second tier of the apron of $188,931,000 million for the 2024-25 season.
With the signing of Christopher, the Heat have cleared up some doubts and practically finalized their roster for the upcoming season, hoping to have enough to fight for the title, despite not having signed any stars this summer.
The starting five should consist of Terry Rozier, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Nikola Jovic, and Bam Adebayo.
The second unit would start with Josh Richardson, Duncan Robinson, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kevin Love, and Kel’el Ware.
Pelle Larsson, Alec Burks, Haywood Highsmith, and Thomas Bryant would be left in the reserves, plus the two-way players.
Now all that is needed, as their president Pat Riley wants, is for their health to be on their side so that they can go even further.
