The Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors are two teams that have been lagging in terms of filling their 21-man training camp roster. However, that appears to be changing as the Heat and Warriors have made roster additions over the last few days. Both squads are also rumored to be looking to add another veteran player to a standard contract.
NBA Rumors: Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors Adding Players
Heat Make Flurry of Roster Moves
The Miami Heat were busy today. The Heat announced the addition of several players and now have 20 players under contract, with training camp still one-and-one month away. The Heat inked Justin Champagnie, Jamal Cain, Brandon McCoy, Caleb Daniels, and Alondes Williams on Friday. They previously had agreements with Drew Peterson and Cole Swider.
OFFICIAL: The Miami HEAT have signed center Brandon McCoy, forward Drew Peterson, forward Cole Swider, forward Justin Champagnie, guard Alondes Williams and guard Caleb Daniels. Following those roster moves, the HEAT waived McCoy and signed Jamal Cain to a Two-Way Contract.
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) August 11, 2023
Justin Champagnie
Champagnie signed an exhibit-10 deal with the Heat, meaning he will likely start the season with the G-League’s Sioux Fall SkyForce as an affiliate player. The 6-6 wing, who went undrafted out of Pitt 2021, has 42 games of NBA experience. While he spent most of last season with Sioux Falls, the 22-year-old made five appearances with the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors.
Champagnie played for the Celtics this summer. He produced one double-double and did an excellent job rebounding the ball on both ends. However, efficiency, ball-handling, and defense were an issue.
In four games in Las Vegas, Champagnie produced 13.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.0 blocks. He compiled a shooting slash line of .392/.304/.714 while draining 1.7 treys a game.
Jamal Cain
Cain finally signed his two-way restricted free agent offer after failing to secure a standard contract he sought. The 24-year-old forward spent time with Sioux Falls and Miami last season as he was on a two-way contract. He averaged 5.4 points and 2.9 rebounds while producing a shooting slash line of .561/.350/.773.
Cain had a pretty good summer league session. In six games, the 24-year-old forward compiled 15.5 points on 51.5% from the field and 38.1% from the 3-point line while making 1.3 treys a game. He scored in double-figures in five of the six contests.
Brandon McCoy
McCoy will likely begin the season with Sioux Falls as an affiliate player, as he was waived after signing an Exhibit 10 contract. After going under drafted out of UNLV in 2018, McCoy played two seasons with the G-League’s Wisconsin Herd. The 7-1 center then played a few years in Europe before returning to the G-League this past season with Sioux Falls. McCoy, 25, saw limited minutes with the SkyForce and didn’t see much action with the Heat’s summer league team.
Caleb Daniels
Daniels agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with the Heat. Known as a shooter at Villanova, the 6-4 guard made 41.7% of his 3-pointers during summer league play. Daniels averaged 4.8 points, 1.0 threes, and 1.2 rebounds in 14 minutes of action over five games while shooting 45% from the field.
Alondes Williams
While it is unknown whether Williams’ training camp deal has Exhibit 10 language, his G-League rights are owned by Sioux Falls after they acquired the 6-5 shooting guard from the Long Island Nets.
Williams signed a two-way contract with the Nets after going undrafted out of Wake Forest in 2022. The 6-4 guard, who made one appearance for Brooklyn last season, had a solid season for Long Island. In 35 appearances for Long Island, Williams averaged 12.3 points on 47.2 percent shooting, 4.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.0 steals.
Williams played for the Heat’s 2023 summer league squad in Las Vegas and Sacramento. He compiled 6.4 points on 47.6 percent shooting, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in five appearances. His best game came in the Vegas finale against Portland, where he scored 14 points on 5 of 7 shooting (2-3 3-pointers), four rebounds, four assists, and a steal.
Drew Peterson
Peterson’s deal with the Heat includes Exhibit 10 language. Peterson really impressed Miami during the summer league action. The 6-9 combo forward, who went undrafted out of USC, shot the ball exceptionally well. He played much better in Vegas than in Sacramento, particularly on the defensive end.
Cole Swider
Swider, who the Los Angeles Lakers waived at the end of July, signed an Exhibit-10 deal with the Heat earlier in the week. Swider went undrafted out of Syracuse in 2022 but latched on with the Los Angeles Lakers on a two-way deal for the 2022/23 season. While the 24-year-old forward spent most of last season with the Lakers G-League club, the South Bay Lakers, he had a seven-game stint with the Lakers.
Swider had an outstanding summer session for the Lakers. He averaged 15.2 points, 3.4 triples, and 5,7 rebounds while compiling a shooting slash line of .461/ .453/.929.
Swider is expected to compete for a spot on Miami’s 15-man roster during training camp. Miami has 13 players on standard contracts, with Orlando Robinson’s deal being nonguaranteed.
Golden State Warriors Add Jayce Johnson To Training Camp Deal, Schedule Workouts With Six Players
Golden State and rookie center Jayce Johnson have agreed to an Exhibit 10 training camp deal, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Johnson, who went undrafted out of Marquette in 2020, joined the G-League’s Santa Cruz Warriors last season after playing one campaign in Romania.
The Golden State Warriors are signing the NBA G League’s top rebounder Jayce Johnson on a training camp Exhibit 10 deal, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. The 7-foot center averaged nearly 6 PPG and 7 RPG in July Summer League, and will compete for a two-way slot in camp.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 10, 2023
The 26-year-old 7-foot center also played for the Warriors summer league squad. Johnson totaled 5.6 points, 6.8 rebounds (3.2 offensive), and 1.6 turnovers in 17 minutes over five games. He made 9 of 19 shots from the field.
Johnson is not very efficient on the offensive end. But he is an outstanding rebounder and solid rim protector. Johnson will be given a chance to earn a two-way contract with the Warriors, who still have to fill two of those spots. Lester Quinones occupies one of the Dubs two-way slots.
In other news, Golden State is expected to officially sign Javon Johnson and Jerome Robinson to Exhibit 10 contracts. So, it can be assumed that Javon Johnson will compete for one of the two-way slots.
Javon Johnson hooked on with the Warriors summer league team after going undrafted out of DePaul in 2023. The athletic 6-6 wing is a “3-D” prospect who struggled in six summer league appearances.
Robinson may not be eligible for a two-way contract but could be among the players competing for the final spot on the Warriors’ 15-man roster. The Dubs currently have 13 players on standard contracts.
Robinson, who has made 113 career NBA appearances, last played with the Washington Wizards in 2020-21. He spent the previous two seasons with Santa Cruz. The 26-year-old guard averaged 14.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists while compiling a shooting slash line of .463/.362/.929 in 24 G-League games in 2022-23.
Warriors Schedule Six Workouts
Golden State has invited six veteran players to work out at their practice facility for multiple rounds. The Athletic’s Reggie Slater reported that Dion Waiters, Tony Snell. Kent Bazemore, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Harry Giles, and Trey Burke are the players that will be involved over the next several days.
This is similar to a couple summers ago, which led Warriors to invite Avery Bradley (among others) to camp. They currently have two vacant roster spots and two two-ways available. An eventual camp competition is expected among several candidates. https://t.co/zrcdG4xqK6
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) August 9, 2023
Waiters has been out of the NBA since 2020 when he appeared in 10 games for the Heat and Lakers. The 32-year-old guard is a scorer who can make plays for others. Waiters has career averages of 13.1 points, 2.8 assists, and 1.4 threes while producing a slash line of .412/.346/.694. The eight-year pro did attend a minicamp with the Dallas Mavericks last summer.
Giles has been plagued by injuries throughout his career. The 25-year-old big man, who is very talented, has appeared in 142 NBA games, the last time being in 2020. Giles hasn’t played since an injury ended his 2021-22 campaign with the G League’s Agua Caliente Clippers in January 2022.
Snell was with the G-League Maine Red Claws last year. The 32-year-old guard has appeared in 601 NBA games, including 53 with the Portland Trail Blazers and New Orleans Pelicans in 2021-22.
Bazemore was out of basketball last season after being waived during training camp by the Sacramento Kings. The 34-year-old wing last played in 39 games for the Lakers in 2021-22.
Toscano-Anderson compiled 3.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 52 games for the Lakers and Utah Jazz last season.
Burke spent last season with the G-League’s Stockton Kings. The 30-year-old point guard, who is a former lottery selection, has appeared in 498 career NBA contests.
