Miami Heat's Roster Decisions: Will John Konchar Join the Contender?

The Miami Heat didn’t just tweak around the edges this summer. They detonated the old version of themselves.

A 10th-place finish in the Eastern Conference forced the issue. The response: trade for two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, lure four-time champion Klay Thompson, and rebuild a frontcourt that had grown thin and predictable. This is not a soft reset. It’s a franchise betting big that its window is right now.

Somehow, there’s still one decision left to make.

Heat’s last roster card: John Konchar

With the heavy lifting done and the payroll pressed up against the first apron, Miami sits $2.5 million below its hard cap and holds one open roster spot. It’s a small sliver of flexibility, but in a title chase, the 15th man can matter.

That’s where John Konchar enters the conversation.

NBA insider Brett Siegel reported that Miami had “real trade interest” in Konchar while he was with the Memphis Grizzlies. His situation has shifted since then, but the Heat’s calculus may not have.

“Miami has an open roster spot and are $2.5M below their first apron hard cap. Wouldn’t be surprising if Miami still held interest in Konchar,” Siegel wrote, tying past interest to a present opportunity.

Konchar, 28, signed a three-year, $18.495 million deal with Memphis in 2024, an agreement that averages $6.165 million annually and was set to run through 2026-27. He carved out a role as a do-a-bit-of-everything wing: 4.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists last season, with career numbers suggesting a respectable 34.9% shooter from three.

The problem? Last year that shooting touch deserted him. He dipped to 28.3% from beyond the arc, a number that jumps off the page for any team built around spacing.

Even so, Konchar’s name has resurfaced after a flurry of movement. Shams Charania reported that the Minnesota Timberwolves are sending Josh Green and cash to the Utah Jazz for Cody Williams and Konchar. Minnesota is expected to waive and stretch Konchar’s guaranteed salary to clear room for Jonathan Kuminga’s two-year, $12.4 million contract, a move that required offloading Green’s $14.7 million number.

If that stretch-and-waive scenario unfolds as anticipated, Konchar suddenly becomes a free agent with playoff experience, positional size and a track record as a connective piece. That’s exactly the kind of profile that tends to catch Pat Riley’s eye.

The question for Miami is simple: does his all-around utility outweigh the recent shooting slump on a roster now built to punish defenses from deep?

A transformed frontcourt for Spoelstra

Whatever Miami does with that final spot, Erik Spoelstra will walk into camp with a frontcourt unlike any he has coached in South Florida.

Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo give the Heat one of the most physically imposing interior tandems in the league. Two elite defenders. Two playmaking bigs. Two players who can tilt a playoff series almost on force of will.

Then comes the muscle behind them.

Bobby Portis arrives as an experienced big who can rebound, bring edge and stretch the floor. Nick Richards, signed on a one-year, $3.1 million deal, offers something closer to a traditional center: size, rim protection, vertical spacing, a straightforward role behind Adebayo.

Richards averaged 5.8 points and 5.1 rebounds last season with the Phoenix Suns and Chicago Bulls. Across 305 career games, he has posted 7.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 17.6 minutes per night. Those aren’t headline numbers, but they’re the kind of steady production Spoelstra has long valued from his reserve bigs.

Miami can now toggle looks. A classic two-big setup with Richards or Portis. A switchable, suffocating front line with Antetokounmpo and Adebayo. Or smaller, shooting-heavy lineups that orbit around their two-time MVP’s drives and post touches.

Shooting around the stars

The perimeter has been retooled with equal intent.

Thompson, even in the later stages of his career, still commands gravity. He hit 38.3% from three last season with the Dallas Mavericks, and his mere presence reshapes defensive schemes. Defenders don’t help off Klay. They stay glued, and that space is oxygen for Antetokounmpo and Adebayo.

Portis, Andrew Wiggins, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Davion Mitchell all arrive with strong three-point percentages of their own. It’s a clear through-line in Miami’s offseason: surround the new star duo with players who can knock down open looks and punish any attempt to crowd the paint.

That’s where Konchar’s profile becomes so delicate. On paper, his career 34.9% from deep fits the blueprint. Last season’s 28.3% does not. His rebounding from the wing, his passing and his ability to plug gaps on both ends are appealing. But on a roster now constructed to stretch defenses to breaking point, every non-shooter stands out.

Miami’s front office must decide whether they believe in the larger sample of Konchar’s career or fear the most recent trend.

One spot, one statement

The Heat have already made their big bet by bringing in Antetokounmpo and Thompson and fortifying the frontcourt. The last roster slot won’t define the season, but it will say plenty about how this team wants to play at the margins.

Do they chase another shooter? A defensive specialist? Or a versatile, low-usage veteran like Konchar who can rebound, move the ball and survive in multiple lineups if the jumper returns to form?

The clock is ticking toward training camp. Miami has its stars, its size and its spacing. Now it has to decide which kind of role player gets the final seat on a contender’s bench.