The Miami Warmth have agreed to a four-year, $62.4 million contract extension with third-year ahead Nikola Jović, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. Jović is coming off his finest season with the Warmth after being chosen twenty seventh general within the 2022 NBA Draft.

He completed final season averaging a career-high 10.7 factors on 37% from 3-point vary, although for the third consecutive yr he struggled to remain wholesome and was restricted to simply 46 video games. He is but to play at the very least 50 video games in a season throughout his profession, however when wholesome he is proven promise of being a top quality function participant subsequent to Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. Whereas he missed the final month of the common season, Jović was in a position to return for the playoffs, the place he put up 24 factors in Miami’s Sport 4 loss to the Cavaliers. Although it did not end in a win, it was an encouraging means for Jović to finish the season.

This contract exhibits a dedication from the Warmth in Jović’s improvement, and will imply a good greater function on a Miami workforce that may expertise its first full season with out Jimmy Butler within the 2020s after he was traded to the Golden State Warriors final season.

Whereas the Jap Convention will likely be as wide-open as ever on account of important accidents to the final two convention winners in Jayson Tatum (Celtics) and Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers), it is nonetheless tough to pin down precisely the place the Warmth stand coming into a brand new season. They’re going to already begin the season with a nasty break as Herro will likely be recovering from foot surgical procedure that’s anticipated to maintain him sidelined till at the very least November. His return may really be later than that, because the All-Star guard mentioned at Media Day that he’ll be again in 8-12 weeks, which on the newest would put him at a January return.

Regardless of Herro’s prolonged absence, Adebayo appears extremely assured in Miami’s probabilities of making one other shock run come playoff time, telling Andscape’s Marc Spears that “Individuals [are] going to name us loopy, however I believe we’re a contender.” Norman Powell additionally thinks the Warmth may shock some people this season, saying different groups ought to “worry” Miami.

“We will be actually good,” Powell mentioned. “One factor that individuals do not perceive or see is that you do not want a generational celebrity or expertise to be good to go and win a championship and have a deep playoff run,” Powell mentioned. “[You can have a deep playoff run] Having a well-rounded workforce with expertise with star gamers, which we have now in Bam and Tyler — and I see myself in addition to a budding star regardless that I am 32 now. However [it helps] having that have with Wiggins, guys which have received championships and know what it takes to achieve success.”

When wholesome, the Warmth can area a beginning lineup of Herro, Powell, Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins and Kel’el Ware. That is a reasonably strong unit, and bringing in Jović’s taking pictures off the bench, in addition to Terry Rozier’s scoring offers the Warmth a top quality seven-man rotation that may definitely problem for a top-six seed in a weakened Jap Convention.