12:04pm: According to Jackson’s source, the Heat have not made a contract offer to Achiuwa due to their proximity to the luxury tax but expressed a possible interest in doing so in the future.
Jackson hears that Achiuwa “would welcome” a return to Miami, noting that the Nigerian big man still has a home in the area. The Heat will remain in contact with Achiuwa, who has received interest from “several other teams,” Jackson adds.
10:49am: The Heat have been engaged in ongoing discussions with free agent forward/center Precious Achiuwa, reports Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required). According to Winderman, Achiuwa is one of multiple big men the team has been in touch with as it considers ways to upgrade its frontcourt rotation.
As Winderman details, Bam Adebayo has expressed a desire not to play significant minutes at the five, but Miami doesn’t have many other established options in the middle, with second-year center Kel’el Ware and rookie two-way big man Vladislav Goldin among the only alternatives. Nikola Jovic and Keshad Johnson are other frontcourt candidates for the Heat, but both are somewhat undersized for the center spot.
Reports last month indicated that the Heat were considering free agent big men, including Kai Jones and Trey Lyles. Former Heat center Thomas Bryant also remains unsigned, Winderman notes, though the club’s level of interest in him is unclear.
While Miami currently has an open spot on its projected 15-man regular season roster, adding a 15th man on a minimum-salary contract would push the team’s salary over the luxury tax line. As a result, the front office has considered the idea of waiving Terry Rozier, Winderman writes.
Buyout talks with Rozier haven’t gained any traction, Winderman clarifies, but the guard’s $26.64MM salary isn’t quite fully guaranteed — Rozier’s partial guarantee is worth $24.92MM, so waiving him would generate about $1.72MM in extra cap flexibility, which would give the Heat enough room below the tax line to replace him with a new 14th man.
According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter links), the idea of cutting Rozier has been discussed “a lot” internally, but there are other pathways the Heat could take. Waiting until December, when a prorated veteran’s minimum contract would fit under the tax line, is one possibility.
Miami could also temporarily exceed the tax line by signing a 15th man now, then duck back below the tax by waiving Rozier on or before January 7, since his partial guarantee won’t increase at all by then. However, as Winderman points out, if Rozier were to suffer a season-ending injury, the Heat would be required to pay his full salary, which would mean they’d need to find another way to get out of tax territory.
Achiuwa, who will turn 26 later this month, began his career with the Heat as the No. 20 overall pick in 2020. He was sent to the Raptors as part of the Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade during the 2021 offseason and has spent the past season-and-a-half with the Knicks after being traded from Toronto to New York along with OG Anunoby in December 2023.
Achiuwa is a bit undersized for a center and isn’t a threat as an outside shooter, but he’s an athletic, high-energy player who rebounds well and is a versatile, switchable defender. In 57 games in 2024/25, he averaged 6.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 20.5 minutes per contest, with a .502/.278/.594 shooting line.