The NBA next season will be full of changes ranging from a new, revamped, player-friendly schedule to new rules in the game to improve the flow of it. Earlier this offseason the NBA board announced that new time-out rules will be implemented next season to improve the pace of the game. And, along with new rules, the NBA had a major issue last season regarding the resting of players, and they hope that a more player-friendly schedule can minimize this practice.
Here are a few more updates on NBA free agency this offseason:
Winslow will stay another year with the Heat
The Miami Heat was amazing in the second half of the 2016-2017 NBA season. They almost made the playoffs but the poor start to their season was the main factor why they did not make it. Next season the Miami Heat are looking healthy and will continue where they left off last season. If Hassan Whiteside and Goran Dragic are healthy next season they have a huge chance of making the playoffs especially with the east getting substantially weaker. Ira Winderman of Sun Sentinel reported that the Miami Heat has picked up the team option of Justise Winslow for the 2018-2019 NBA regular season this offseason.
This move will make the Miami Heat's core and roster pretty stable and if they can stay healthy it is possible that the Miami Heat could be a serious contender for the eight spot in the east.
Justise Jon Winslow entered the NBA in the offseason of 2015 when he was drafted by the Miami Heat with the 10th overall pick. In his first season, he played very well, averaging 6.4 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 42.2 percent from the field and 27.6 percent from beyond the arc. His performance warranted him a spot on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. In his second season, he got more playing time with 34.7 minutes as compared to his rookie season with 28.6 minutes. Last season he averaged 10.9 points, 0.3 blocks, 1.3 steals, 3.7 assists and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 35.4 percent from the field, 20 percent from the three, and 61.7 percent from the free throw line.
Erik McCree joins the Miami Heat
RealGM reported that the Miami Heat has signed Erik McCree to a contract this offseason. Erik McCree is a 6-8 forward from Orlando Florida, he played a year in Murray State and three years at Louisiana Tech. He played a total of 123 games in college, 24 games for Murray and 99 for Louisiana. Now he has a chance to prove to the world that he can play at the NBA level.