Should the Heat pursue guard Devin Carter after he clears waivers? In a subscriber-only mailbag article, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel observes that the team has a long history of signing the sons of former Heat players or “those whose parents have had ties with the organization.”

That certainly applies to Carter, whose father Anthony Carter spent the first four of his 13 NBA seasons as a player in Miami and more recently spent time as a Heat assistant coach. Anthony is currently a Grizzlies assistant.

As Winderman observes, while Devin was viewed as a promising prospect coming out of Providence a couple years ago, he has dealt with multiple injuries since he was selected 13th overall in 2024 and now two teams — Sacramento and Atlanta — have decided they didn’t want him on their rosters for 2026/27. The background information on those injuries figures to play an important role in the Heat’s evaluation of Carter, Winderman adds.

Here’s more on the Heat:

• In the same story, Winderman notes that the Heat have both the roster and cap space to add Carter to the 15th spot on their standard roster. However, they’d be very close to their first-apron hard cap if they add a player like Carter on a veteran’s minimum deal, and Winderman thinks the best course of action is “prudence.” The Heat have center Nick Richards on a non-guaranteed deal and Myron Gardner on a partially guaranteed contract, so it’s possible the final few roster spots could look a little different before the season begins, depending on what happens in training camp and the preseason.
• When a reader suggested the Heat should wait until Pelle Larsson hits restricted free agency next summer to discuss a new contract, Winderman disagreed, writing that Larsson’s value could “skyrocket” if he continues on an upward trajectory in 2026/27. If the two sides can find an agreeable salary compromise, Winderman believes Miami would be better off extending Larsson now rather than waiting.
• In another story for The Sun Sentinel (subscriber link), Winderman compares the 2026 offseason — when the Heat traded for Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo — and the team’s current roster to the summer of 2004, when the Heat traded Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant and draft capital to the Lakers for Shaquille O’Neale. The Heat made the Eastern Conference finals in 2004/05, losing a seven-game series to Detroit, before overhauling their roster in the 2005 offseason, Winderman writes, and winning their first championship in 2006.