Summer League play is already over for Heat forward Myron Gardner, Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes in a subscriber-only story. Gardner sprained his left ankle seven minutes into the team’s first game Friday in the California Classic and was held out for the rest of the competition. He has been sent back to Miami for treatment and won’t be available for the Las Vegas Summer League.
Gardner, 25, was a standout last summer, helping him earn a two-way contract with the Heat. He was promoted to a standard deal in mid-February and wound up playing 45 games (seven starts) while averaging 3.6 points and 2.7 rebounds in 9.1 minutes per night during his rookie season.
“It’s tough for him individually,” Summer League head coach Wayne Ellington said. “I felt like he was going to have a great Summer League. He’s been in the gym all offseason, working, grinding. So it’s tough, but it’s basketball. It’s part of it. And he’ll still get his opportunities to get out there on the floor and show his development and things that he’s worked on this summer so far.”
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Keshad Johnson didn’t receive a qualifying offer last month, but he was seen with Miami’s California Classic team in San Francisco, Chiang adds. There’s a possibility that Johnson could join the roster in Las Vegas, according to Chiang, but he didn’t practice with the team on Wednesday. An unrestricted free agent, the 25-year-old small forward is looking for an opportunity after spending his first two NBA seasons with the Heat.
Giannis Antetokounmpo won’t be wearing his trademark No. 34 with the Heat next season, Chiang states in a separate story. The team began selling Antetokounmpo jerseys with that number shortly after the trade was finalized on Monday, but found out seven hours later than he plans to change to No. 7. Fans who bought erroneous jerseys will be able to exchange them for the correct model. Second-round pick Ryan Conwellwho had been slated to wear No. 7, decided to switch to No. 4 after being notified by the team’s equipment staff. “I mean, Giannis, he gets whatever he wants. I’m just now coming into the league,” Conwell said. “So I got a lot of work to do and I’m trying to get to where he’s at.”
Contrary to earlier reports, Tim Hardaway Jr. will get to wear his father’s retired No. 10 after signing with the Heat in free agency, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. During an introductory press conference on Wednesday, the younger Hardaway said seeing the number in the rafters gave him a “superpower” when he came to Miami as a visiting player. He added that joining forces with Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo was an easy decision. “Once the call came, I think it was kind of a no-brainer,” Hardaway said. “It’s the right fit, not only for this franchise, but for me personally — especially when you have two guys out there that definitely need spacing for them to go out there and operate and do what they do best. My job here, it’s just to make their life easy and that’s to knock down shots.”
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