Nassir Little is taking his talents down to South Beach. As reported by Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Nassir Little signed a 1-year deal with the Miami Heat for the 2024-25 NBA season. Little, who last played for the Phoenix Suns, has signed for a currently undisclosed fee, and will presumably report to training camp next week.
Nassir Little is coming off a middling season with the Phoenix Suns. Playing a small role coming off the bench, Little averaged 3.4 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.5 assists while playing about 10 minutes a game for the Suns. Little seemed to contribute well with the minutes he was given, but he isn’t a player that will excite Heat fans in a big way.
A late first-round pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Little played for the Portland Trail Blazers for the first four years of his career, where he seemed to show signs of promise alongside Damian Lillard. By the 2021-22 season, he looked like he was preparing to take a leap, having come off his best season with the franchise.
In the 2021-22 NBA season, Little averaged 9.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game, and was rewarded with a four-year, $28 million contract extension by the Blazers. But an injury the following year would halt his development, and would also spell the end of his Blazers tenure.
Little would be sent to the Phoenix Suns as part of the bombastic three-team trade that sent Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks. Little would be a valuable wing player, but not get many minutes due to the stacked trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal all needing their minutes stuttered during a game.
Perhaps Little can help the Heat, if he is given more of a role on the team. Considering the nature of the roster, and head coach Erik Spoelstra’s ability to get the best out of his players, this move could very well pay off in the long run for the Heat.
Is The Jimmy Butler Era Over For The Heat?
While Little might be joining the Heat to play with Jimmy Butler, he may not get more than one year with him. There has been a lot of speculation over Jimmy Butler’s future with the Miami Heat. Butler is entering the final year of his contract, and there have been no talks about any extension between the two sides as of yet.
Butler is open to staying with the Heat but wants one final big payday. However, Heat president Pat Riley made some harsh comments about him earlier this year, and perhaps he might make the call to move on from Butler, who turns 36 next year. If that is the case, it would make sense to trade Butler and get something in return rather than letting him walk for free.
One of the teams mentioned as being interested in Butler is the Golden State Warriors, who could target him as either a trade piece or as a free-agency signing next year. Given the time left on his contract, the Warriors wouldn’t have to lose many assets to land the former All-Star in any trade.
The Brooklyn Nets are another team that has been linked with Butler. The Nets are entering a rebuild, and are expected to get a high lottery pick in next year’s stacked NBA Draft. Butler, from reports, likes the Nets and would be open to signing with them. His future is one to definitely keep an eye on.
