The Miami Heat officially waived guard Terry Rozier on Friday to open up a roster spot before the Saturday deadline for NBA teams looking to add players before the start of the postseason. Rozier hasn’t played basketball since April 2025 after his involvement in a gambling scandal was made public, and he was brought under federal investigation.
The allegations against Rozier claim that he intentionally removed himself early from a Hornets game in March 2023, which led to over $200,000 being bet on Rozier’s under that game. As the case dragged on, the Heat were expected to waive Rozier before the end of the season since the start of the year. Now that he’s officially off the team, Miami has an open roster spot that they can use to add another guard for the postseason.
The Heat have a 41-39 record and are locked into the No. 10 seed. As they will play two must-win Play-In games to get into the Playoffs, the franchise can add a player right now as a potential option to deploy in the postseason. Let’s take a look at five players they could look at as a late-season roster addition.
1. Cam Thomas
One of the only free agents available to have played an NBA game as recently as March 2026, Thomas was a surprising late-season release from the Milwaukee Bucks, marking the second time he was released in two months. While that seems like a sign of how Thomas is viewed as a player in the NBA, it’d be foolish to ignore his offensive capabilities. He averaged 13.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists this season, but averaged 24.0 points just last season.
Thomas is an electric isolation scorer and could fit into the Heat’s offense for the Play-In Tournament off the bench. He’ll definitely struggle to adapt to Heat Culture, especially in terms of his defensive output, but there really isn’t a better offensive free agent option available on the market. The team hasn’t had any shortage of high-scoring performances, but it has had its offense jammed up by elite defenses. Thomas’ presence would give them a huge boost, especially in do-or-die Play-In games.
2. Malik Beasley
Malik Beasley was stuck in a similar situation as Terry Rozier, losing a multi-million contract offer from the Detroit Pistons last summer due to a federal gambling investigation. However, Beasley was cleared in the federal probe and has been eyeing a return to the NBA. Given that he was cleared in late February, it’s not surprising that he couldn’t find an NBA home and is currently playing in Puerto Rico.
Beasley is still one of the best three-point shooters in the world, averaging 39.1% from three for his career. He averaged 16.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists with the Pistons last season, shooting 41.3% from three on 9.3 attempts per game. He was a crucial cog in the team returning to the playoffs last season. His gambling probe is what caused the Pistons to sign Duncan Robinson away from the Heat, so it would make sense for the franchise to replace that shooting ability with someone as comparable as Beasley.
3. Spencer Dinwiddie
Spencer Dinwiddie hasn’t played in the NBA since last season. Despite making himself available to teams around the NBA, Dinwiddie had to transition to playing in Europe this season after no NBA interest. He saw guards like Cameron Payne find their way back to the NBA, and he will be hoping the same can happen with him. The Heat might have the perfect opportunity for the 33-year-old guard.
Dinwiddie has never been a high-level defender, but he has the size to be an effective combo guard. We have also seen him perform at a high-level in the Playoffs, averaging 12.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in the postseason over his career. He averaged 11.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists last season in the NBA, proving he can still have an impact as a bench scorer on most NBA teams. If the Heat are looking at guards to replace Rozier’s spot on the roster, Dinwiddie might be one of the best available options.
4. Brandon Boston Jr.
Brandon Boston Jr. is another player who lost his opportunity to play in the NBA, currently playing for EuroLeague team Fenerbahce in Turkey. Boston averaged 10.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists last season as a 35.0% three-point shooter. He’s averaged 7.5 points and 2.2 rebounds over his NBA career as a strong off-ball two-way swingman. He isn’t a traditional guard, but could be a multi-positional weapon for the Heat off the bench. It’ll be easier to work him into the rotation than any guard because he can thrive as an off-ball defender and a corner shooter.
Boston Jr. isn’t nearly as established as the other names on this list, but might be the best functional fit on the squad. He won’t shoot at as high a level as Beasley, but he’ll be a competent floor-spacer and someone who’ll play with strong defensive effort. Coach Erik Spoelstra knows how to get the maximum out of role players on the roster, with Boston fitting the archetype of one of those players who could have a career revival after a postseason opportunity for the Heat.
5. Lonzo Ball
Lonzo Ball’s remarkable NBA comeback after two years away from the sport was great to watch. Unfortunately, he had limited utility for the Cleveland Cavaliers this season, averaging 4.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.9 assists before getting traded and waived by the Utah Jazz. He definitely didn’t look comfortable offensively back on the NBA floor, but he had some great defensive moments in his minutes. He has a 112.1 defensive rating this season and could be a useful addition for the Heat for their postseason push.
It’ll be hard to work out how Ball can be an effective backup guard on the Heat at this point. However, it might be better if the Heat deploy him in a defense-oriented role where he can be used as a stationary shooter on the three-point line. It’ll be challenging to make it work, but Ball probably would be the best fit for ‘Heat Culture’ given the work-ethic he’s shown in returning to the court.
