Veteran NBA three-point ace takes coaching role with Heat
13-year veteran Wayne Ellington, whose last NBA stint came with the Lakers in 2021/22, has joined the Heat as a player development coach, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Ellington will replace Anthony Carter, who left Miami to join the Grizzlies a couple months ago.
Ellington, 35, hasn’t officially retired, but the fact that the longtime shooting guard is joining Miami’s coaching staff means his playing days might be coming to a close.
According to Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press, Ellington was considering continuing his career in a front office role, but the Heat offered him a job as a coach and he accepted it. The team just made the announcement, but Ellington has already been acting in an official capacity for several weeks, Reynolds adds.
The 28th overall pick of the 2009 draft, Ellington played in 770 regular seasons games (20.9 MPG) for nine teams during his career, averaging 8.0 PPG and 2.1 RPG while shooting 38.2 percent from three-point range. He had his most productive seasons during his tenure with the Heat from 2016-19, averaging 10.5 PPG as a shooting specialist (38.4 percent from deep on high volume).
Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald explore what’s next for the Heat after they were unable to trade for Damian Lillard, who landed with the Bucks in a three-team blockbuster. As the author’s note, the Heat will have to fill their 14th standard roster spot before the season starts — they currently only have 13 players on standard deals, including Orlando Robinson‘s partially-guaranteed salary.
First-round pick Jaime Jaquez was involved in the Lillard trade rumors and he admits he heard the speculation, he told Chiang of The Miami Herald. “I won’t lie, at first it was in the back of my head,” Jaquez said earlier this week. “Like what’s going to happen? Am I going to leave? You never know. But as we moved on and time went on, I just got really comfortable in my situation that whatever happens happens. I just believe it’s all a part of a bigger plan. Things happen for a reason. If I stay, great. If I get traded, it was fun while it lasted. But I try not to worry about that. I can only control what I can control.” The former UCLA standout also said he’s fully healthy following a shoulder injury in Summer League and has been working on his shooting and defense ahead of his rookie season.
Missing out on Lillard is “close to a worst-case scenario” for the Heat, contends William Guillory of The Athletic. According to Guillory, the Heat need more offensive firepower following the free agency departures of Gabe Vincent and Max Strus, and Lillard would have been an ideal fit on that end. Guillory believes the Heat can’t just stand pat and need to bolster their roster to make another deep playoff run. He also wonders if Tyler Herro will have any lingering resentment after being involved in trade rumors all summer.