Not $28,677,903, But Dru Smith’s Season-Ending Injury Set to Cost Heat Millions More in Ongoing NBA Season

Miami Heat’s roster took a massive hit today with the loss of another player to injury. The team announced on Friday that its point guard, Dru Smith, will be out for the remainder of the season. He sustained a third-degree knee sprain during Wednesday’s victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Considered as a backup for Kyle Lowry, Smith’s injury was due to the dangerous construction of the court.

Tyler Herro (ankle) and RJ Hampton (knee) are also out with no set return date in place. This leaves Lowry with the responsibility of completely taking over defense, a situation we are sure Erik Spoelstra is not happy about. Smith’s injury is also set to cost the Heat a pretty penny, per reports.

Miami Heat are in a pickle

As reported by Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel,  Dru Smith’s entire full-season salary of $1.8 million will now count against the Heat’s luxury tax and salary cap. This is not good news as they are already on the radar for paying $28,677,903 in luxury tax this season. Smith signed a two-way contract this season after playing for G-league and the Nets previously. It was a two-year, minimum-salary deal that included a $425K partial guarantee.

Even with Dru Smith not playing this season, his team must continue paying him until he’s healthy or for the rest of the season (if he’s out for the year). That means Miami will owe Smith his full $1.8m salary and won’t save any money by cutting him before the league-wide January 7 salary guarantee deadline. In this situation, buying in a new player to add to the roster will be a risky move on the team’s part.

Miami could apply for a disabled player exception in response to Smith’s injury. But the exception would be worth less than $1 million and will not afford the team an extra roster spot. Overall, it seems like the team will have to come up with a strategy to work around what they have at hand right now.

Erik Spoelstra unhappy with new court after Dru Smith’s injury

Speaking to the media post-game, Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra shared, “It is a dangerous floor. I don’t the history of injuries here but we’ve had a couple near scares in previous years when guys are closing out in that corner… You close out and all of a sudden you’re going off a cliff. It’s just so dangerous. As soon as he stayed down, we all knew that’s probably what happened.” 

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Dru Smith sustained the injury after an awkward fall along the sidelines in an area that has a drop-off for fans at courtside. However, the coach is confident in the 25-year-old’s strong mentality and is hopeful for his return.

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What are your thoughts on the Dru Smith injury situation? Let us know your thoughts.