One of the biggest concerns for the Miami Heat heading into training camp has been their depth at the forward spot. Bam Adebayo has carried much of the load in recent years, while younger options like Kel’el Ware, Nikola Jovic, and Vlad Goldin are still developing. The front office knew it had to find a way to ease that burden, but any addition was always going to come with consequences for the players on the edge of the roster. That move has now arrived: Precious Achiuwa and the threats alongside.

Miami signed Precious Achiuwa on a one-year, non-guaranteed deal. While the six-foot-nine forward gives the Heat a much-needed boost, the signing also means one of the four players currently on Exhibit 10 contracts will be forced out. As Heat insider Anthony Chiang reported, it won’t change much in terms of the main rotation, but it does create an immediate roster crunch that could end one player’s NBA hopes before the season even begins.

“It’s a fully non-guaranteed one-year contract for Precious Achiuwa, a source confirms. So, no move to the standard roster is needed now to stay under the tax. But Heat will need to cut one of its Exhibit 10 players to open a spot on its preseason roster for Achiuwa.” Chiang reported. This means the franchise will have to select three players from Jahmir Young, Gabe Madsen, Trevor Keels, and Dain Dainja, all of whom are currently on non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deals they inked earlier during the summer.

The front office knew this and still went ahead because a reunion with Adebayo would be the best option for them. Coincidentally, they were the ones who drafted Achiuwa into the league back in the 2020 NBA draft as the 20th overall pick. Moreover, the 26-year-old is coming off a pretty solid season with the New York Knicks. He averaged 6.6 points along with 5.6 rebounds in 57 appearances for the Eastern Conference finalists!

During his rookie year with Miami in 2020-21, Achiuwa appeared in 61 games and poured 304 points, starting four of them. He put up averages of 5 points, 3.4 rebounds, half an assist, 0.3 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game, while shooting an efficient 54.4 percent from the field. But now five years down the lane, he will wish to improve his numbers as the Heat puts back their trust again.

Achiuwa is aware that the franchise can only handle four non-guaranteed spots during the season, which will force him to play his best. But who will the Miami Heat be willing to sacrifice to add some much-needed depth at the power forward position: Young, Madsen, Keels, or Dainja?

Precious Achiuwa’s arrival risks 4 players, but who will survive?

With the Miami Heat now announcing the signing of Precious Achiuwa, just before training camp, it leaves the front office with a huge decision to make. Who will they cut off from their 21-man roster out of Jahmir Young, Gabe Madsen, Trevor Keels, and Dain Dainja? Well, here’s our perspective on it. Young appears to be the first player that the Heat would like to keep in their ranks ahead of the training camp, given his solid performances in the G League last season.

While suiting up for the Grand Rapids Golds last year, the guard managed to average around 21 points along with seven assists per game in the G League. Even though this should be enough to prompt Pat Riley and Co. to keep him for the training camp, he also gained some NBA experience, which pretty much nails his spot on the roster, at least for now.

Meanwhile, another player whom Miami would love to keep around will be Gabe Madsen, who has shown incredible potential. That leaves us with two players, Trevor Keels and Dain Dainja.

Both of them are solid forward options for the Miami Heat, but since only one can make the cut, the six-foot-nine Dainja seems the more likely to stay. More so, given that Precious Achiuwa will be taking a forward spot, and the 23-year-old can play as a big which just makes him a tiny bit better than Keels. Nonetheless, these are mere speculations as it will be the Heat front office and coaching staff who’ll make the final decision, as the franchise enters a crucial season.