NBA Rumors: Miami Heat Veteran Could End Up As Playing Assistant Coach

For Udonis Haslem, age may just be a number. At 39, there is no question that he could freely move on from playing competitive NBA ball and pursue other things such as becoming a coach. But it appears that he may just consider playing one more year at the least following the recent move by the South Beach squad to waive Yante Maten.

According to NBA.com, the Heat waived the forward after being signed last year to a two-way deal. He was hardly a factor for Miami last season and the move has opened up some cap space under the hard cap to possibly sign Haslem. That is if he is open to returning for another season.

The Heat have only 10 players with guaranteed contracts for the coming NBA season and are expected to fill up the void. The former NBA champions are expected to have a 13 or 14 man roster before the 2019-20 NBA season officially unfolds and Haslem could be in play for one of them. However, it goes back to the question on whether the 6-foot-8 power forward wants to continue playing pro ball.

Last month, Haslem asked fans and haters to just let him decide on what is next for him via his Instagram account. At 39, some obviously feel that he may no longer be at par with the younger players in the league right now. Further, he was hardly used last NBA season.

According to Basketball Reference, Haslem played in only 10 games and averaged 2.5 points and 2.7 rebounds in 7.4 minutes of action. He has actually been sparingly used the last three years although his contributions go beyond the numbers. Most know know how he does the intangibles inside – something that brings up the whole mentorship thing. He is in line to become one of the future assistant coaches of the Heat once he does decide to retire. Then again, seeing him serve at that capacity while still being an official member of the team is also a possibility.

Aside from Haslem, other spots need to be filled. According to The Sun Sentinel, Derrick Jones Jr. is due for a guaranteed contract while Kendrick Nunn will be up for a guarantee increase soon. From the looks of it, these two will be getting their guarantees.