Dewayne Dedmon explains how he can help the Heat. Also, Nunn ready to step in for Oladipo

Dewayne Dedmon has started a total of 116 games during the previous three seasons, but his role with the Miami Heat will be to provide frontcourt depth off the bench.

The veteran center is fine with that.

“I’ve come off the bench, I’ve started, I’ve not played,” said Dedmon, who signed with the Heat on Thursday as a free agent. “I’ve done it all. So I’m here, I’m prepared, I’m ready. Whatever coach needs me to do, I’m ready for it, whether it be five minutes, 12 minutes, 50 minutes, whatever.”

Miami Heat declines to say if Oladipo will play again this season. And Herro injured

Dedmon, 31, did not play in Thursday night’s win over the Los Angeles Lakers just hours after signing with the Heat for the remainder of the season on a veteran minimum contract. But he practiced Saturday after the team arrived in Portland, Ore., in preparation for Sunday night’s game against the Trail Blazers at Moda Center to kick off a four-game trip.

Dedmon has been out of the NBA since he was waived by the Detroit Pistons in November. He revealed Sunday that he has spent the past few months “rehabbing my knee” because of “a little bone edema” he experienced, but said he reached 100 percent health a few weeks ago.

“I was just working out,” Dedmon said of his road to the Heat. “I was available for any team that was going to call. Miami called and I kind of looked into it. There was a need for a big and a rim protector, so I kind of felt like that one fit, this opportunity fit right for me. So just coming in here, trying to protect the rim, protect the paint and score and rebound.”

Erik Spoelstra said, despite the layoff, Dedmon joined the Heat “in great physical condition and “it’s just a matter of getting in basketball shape.”

“I’m not sure exactly where he’ll fit in in the immediate future,” Spoelstra said. “I just know that he fills an important position of need for our roster. As he gets more comfortable and gets more reps and a better feel for how we do things, then we’ll take the next step.”

Dedmon (7-0, 245) helps add much-needed size in the Heat’s frontcourt after Miami dealt away centers Kelly Olynyk, Chris Silva and injured Meyers Leonard in different trades recently. Newly-acquired veteran Nemanja Bjelica and rookie Precious Achiuwa have split the back-up center minutes recently behind starter Bam Adebayo.

Bjelica is more of a stretch big man and Achiuwa gives the Heat a more physical presence. Dedmon can do a little of both, as he has the skill set of a traditional center but has also incorporated three-point shooting into his game in recent seasons.

“I feel like I fit on the defensive end, helping with the rim protection, helping rebound, getting more opportunities for these shooters we’ve got here,” Dedmon said of his fit with the Heat. “So I come in, block a couple of shots, get a couple more offensive boards, provide a little more offense for the guards. I feel like that will help a lot.

“I’m not Bam. I’m not looking to come in here and do what Bam does. I come in here and try to fill a defensive void that I feel like they need.”

Dedmon, who will wear No. 21 with the Heat, has averaged 6.4 points, six rebounds and 0.9 blocks in seven NBA seasons. He has appeared in 394 games and started 194 games in a career that has included stops with the Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic, San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings, Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors.

Dedmon most recently played last season, averaging 5.8 points and 5.7 rebounds in 44 games (18 starts) split between the Hawks and Kings. He finished with double-digit points in 10 games and grabbed double-digit rebounds in seven games while posting three double-doubles.

Dedmon’s best NBA season was in 2018-19, when he averaged 10.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks in 64 games for the Hawks, including 52 starts.

“Really excited that a player of Dewayne’s caliber is available at this time of year,” Spoelstra said. “He started 116 games the last three years and that’s not the role that we have for him here. But his defensive ability and ability to defend the rim, play pick-and-roll defense in different coverages, rebound the basketball, provide size in the paint defensively I think really fit for us.”

Dedmon is a career 51.6 percent shooter from the field and has shot 33.3 percent (155 for 466) on three-pointers. He shot a career-best 38.2 percent from three-point range on 3.4 attempts per game in 2018-19, but made just 20.6 percent (22 of 107) of his threes last season.

While the Heat’s primary request of Dedmon will be to provide a paint presence on both ends of the court when he’s in the game, his past success from three-point range offers intriguing possibilities as a traditional center who also has the potential to space the floor with his outside shooting.

“Everybody needs rim protection, everybody needs rebounding,” Dedmon said. “But you have to evolve your game with time, and that’s something that I’ve done.”

Dedmon began his NBA career playing for the Heat’s summer league team in 2013 after going undrafted out of Southern California, but he then signed with Golden State that September. Miami has tracked his development ever since, and now he’s on the roster eight years later.

“That was a long time ago for a short time period,” Dedmon said of his summer league experience with the Heat. “But I mean, I’ve always liked the way everything is handled with this organization. That everything is professional, kind of like A, B, C, that’s how everything went. I always like a professional organization.”

NUNN READY

With starting guard Victor Oladipo away from the Heat for the start of its trip and out indefinitely because of right knee soreness, Kendrick Nunn is expected to fill most of Oladipo’s minutes while he’s out. Nunn entered Sunday with his last game action coming in a March 26 loss to the Charlotte Hornets, when he sprained his right ankle.

The second-year guard missed the next two games because of the ankle injury, but Thursday marked the fourth straight game he has been available for and did not play in. With the Heat’s roster nearly at full health and the recent acquisition of Oladipo, Nunn was pushed out of the rotation.

“I knew it would come around,” Nunn said of the possibility of re-entering the Heat’s rotation after Oladipo’s injury. “I’ve seen it happen multiple times. Whatever I’m needed, I’ll be there, for sure. You know it.”

Nunn, 25, started in 24 consecutive games before spraining his ankle in late March and falling out of the Heat’s mix. Spoelstra said he had a conversation with Nunn before Oladipo’s injury and they “put together a plan for [Nunn] to stay ready,”

“The communication is straight forward,” Nunn said of his discussion with Spoelstra. “You know the depth we have on this team and whenever my number is called, I’ll be there to step in.”

INJURY REPORT

The only two Heat players unavailable for Sunday night’s matchup against the Trail Blazers are KZ Okpala (health and safety protocols) and Oladipo (right knee soreness). Okpala, who missed his 10th consecutive game Sunday because of protocols, traveled with the team to Portland.

Guard Tyler Herro, who was listed as questionable because of right foot soreness, is available to play Sunday.