Heat make signing of Dewayne Dedmon official, given Hassan Whiteside’s number
The Miami Heat made the signing of veteran center Dewayne Dedmon official at Thursday’s NBA deadline for bringing their roster to 14 players.
Dedmon cleared pandemic testing and his physical in time to be eligible for Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers at AmericanAirlines Arena. By rule, the Heat had to add a player within two weeks of the NBA trading deadline, after falling to 13 players on their standard roster.
Dedmon was assigned No. 21, the number previously worn with the Heat by Hassan Whiteside.
Dedmon, 31, who has been out of the league this season, signed at the NBA minimum for the balance of the season.
The Heat, allowed up to 15 players under standard contract, currently lack the salary space below the luxury tax to add another player until April 19, according to the calculations of ESPN analyst Bobby Marks, the former Brooklyn Nets executive.
The NBA regular season ends May 16.
Friday is the deadline for players to be bought out by their current team to be eligible for another team’s playoff roster. Such a player can be added with playoff eligibility until the final day of the regular season.
Dedmon, a seven-year veteran, appeared in 44 games (18 starts) last season between the Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks, averaging 5.8 points and 5.7 rebounds in an average of 17.6 minutes, shooting 40 percent from the field and .833 from the line. He then was traded to the Detroit Pistons on the eve of this season and immediately waived.
Undrafted out of Southern Cal in 2013, Dedmon attended camp that summer with the Heat, before starting his NBA career with the Golden State Warriors. He has appeared in 394 career NBA games (194 starts) and averaged 6.4 points and 6.0 rebounds in an average of 18.3 minutes, shooting .516 from the field.
