NBA Notes: Heat, John Konchar, Pelicans, Bennedict Mathurin, Grizzlies

Heat

The Heat have discussed making free agent wing John Konchar a contract offer, confirmed Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

Miami has spoken with Konchar’s representatives about bringing him to training camp to compete with Myron Gardner for a roster spot. Gardner’s minimum deal includes only $500,000 guaranteed.

Konchar reportedly has interest in the Heat, too, though Jackson writes that he may be holding out for a guaranteed offer.

Miami could instead offer a non-guaranteed contract that becomes guaranteed if Konchar makes the opening-night roster, similar to the deal Nick Richards signed. One source told Jackson he was “very skeptical” Konchar would accept that arrangement, though he didn’t completely dismiss the possibility.

The Heat currently have 11 players on fully guaranteed standard contracts, with Pelle Larsson considered a lock for another spot. Gardner and Richards aren’t fully guaranteed, leaving Miami with some decisions to make at the back of the roster.

Jackson added that keeping the 15th spot open until closer to the trade deadline also “holds some appeal” internally.

Konchar has also been linked to the Raptors, Knicks and Magic.

Pelicans

Bennedict Mathurin’s new contract with the Pelicans came in slightly below the originally reported $16 million.

According to Hoops Rumors, Mathurin will receive $7.5 million guaranteed this season, with a $7.875 million player option for 2027-28. That puts the total value at $15.375 million.

New Orleans used the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Mathurin and still has about $7.54 million of it available. Actually spending the rest could be another matter.

The Pelicans are only about $4.1 million below the luxury-tax line and $5.7 million below their first-apron hard cap, according to Yossi Gozlan of CapSheets. So using a significant chunk of the remaining exception would likely require New Orleans to shed salary elsewhere.

Grizzlies

Isaiah Stewart went from a 60-win team to a 25-win team this offseason. He doesn’t sound particularly bothered by it.

The former Pistons big man said he’s “excited” about joining the Grizzlies and believes his experience in Detroit could be useful for a young Memphis roster.

“It’s an experience I can bring here to this group,” Stewart said during a community event, via Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “And also just letting them know it’s about patience. We have to stack days. It doesn’t happen overnight.”

Stewart knows something about that. Detroit won just 14 games in 2023-24 before eventually developing into a 60-win team. Now he joins a Memphis group trying to make its own climb.

At least Stewart has already seen how quickly things can change once a young team starts getting them right.