Shortly after the Miami Heat locked in Andrew Wiggins with a multi-year extension, it was revealed that the team will cut ties with one of its developmental prospects in Keshad Johnson.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Kelly Iko, the Heat will not extend a qualifying offer to Johnson. Therefore, Johnson will be an unrestricted free agent this week.
Keshad Johnson’s NBA Career
During his college run, the Oakland, California-born forward started at San Diego State. In 2023, Johnson transferred to Arizona.
In his final NCAA run, Johnson appeared in 36 games. He produced 11.5 points per game, while coming down with 5.9 rebounds per game.
Although Johnson was in the 2024 NBA Draft player pool, he went undrafted. The Heat scooped him up with a two-way contract on July 1, 2024.
Johnson eventually earned a two-year, $2.6 million contract with the Heat. He made $724,883 during the 2024-2025 season. In 2025-2026, Johnson played on a $1.95 million team option.
In his second season with the Heat, Johnson came off the bench for 8.8 minutes per game. He produced 4.3 points and 1.9 rebounds, while shooting 49.0% from the field.
Johnson was famously known for his NBA Slam Dunk Contest win in 2026.
Since the Heat passed up on extending Johnson a qualifying offer, they will not have the power to match any offer sheet the veteran forward signs in free agency. Barring any changes in free agency, it appears that the Heat are going to allow Johnson to walk to another team to continue with his development at the pro level.
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