Josh McRoberts opts in to final year of Heat contract

Josh McRoberts exercised his $6 million player option for next season, the final year of the contract he signed with the Miami Heat in the summer of 2014, according to the Sun-Sentinel’s Ira Winderman.

Heat fans have good reason to express frustration with McRoberts. He’s appeared in a grand total of 81 games in his three years in a Miami jersey, constantly sitting out with injuries. In fact, the only notable thing he’s done in a Heat jersey is rip one, not serve as the athletic, playmaking forward he’s shown flashes of becoming earlier in his career.

The Heat have moved on from McRoberts, and will utilize Justise Winslow as a a dynamic forward (and also try to re-sign James Johnson, who played better than anyone could have hoped McRoberts would have). Pat Riley will look to trade McRoberts, something he’s explored in the past.

If the Heat don’t get any takers for McRoberts, which seems likely given his recent injuries, Miami could apply the “stretch provision” of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement to McRoberts, waiving the player and allowing the Heat to take a $2 million cap hit on his contract over the next three years, rather than the $6 million hit next year. This move would save the Heat $4 million this offseason.