Heat to sign Mario Chalmers to 10-day contract

Some Miami Heat fans got their wish. Mario Chalmers is back with the Heat.

Chalmers, who was the starting point guard on Miami’s 2012 and 2013 NBA championship teams, will sign a 10-day contract with the Heat. On Christmas Day, Chalmers tweeted that he was praying for a call-up. Just before New Year’s, he got the call.

The 2008 second-round pick becomes the sixth player to join the Heat on a 10-day contract, as six players remain in health and safety protocols. Those players are Kyle Lowry, Udonis Haslem, Max Strus, P.J. Tucker, Zylan Cheatham and Gabe Vincent. Cheatham was Miami’s first COVID replacement player. With the NBA reluctant to suspend the season, teams are calling up players left and right.

With Lowry, Vincent and Strus out, Chalmers will provide back-court depth. Additionally, his long tenure with the Heat — he spent seven seasons with Miami before a trade early in the 2015-16 season — will be an advantage. If nothing else, there will be less of a learning curve with Chalmers than there is with the other replacement players, like Nik Stauskas.

Chalmers last played for the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2017-18 season. Earlier this month, he signed with the Grand Rapid Gold, the G League team for the Denver Nuggets.