Oladipo, Morris travel with Heat for road game

Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reported that Victor Oladipo and Markieff Morris have both traveled with the Miami Heat for their Friday night road game at the New York Knicks. They won’t play, but injured players who travel with their team for road games is generally considered a sign that they are close to returning.

Just before the All-Star break, Oladipo practiced with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League affiliate team, for his first five-on-five court action. A month ago, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald said that it wouldn’t be a surprise if Oladipo returned “at some point in February.” With February almost over now, it appears March may be a more realistic timetable.

As for Morris, Chiang and Jackson had previously reported that the neck injury he sustained from Nikola Jokic is “significant enough to leave the team concerned about liability issues.” He hasn’t played since Nov. 8, the 10th game of the season.

But news of him traveling with the team — the first time he’s joined the team on the road since their January road win over the Phoenix Suns — could signal that Morris will play again this season. Chiang and Jackson had said that his status for the rest of the season was very much in question.

Morris is also better than any power forward on the buyout market. He actually played well in the first 10 games of the season. Having him back would allow the Heat to manage the load of 36-year-old P.J. Tucker as the regular season winds down.