Miami Heat Reportedly Showing Interest in Former Sixer

The Miami Heat have shown a willingness to give other teams’ former developmental prospects a real shot. Recently, the Heat showed some interest in former Sixers two-way guard Louis King.

According to Miami-based insider Greg Sylvander, the Heat recently attended a workout for King, along with the veterans Ben McLemore and Alize Johnson. 

Just last season, King joined the Sixers as a two-way player. After changing two-way prospects throughout the beginning of the year, King signed on with the Sixers in late December and stuck around for the remainder of the 2022-2023 season.

In 2019, King went undrafted out of Oregon. He linked up with the Detroit Pistons as a two-way player and split his time between the Pistons and the Grand Rapids Drive. In 2021, King played for the Westchester Knicks in the G League and eventually joined the Sacramento Kings on a two-way deal. 

After another stint in Westchester during the 2021-2022 season, King eventually joined the Houston Rockets’ affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, at the beginning of last season. That was his final stop before landing with the 76ers.

At this point, King is a free agent. Although he’s still showcasing his talent in the NBA Summer League out in Las Vegas while playing for the 76ers, King’s two-way slot in Philadelphia has been replaced by rookies. Perhaps, he could find an opportunity with the Heat.

Miami has turned out to be a solid situation for players in King’s position. Take former Sixers forward Haywood Highsmith, for example. In 2018, Highsmith went undrafted out of Wheeling. He got his start in the G League with the Delaware Blue Coats and was a two-way signee with the Sixers in 2019.

After several stints in Delaware, Highsmith inked a ten-day contract with the Heat in February of 2022. After two stints under a ten-day contract, Highsmith earned himself a multi-year deal with Miami. Last season, Highsmith turned out to be a key rotational piece, averaging 18 minutes on the floor in 54 games.

While former undrafted prospects like King tend to have a tough time finding a permanent landing spot, there could be a good opportunity with the Heat if Miami likes what they saw out of him during a private workout in Vegas.