Following a promising rookie season from last year, the Miami Heat have decided to pick up forward Justise Winslow‘s third-year rookie scale option. The move did not surprise many as it was expected that the Heat will guarantee the Duke product's contract for the 2017-2018 campaign.
After losing Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh this summer, Pat Riley‘s team is in the process of rebuilding and trying to compete with a fairly-inexperienced roster this coming season. And having Winslow at least for two more years only solidifies their plans of making him part of their future.
Speaking to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel, the 20-year-old discussed his understanding of having his team option picked up and the importance of having awareness of the situation.
“This is a business. You've got to know every aspect of it. Of course, I felt 99 percent sure that they would pick it up, but it's something that you've still got to be aware of. If not for yourself, you've got to tell other rookies coming down the line. Because this is a brotherhood. You want to look out for everybody.”
“It's new to me, some parts of it. But you've just got to understand the situation. You've got to understand the business. So a lot of guys are just talking to me about the business of basketball, and that's just one part of it, the two-year team option.”
The Heat will have until the 31st of the month to finalize the paperwork but have said that they are already in the process of finalizing the details for Winslow's agent to review.
When asked about the possibility of receiving a heftier paycheck once his rookie contract expires, Winslow had this to say:
“I mean, it's in my control and out of my control, depending on how well I play, if they pick it up. A lot of it is out of my control, but at least I understand the situation. That's the first step, that I'm a professional and understand the business side.”
The former 10th overall pick of the 2015 draft had solid averages of 6.9 points and 4.8 rebounds in only 25.4 minutes per game but is looking forward to contribute more to the team in a bigger role this year.
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