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In a formal press release that was issued on Monday, the Miami Heat announced that they have waived forward Yante Maten.
As expected, the Heat have waived Yante Maten in advance of his Thursday guarantee date.
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) July 29, 2019
News of Maten's waiving should come as no surprise. According to a report from ESPN's Bobby Marks, the Heat will incur a $100k cap hit as a result of this decision. However, had the team decided to wait until August 1 to waive him, the cap hit would have went up to $150k. A $50k bump doesn't sound like much, but the Heat, who are roughly $1MM below their hard cap of $138.93MM for the 2019-20 campaign, could use some breathing room.
Miami has announced that they have waived Yante Maten. The Heat will now incur a $100K cap hit. The salary protection for Maten would have increased to $150K if the forward was not waived by 5PM EST. on August 1.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 29, 2019
Maten, now 22 years of age, originally signed a two-way contract with Miami last season. The former Georgia Bulldog made just two appearances with the Heat, amassing two points, three rebounds and one steal in 13 minutes of playing time. He also played 30 games with the Sioux Falls Skyforce (all starts), where he averaged 23.5 points on 54.3 percent shooting from the field, 9.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.17 blocks in 32.7 minutes per outing.
The Heat will have an open roster spot as a result of Maten's waiving. Exactly who the team has their eye on is not clear at this point.
If Maten is not claimed, he'll become an unrestricted free agent at some point this week.
