As the Miami Heat enter a key summer full of important decisions, one of their potential goals was to trade for Kevin Durant, but despite being a finalist, the Houston Rockets won the sweepstakes. Looking at other lateral moves, Heat breakout star Davion Mitchell might leave for another team, but the team will make a decision on Tuesday that will make it easier to keep him.
Miami has tendered a $8.7 million qualifying offer for the 2025-26 season, thereby making him a restricted free agent, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. This action also allows the franchise to match any offer made by another team in free agency.
If the club did not exercise the option, it would lose the ability to retain Mitchell, who could accept any offer. In terms of other players, Dru Smith would receive a two-way qualifying offer, while the Heat would pick up Keshad Johnson’s team option but not Isaiah Stevens.
“The Heat have extended the required $8.7 million ’25-26 qualifying offer to Davion Mitchell, making him a restricted free agent,” Winderman tweeted on X, formerly Twitter. “They also issued a two-way qualifying offer to Dru Smith. There is no such offer for Isaiah Stevens. Duncan Robinson’s player option is the only decision left to be made before the Sunday deadline.
Davion Mitchell of the Heat has several options.
Mitchell, who was part of the multi-team transaction that brought Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors, has undoubtedly pleased the Heat this season. Mitchell became an important player both in the starting lineup and off the bench, offering defensive tenacity and point guard skills to assist Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo.
Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald would outline Mitchell’s options, which include accepting the deal Miami made him or testing the waters to gain more money.
“Mitchell can return to the Heat on the one-year, $8.7 million qualifying offer that Miami extended him,” according to Chiang. “But, given Mitchell’s excellent finish to the season with the Heat, the more likely scenario is that he signs an offer sheet with another team when free agency begins next week, putting pressure on Miami to decide how far it is willing to go to keep him. The Heat would then have a few days to determine whether to match the offer and re-sign Mitchell.”
“Mitchell could also simply negotiate a new contract with the Heat for any length and any amount in free agency this summer,” Chiang says. “Miami holds Mitchell’s Bird rights, which allow the Heat to exceed the salary cap to re-sign him up to his maximum salary despite already being over the cap.”
It remains to be seen what happens to Mitchell as the qualifying offer expires on Sunday, when league-wide free agent discussions take place.
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