Miami surprisingly defeated Prešus Ačiuva before the regular season opener

MIAMI – Like The Miami Heat went winless in the preseasonfor the first time since 2007, the team would end up making some cuts to clear cap space before the opener. With The Heat open the season next Wednesday against the Orlando Magic, one of the cuts they made was a former first round pick Precious Achiuva.

During the preseason, Miami maxed out at 21 players, but had to drop to 18 by the regular season opener, which included 15 players and three on two-way contracts. Along with Ethan Thompson, Daino Dainya and Bez Mbenga, Achiuwa is probably the most surprising to fans who have been waiting to see the two reunite since the first stretch lasted one season after they were selected in the 2020 NBA Draft.

However, the second term was even shorter, as Achiuva signed a non-guaranteed contract with Miami less than a month ago and was with the team through training camp and the preseason. He played in four preseason games, logging inconsistent minutes as he played 19 on Oct. 12 against the Magic, but just nine on Oct. 13 against the Atlanta Hawks.

While it was a cheaper deal with Achiuvo hitting the $2.3 million cap hit, the move is made even more so by waiving him before the start of the regular season, the team will now be $1.6 million under the luxury tax line.

Jahmir Young has not been waived and is said to be the likely third spot for a two-way deal, ClutchPoints has learned.

Warmth Erik Spoelstra it speaks to how hard the roster cuts are

While fans finalize theirs bold predictions for the upcoming Heat seasonthe team itself makes final preparations for the board. This also includes the front office, which had to make the necessary cuts to reach the 18-player maximum for the regular season, according to head coach Erik Spoelstra “it’s always hard” they have those conversations.

“We try to communicate it as much as possible in advance,” Spoelstra said after Friday’s 141-125 preseason loss to Memphis. “It’s always difficult for a player to manage that, to translate that at this point, but it’s a transition, and I think guys are coming to us now, they understand what our player development program is, and when you go to Sioux Falls, it’s literally an extension of what we do here as the lifeblood of our player development. So I think it’s always been better communicated to those when you talked, but when you talked.”

Erik Spoelstra’s upcoming roster cuts with Monday’s deadline to go from a preseason high of 21 to a regular season high of 18.

“We try to communicate it as far in advance as possible…it’s always difficult when you have to have those conversations…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/0IfkO1JiDv

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) October 18, 2025

Either way, Miami looks to improve after finishing 37-45, which puts them in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. As previously stated, the Heat open the season next Wednesday in Orlando.