Patrick Beverley signed a two-year minimum salary contract with the Heat on Monday

The Miami Heat signed Patrick Beverley to a two-year, $1.3 million contract on Monday.

That much we know.

What we don’t know is why. Why did the Heat elect to sign him so soon? And why oh why did they fully guarantee it?

Beverley now becomes the only player in the league to have tried out for his team, get rejected, and subsequently receive a multi-year guaranteed contract the following season.

The Heat now has 15 players with fully guaranteed deals. Beverley, however, still has no guarantee he will make the opening night roster.

Beverley was drafted No. 42nd overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009. His draft rights were immediately traded to the Heat in exchange for a 2011 second-round draft pick and $1.5 million in cash.

He didn’t make the team last off-season, instead signing a two-year, €420,000 contract (about $555,000) with Greek powerhouse Olympiakos. In 41 games of Greek League and Euroleague play with the team, Beverley contributed 3.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists as a reserve, while shooting 55.7% from the field and 29.0% from distance.

A scrappy, defensive-minded guard, Beverley figures to battle in training camp, which opens September 28, with Kenny Hasbrouck for the final spot on the Heat’s regular season roster. Hasbrouck, who finished last season on the Heat’s inactive list, outplayed Beverley last month with the Heat’s summer-league team in Las Vegas. Read more…

The Miami Heat continues to own draft rights to its 2009 second round picks, point guard Patrick Beverley and forward Robert Dozier. After not making Heat’s roster for the 2009/10 season, they each signed on to play in Greece. Here’s a brief look at how they’re doing.

***

Patrick Beverley signed a one-year deal to play with Josh Childress on the Greek pro club Olympiacos Piraeus. Olympiacos is a member of the Greek League and the Euroleague. The Reds are currently seeded second behind Panathinaikos in Greek League play, at 13-2. In Euroleague play, the Reds went 8-2 during the regular season, good enough for first place in Group B, and are currently 3-0 in the post-season.

Beverely has played in 21 of the team’s total 28 games across both leagues, but isn’t getting the playing time to develop his game. He gets just 13 minutes of floor time, in a reserve role behind starting point guard Milos Teodosic. He is averaging 3.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per contest. He scored a career high 15 points in 20 minutes during a December 5th game against Greek League opponent Illysiakos.

Beverley’s combined stats (for Greek and Euroleague play) are provided below:

Read more…