Nikola Jovic (5) talks to reporters during the Miami Heat Media Day on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
The Miami Heat believes in the potential of forward Nikola Jovic.
On Wednesday, the Heat proved as much by committing a four-year, $62.4 million rookie-scale extension to Jovic, a league source confirmed to the Miami Herald. The deal, which comes in at an average of $15.6 million per season, does not include a team or player option and is fully guaranteed.
Jovic, 22, has been eligible to sign a rookie-scale extension with the Heat since July 1. The two sides struck a deal three weeks before that window closed on Oct. 20.
Jovic, who is due $4.4 million this season in the fourth and final year of his rookie deal, was eligible to sign a rookie-scale extension up to the max. By agreeing to this new contract, Jovic will avoid becoming a restricted free agent next summer.
With the extension beginning in the 2026-27 season, Jovic is now one of nine players locked into contracts with the Heat for the 2026-27 season along with Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Davion Mitchell, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, Pelle Larsson and Dru Smith. In addition, Andrew Wiggins holds a $30.2 million player option for 2026-27.
Jovic is now under contract with the Heat through the 2029-30 season. He’s the only Heat player currently under contract past the 2028-29 season.
Jovic entered Heat training camp seemingly comfortable with where extension negotiations stood.
“I don’t really talk about it a lot,” Jovic said Monday, with the Heat holding training camp at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton this week. “I’m not worried about it. I still have a year left on my deal, and I’ve got a lot of stuff to do and a lot of stuff to show, and we’ll see what’s going to happen in the next 20 days. Hopefully we end up figuring something out.”
The skilled 6-foot-10 Jovic, who was taken by the Heat with the 27th pick in the first round of the 2022 draft, averaged career highs in points (10.7 per game), assists (2.8) and minutes (25.1) last season in his third NBA season.
Jovic’s best work came after he was moved to a bench role last season. He logged double-digit minutes in 31 straight regular-season games, averaging 12 points, four rebounds and 3.6 assists per game while shooting 45.3% from the field and 37.8% on threes during that two-month span.
But an injury put an end to that impressive string of games, as Jovic broke his right hand on Feb. 23 and missed the final 27 games of last regular season. He returned to take part in the Heat’s short-lived playoff run that ended in the first round for the second straight season.
Jovic has followed up his best NBA season with a productive offseason, impressing in this offseason’s EuroBasket tournament as a member of the Serbian national team. Jovic averaged 12.8 points, four rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 60% from the field and 11 of 21 (52.4%) from three-point range in six EuroBasket appearances.
Jovic’s challenge this season is staying healthy and carving out a consistent role in the Heat’s rotation after beginning last season as a starter, then being completely moved out of the rotation, and ultimately thriving in a sixth man role off the bench during the back half of the season.
Jovic has made clear he wants to be a starter this season after starting in 10 of his 46 appearances last season.
While Jovic’s situation is resolved, Heat guard Tyler Herro’s waiting game began Wednesday.
That’s because Herro’s window to sign an extension with the Heat — worth as much as $149.7 million through three seasons — opened on Wednesday.
Herro’s extension window closes on Oct. 20 just before the start of this regular season. If an agreement is not reached by then, Herro would become eligible to sign an extension worth as much as $206.9 million through four seasons during the 2026 offseason and would become supermax eligible (five years, $380 million) if he’s selected for an All-NBA team this season.
Herro still has two years left on his current contract at $31 million for this season and $33 million for the 2026-27 season, with any potential extension beginning in the 2027-28 season even if it’s agreed to this year.
“It is important for me,” Herro, 25, said this week when asked about a potential extension. “I’ve been here six years. I feel like I’ve earned it. I’m not saying what I’ve earned, but I’ve earned something. I think I deserve it, and I want to be here ultimately. I’ve vocally said that.”
This story was originally published October 1, 2025 at 8:37 PM.
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Anthony Chiang
Miami Herald
Anthony Chiang covers the Miami Heat for the Miami Herald. He attended the University of Florida and was born and raised in Miami.
