Exploring a looming Heat roster decision. And the Lillard/Durant texts and Heat notes

A six-pack of Heat notes on a Tuesday:

▪ Training camp in the Bahamas began Tuesday with two significant roster decisions looming during the next three weeks:

1). Will veteran Nassir Little do enough to begin the season with the Heat as the team’s 15th player on a standard contract?

2). Will point guard Isaiah Stevens or, less likely, Zyon Pullin, wrest a two-way contract from Dru Smith? (Josh Christopher and Keshad Johnson seemingly have a stranglehold on the other two two-way slots.)

Smith, at times, has been an easy target for Heat fans frustrated by the lack of roster turnover and disinterested in investing more time in a moderate-ceiling point guard coming off a major knee injury.

But in Smith, the Heat sees a reliable ball-handler and skilled defender who can capably run the offense.

He said he has been cleared for contact and all 5-on-5 work after last November’s torn right ACL but isn’t sure if he will play in preseason games.

“I was cleared for everything last week,” he said. “We haven’t discussed” whether he’s ready to play in games.

The most impressive part of Smith’s modest 24-game NBA resume is the assist-to-turnover ratio (36-to-8).

Smith said Monday that he wasn’t aware of that stat but said “one thing that gets under my skin is turning the ball over. I view myself as a true point guard more than a lot of guys. I consider myself a pass first guy.”

He said he appreciates the Heat giving him a two-way deal in July, while he was still rehabilitating the knee injury sustained in a game in Cleveland.

“It meant a lot to me and the way they treated me in this whole process,” he said. “I’m appreciative of the whole thing.”

Even when he wasn’t under contract, “they let me be in meetings” earlier this year, which meant a lot to him.

Smith needs to improve his shooting to improve his chances of a sustainable NBA career. He has shot 12 for 36 on threes (33.3 percent) in his 14 games for Miami and 10 for Brooklyn.

▪ If anyone can wrest a two way-deal from Smith, Stevens enters camp as the player best positioned to do so.

A bit undersized at 6 feet, Stevens was a summer league revelation, averaging 8.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game and shooting 59.4 percent from the field and 7 of 11 (63.6 percent) from three-point range in six Las Vegas Summer League games.

Stevens (who’s on an Exhibit 10 deal comparable to a camp tryout opportunity) had 46 assists compared with 16 turnovers in his final six summer league appearances.

Stevens said one of his offseason objectives has been “adding range to my shot.” To his credit, he shot 44 percent on three-pointers at Colorado State last season, and 40.2 percent on threes in his college career.

What has Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told Stevens he wants to see from him?

“Working on my body, getting stronger,” he said. “Using my quickness and basketball IQ to my advantage on both ends. Tenacity.”

Stevens said he has studied tape of NBA point guards Mike Conley Jr. and Tyus Jones.

Asked if thinks much about trying to snag a two-way contract, he said: “I’ve thought about it but I can’t control those decisions.”

▪ Pullin, the former Florida Gators guard who was initially signed to a Heat two-way deal but then lost it, is on an Exhibit 10 camp tryout but is more likely to end up playing for the Heat’s G League team in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Pullin has studied tape of Boston Celtics guard Derrick White; he admires his offensive game.

▪ Haywood Highsmith was flattered when he received July texts from Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard and Phoenix’s Kevin Durant encouraging him to sign with their teams.

“I wouldn’t imagine getting a text from Lillard and Durant,” he said, noting he grew up admiring and rooting for Durant. “It’s cool [seeing] people reaching out and thinking I could add value.”

▪ Duncan Robinson offered good insight on two Heat newcomers.

On guard Alec Burks: What stands out is “his ability to make tough shots and do it in a variety of forms — off the dribble, catch and shoot, off balance. He’s super dynamic as a shooter. We’ve been playing a bunch of pickup” games.

On second-round forward Pelle Larsson: “I love his temperament. He has this stoic approach to him, very simple, quiet but at the same time has this aura of toughness. which I appreciate, and a competitive spirit.”

▪ The Heat briefly considered moving its games to an over-the-air television station, as the Florida Panthers have done, but ultimately decided to stay with Bally Sports.

“There are some advantages with over-the-air [but] Bally we thought was the best move,” Heat executive vice president/chief marketing officer Michael McCullough said Monday. “Bally made the most sense.”

Among the reasons: The Heat valued the continuity with Bally, and Bally Sports Sun has the programming space to carry 70-plus games. It’s unclear if any over-the-air station in South Florida could have accommodated that many games.

The Panthers are moving their 70-game TV package from Bally Sports Florida to WSFL Channel 39.