Heat added Delon Wright, Patty Mills in middle of the season. Will their time with Heat continue?

The Miami Heat added veterans Patty Mills and Delon Wright late in the season to bolster its backcourt depth amid its injury issues. Will Mills and/or Wright continue to provide depth at the guard position for the Heat next season?

With Mills and Wright becoming unrestricted free agents this summer, their tenures with the Heat could be short-lived. But both players made it known at the end of the season that they have interest in re-signing if the Heat has interest.

“It was a fun experience for me over the past two months I’ve been here,” Wright said earlier this month after the Heat’s season came to an end in the first round of the playoffs. “So I would definitely love to come back. But it’s a business, so you never know what the future holds.”

Mills added: “I think coming to such a strong culture and organization in the Miami Heat, it was surprising just how strong my feelings were about a place like this. Knowing how strong the foundation was, knowing how strong the culture was, I got an overwhelming hit of it upon arrival. I think that caught me off guard because it was everything I value as a person.”

Mills, 35, and Wright, 32, both played important minutes for the injury-riddled Heat after signing minimum contracts to join the team in the middle of the season.

Mills opened the season with the Atlanta Hawks before signing with the Heat on March 6 after being waived. Mills went on to play in 13 (five starts) of the 21 regular-season games he was available for with the Heat, averaging 5.8 points and 1.5 assists in 16.4 minutes per game.

Wright began the season with the Washington Wizards, but signed with the Heat during the mid-February All-Star break after agreeing to a buyout. Wright went on to play in 14 (one start) of the 27 regular-season games he was available for with the Heat, averaging 5.4 points, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals in 20.4 minutes per game.

“Very quickly, I inherited everything that this organization is about and felt every part of that,” Mills continued. “So as hard as the adjustment was to get into everything at the end of the season and make a run, I enjoyed every part of it.”

The Heat’s injury issues also led to Mills and Wright playing extended minutes during the team’s short five-game playoff run.

Mills logged double-digit minutes in Games 3, 4 and 5 of the Heat’s first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics after being held out of Games 1 and 2 by coach’s decision. He shot 6 of 17 (35.3 percent) from the field and 3 of 11 (27.3 percent) from three-point range during his three playoff appearances for the Heat.

Wright, who missed Game 3 because of the birth of his child, played 20 or more minutes in each of the four games he was available for during the Heat’s first-round playoff series. He produced positive moments, shooting 12 of 20 (60 percent) from the field and 6 of 10 (60 percent) on threes while recording four steals and seven assists to zero turnovers.

“I’ve had nothing but a positive experience here,” said Wright, whose older brother, Dorell Wright, played for the Heat after being selected by Miami in the first round of the 2004 Draft. “Me having a training camp and a summer of knowing I’ll be here would definitely help me.”

Wright can run an offense, make an open three-pointer and is a high-level defender who is effective in the Heat’s man or zone schemes. Mills is a three-point shooting floor spacer who brings championship experience to any roster he’s on.

Whether Mills and/or Wright return could depend on what the Heat decides to do with the rest of its roster this summer. They are both free agent options on minimum contracts at this point of their careers.

“I don’t know if I would be disappointed,” Wright said when asked if he would be disappointed if he’s not back with the Heat next season. “Because hopefully whatever situation I go to will be good for me. But I definitely would like to come back. I feel like I just got a snippet of what it could be. Like I said, with a full summer, a full training camp, I think it will help me have a better season, a better understanding of what [coach Erik Spoelstra] wants out of me.”

CAVALIERS GET HEAT PERMISSION

The Heat has granted the Cleveland Cavaliers permission to interview longtime Heat assistant coach Chris Quinn for the franchise’s head coaching job, a league source confirmed Friday to the Miami Herald. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the news.

Earlier this month, the Heat also granted the Los Angeles Lakers permission to interview Quinn for their head coaching job.

Quinn, 40, just completed his 10th season as a Heat assistant coach. Along with being the longest tenured assistant on Spoelstra’s coaching staff, Quinn has played a major role in the Heat’s highly regarded player development program.