MIAMI -- For all that the Miami Heat hasn't done yet amid a quiet offseason without many roster moves, one thing they have done is stand by 21-year-old center Kel'el Ware.
The Heat essentially made the North Little Rock native Ware off-limits in trade discussions with Phoenix for Kevin Durant last month, leading the Suns to eventually deal the 15-time All-Star forward to the Houston Rockets. Ware now wants to reward the Heat for their confidence in him, starting with a dominant summer league this year.
"It made me feel the Heat wanted me and they want to see how far I can get in the future and see how my development goes," Ware said before the Heat opened summer league play on Saturday against the San Antonio Spurs' summer squad as part of the California Classic at Chase Center in San Francisco. "That makes me want to show them what I can do and how far I can go.
"They see the potential in me and they see what I can be. So my main goal is to just sort of repay that they didn't make a mistake."
Ware scored 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting while contributing 7 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals in a 82-69 Heat victory Saturday.
While the trade rumors were swirling in June before Durant was eventually dealt to the Rockets, Ware would get updates from his agent but tried to ignore the speculation.
"I didn't really see too much of it," Ware said. "It was one of the things I was like, 'If it happens, it happens. If not, it doesn't.' You got to think the Heat didn't want to give me up, but that means the other team wanted me. I didn't really pay no mind to it."
Instead, Ware has kept himself busy by spending the first two months of his first full NBA offseason working to refine various areas of his game and adding new elements to his skill set. He also continues to focus on developing his body and adding muscle to his 7-foot frame, becoming an offseason regular at the Heat's facilities at Kaseya Center.
"My goals for the offseason and in the summer league is to show that I added more to my game, that I've gotten strong in the weight room," said Ware, who was taken with the 15th overall pick the 2024 NBA Draft. "Just showing that I can be a force out there and be dominant."
Ware boosted his draft stock as a sophomore transfer at Indiana, averaging team highs of 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game after spending his freshman season at Oregon. He joined the Ducks as a 5-star recruit, but his motor was questioned after putting up just 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game in 2022-23.
"When we brought him on board we didn't know what we were going to get," former Indiana Coach Mike Woodson said after a win over Wisconsin on Feb. 27, 2024. "Really didn't. We knew he was very skilled, and the word was that he didn't work hard. I thought after the first month of us getting after him a little bit that kind of picked up and it was a nice carryover into the season."
After entering the NBA at 230 pounds, Ware is now at 246 pounds. He said the Heat want him to hit 250 pounds.
"I don't fully know yet," Ware said when asked if 250 pounds is his final target weight or just his next milestone on the scale. "Right now, we're just 250. It all depends. The bigger you are, of course that kind of slows you down a little bit. But wherever my body feels comfortable, that's where we'll be."
Ware made tremendous progress during his rookie season, earning consistent minutes and then being promoted to a starting role in January after logging double-digit minutes in just two of the Heat's first 25 games this past regular season. He started next to the 6-9 Bam Adebayo to form a double-big lineup for the final three months of the season.
After being moved into a full-time starting role, Ware averaged 10.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 54.4% from the field and 21 of 76 (27.6%) on three-pointers during his final 38 regular-season appearances last season. That midseason push was enough for Ware to earn a spot on the NBA All-Rookie second team, finishing just one spot away from making the All-Rookie first team as the top vote-getter on the second team.
"Look, you know me. I don't really care for all of that," Ware said of just missing All-Rookie first team honors. "I don't really care for all of that, the rewards and stuff like that. So me getting second team or me being sixth in the vote, that didn't really bother me. I'm just focusing on trying to expand my game to get better."
Ware's first true test of the offseason will come in the days ahead during summer league action following his impressive summer league debut last year.
Ware averaged 18 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.0 steal and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 61.8% from the field and 3 of 10 (30%) from three-point range during the Heat's six-game run to the Las Vegas Summer League championship last offseason. As a result of that production, Ware earned a spot on the All-Summer League first team.
The Heat are hoping for more from Ware in his second summer league experience, regardless of how many games he actually plays in.
"The best way to sum up Kel'el is I'm looking for him to put everybody on notice that he's here and he's for real in this league," said Eric Glass, a Heat assistant serving as head coach of this year's summer league team. "That basically is how everything is summed up. Yes, there are specifics that we're trying to get into him. We always want to see him grow. There are leadership aspects. But he just needs to take the next step. He has all the capability in the world to go out and dominate games and practices, and that's what we're looking for from him."
Ware accepts that summer challenge.
"That's part of me getting better," Ware said, "showing what I've added to my game and just able to go out there to be a force and compete."
Considering the rough end to Ware's rookie season, he's motivated to become a better player this offseason.
While the Heat were being swept out of the first round of the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers last season, Ware produced a total of just 19 rebounds and 2 blocks in 73 minutes during his first NBA playoff experience. He struggled against the Cavaliers' starting frontcourt of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen while being targeted on the defensive end in pick-and-rolls.
"Of course there were some ups and downs," Ware said of his rookie season. "But it was still fun, getting out there, being able to play and being able to get some time out there, show the guys that I am able to compete. I don't think about the last four (playoff) games much. I let those go, because I know that's not really me or how I play."
Ware wants to prove he can be even better than what he showed as a rookie. Based on the organization's decision to keep him out of trade discussions for Durant, the Heat believe Ware can do that and more.
"That's always my goal to prove myself to be a better version of myself," Ware said when asked if the organization's belief in him has provided extra motivation for him this summer. "I guess you could kind of say it adds to it, but not really. I'm always going to go out there and try to prove myself even more, just for myself."