Power forward KZ Okpala was acquired by the Oklahoma City Thunder just prior to the trade deadline, but he won't be suiting up for the franchise. Okpala, 22, is heading to free agency after being waived by OKC on Friday. Taken in the second round of the 2019 NBA draft, Okpala has primarily been a frontcourt depth piece for Miami over the past three seasons, combining to average 2.8 points and 1.8 boards per game. He made nine starts for the Heat last year, but he was rarely utilized this season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have acquired forward KZ Okpala from the Miami Heat in exchange for a 2026 second-round draft pick. The Thunder have released forward Mamadi Diakite to clear a roster spot for Okpala, who carries averages of 3.7 points and 2.0 rebounds per game through 21 appearances. Okpala has been sidelined since late December with a wrist injury, and the 22-year-old third-year forward can safely remain on the waiver wire as he is not on the fantasy radar, outside of the deepest of dynasty formats.
Miami Heat forward KZ Okpala (wrist) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the San Antonio Spurs. The Heat reportedly signed guard Kyle Guy, but that still only puts their team to seven active players. Miami needs to get another active player by game time or this contest will be postponed. Tyler Hero and Duncan Robinson should see significant boosts in value, while Caleb Martin has a bigger role as well. Herro is the best option out of the three, but they all have appeal with the Heat extremely shorthanded.
Kyle Lowry, KZ Okpala Get Green Light To Play Saturday
Miami Heat point guard Kyle Lowry (ankle) and power forward KZ Okpala (ankle) have both been cleared to suit up Saturday against the Jazz. Lowry is the more pertinent of the two, having served as the new starting PG for the Heat. While he has scored in single digits in five of his first seven games, he has dished out 7.1 assists per contest, right in line with his career production. That being said, he'll face a difficult Jazz defense Saturday, likely allowing him to be faded in DFS contests. Okpala returns from a two-game absence, but he has been used sparingly off the bench this season.
Miami Will Be Without KZ Okpala For Thursday’s Game
Miami Heat power forward KZ Okpala (ankle) will miss Thursday's contest against the Celtics due to a sprained right ankle. Okpala has been a sparsely utilized reserve for the Heat during the early portion of the season, averaging just four minutes per game in his four appearances thus far. Still only 22 years, Okpala boasts upside for the defensive-minded Heat, but he remains far off the waiver wire radar. Fantasy managers can look for P.J. Tucker and Markieff Morris to continue holding down power forward minutes for Miami moving forward.
Miami Heat power forward KZ Okpala will miss his third consecutive game Thursday versus Portland as he continues to work his way through the league's health and safety protocols. Okpala has averaged 20.1 minutes on a nightly basis over his last seven contests, four of which have been starts. But his marginal 4.9 points and 3.7 boards in those outings likely keeps him from being a fantasy-relevant asset in any-sized season-long format. Kelly Olynyk and Andre Iguodala stand to see slight minutes increases without Okpala in the mix. His next chance to return comes Friday against the Hornets.
Miami Heat forward Kz Okpala has been making rapid improvements to his offensive game, according to Heat assistant general manager Adam Simon. Once mid-January came around, we saw the strides," Simon said. Okpala already has an NBA-ready defensive game, but he needed to make the jump on the offensive side. He missed most of the 2019-2020 season while he was dealing with a strained left Achilles. It sounds like he's making improvements to his game, though, so he could end up sticking on the Miami roster. However, the Heat are crowded in terms of depth at the forward spot, so Okpala is unlikely to have much fantasy value.
