Heat bring back sharpshooter Wayne Ellington

Wayne Ellington returns to the Miami Heat on a one-year deal, giving them a familiar spark off the bench.

The Miami Heat set a franchise record with 903 made three-point field goals in 2017-18. Shooting guard Wayne Ellington accounted for 25 percent of those field goals with 227 makes. And now, he’ll be back in Miami for another year.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports that Ellington and Miami have agreed on a one-year deal worth $6.2 million.

Many were surprised that Ellington, an unrestricted free agent, remained on the market for as long as he did. With shooting being highly sought after in today’s NBA, most assumed Ellington would be snatched up rather quickly.

He shot 39 percent from behind the arc with Miami last season and was tied for sixth with Damian Lillard in three-point field goals made.

He has his shortcomings defensively, but his value as a shooter off the bench more than makes up for his defense.

With teams taking so long to grab Ellington off the market, it seemed inevitable that he would return to Miami. Dwyane Wade remains a free agent, but he’s likely to return to Miami and just buying them time to make other moves.

Miami has been in the running to acquire Carmelo Anthony from the Oklahoma City Thunder. They could wait until a potential deal is made and Anthony is bought out to sign him. Or they could trade for him, likely shipping out Dion Waiters as a result.

The loss of Waiters, who missed 52 games last season, would once again open up playing time for Ellington. If Waiters and Wade return, the shooting guard position in Miami becomes awfully crowded.

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Either way, this is a great deal for Ellington. He gets to stay in a city and system he’s comfortable in at the same money. Maybe he was hoping for a bit more on the open market, but with teams capped out, he did well to at least not take a pay cut. Plus, he’s still living in Miami.