Avery Bradley out 3-4 weeks as Heat’s problems get worse

The Miami Heat will be without guard Avery Bradley for quite some time.

The Miami Heat were expected to be forces in the Eastern Conference this season after making it to the NBA Finals back in September. On Wednesday night, the Heat lost 103-100 to the Washington Wizards to drop their overall record to 7-14, situating them well outside of the playoff picture. Things only got worse 24 hours later.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Heat will be without guard Avery Bradley for 3-4 weeks due to a strained right calf. The injury occurred during Miami’s loss to Washington.

Heat dealing with yet another injury

The Heat, looking to make a return trip to the NBA Finals, signed Bradley to a two-year, $11.6 million contract this past offseason. Bradley had spent the previous campaign with the Los Angeles Lakers, but opted out of the NBA bubble due to family concerns.

Bradley never got the chance to log significant minutes with Miami this season. Earlier in the season, the Heat were dealing with a coronavirus outbreak and Bradly had tested positive for COVID-19, forcing him to miss eight games. Prior to his strained calf, Bradley missed two games due to a knee bruise.

In 10 games with the Heat, Bradley has averaged 8.5 points while shooting 47 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from the 3-point line.

Earlier this week, Miami received the unfortunate news that center Meyers Leonard will miss the rest of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery. Now, Bradley is out for the next few weeks. This season was already off to a rough start, but now it’s gotten even more difficult for the Heat, who will look to end their two-game skid when they face the Wizards again on Friday night.