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Agent refutes report that Heat’s Jarvis Varnado is close to signing overseas

Jarvis Varnado

Miami Heat’s Jarvis Varnado dunks the ball against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second quarter of an NBA Summer League basketball game on Saturday, July 20, 2013, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

AP

Jarvis Varnado is a project player on the Heat’s roster that joined the squad in January of last season. He was inactive during the playoffs, but is under contract with Miami for the upcoming season.

That small fact means that Varnado can’t sign elsewhere without the Heat’s permission.

A report surfaced over the weekend that Varnado was close to signing with a team in Italy, but a quick check with his agent proved that wasn’t the case.

From Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:

Despite a report in La Gazzetta dello Sport that the shot-blocking center was close to a deal in Italy, Boca Raton-based agent Mitch Frankel said Sunday his client remains under contract to the Heat and is planning to be at training camp, which opens Oct. 1.

“Fact is, Jarvis is under contract with the Heat. Jarvis hasn’t accepted any offer from any team in Europe and Jarvis plans on playing for the Heat next year,” Frankel said. “There’s a lot of teams in Europe that have contacted us about Jarvis and his plans.”


Varnado wants to play in Miami next year, but the fact is that right now, his contract is not guaranteed for the upcoming season. It becomes partially guaranteed if he is on the team’s opening night roster, and fully guaranteed if he remains past December 15.

It’s clear that Varnado will report to camp and do what he can to earn himself a spot on the team for next season. Should the Heat decide to cut him loose before opening night, it also seems clear that he’ll be able to sign a deal to play overseas.