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Report: Heat expected to bring back Tyler Johnson

Bill Streicher / USA TODAY Sports

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The Miami Heat have been busy shipping out guards as of late. Consider Tyler Johnson the lucky survivor of the recent purging.

The Heat are preparing to pick up Johnson's partially-guaranteed contract for next season, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, effectively bringing the 6-foot-4 combo guard back into the fold for 2015-16.

Johnson, 23, showed flashes of impressive play last season in limited playing time. He averaged 18.8 minutes over the course of 32 games, shooting 37.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Per 36 minutes, his stats indicate some promise: 11.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and two steals.

Monday kicked off with the Heat trading Zoran Dragic (don't panic, Heat fans, not Goran) to the Boston Celtics. In return for the 6-foot-5 shooting guard, Miami will receive a protected second-round pick in 2020. The younger of the two Dragic brothers saw the floor in only 10 games for the team last season.

Also announced Monday was the exodus of sophomore point guard Shabazz Napier. As the 25th overall pick in the 2014 draft, Napier is coming off an underwhelming rookie season. Apparently his value to team president Pat Riley was more economic than practical in nature, since the 6-foot-1 NCAA champion will head to the Orlando Magic in exchange for a protected 2016 draft pick.

These moves will alleviate the Heat's tax bill to some degree. However, additional maneuvers are needed in order for Riley and company to stave off the dreaded repeater penalty - hence persistent rumors about the team's desire to shed Mario Chalmers's contract.

With all of this in mind, it seems increasingly plausible that Johnson may start the next season as Goran Dragic's primary backup.

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