Snapshot
| Field | Read |
|---|---|
| Team/role | Miami Heat two-way PG; developmental lead guard |
| 2025-26 college baseline | Miami Hurricanes: 35 GP/33 starts, 34.0 MPG; 16.4 PTS, 5.7 AST, 3.6 REB, 1.37 STL; .454 FG, .359 3P, .766 FT |
| Base role | Zero simultaneous minutes in the exact-240 healthy model; contingent 24 NBA games at 5.0 MPG |
| Category identity | Potential assists/steals; uncertain NBA scoring efficiency and volume |
2026-27 contingent NBA projection
| GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | 3PM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 5 | .420 | .760 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.4 |
These minutes replace injured/resting rotation players in actual games; they are not added to Miami's 240-minute base.
Why this shape
- Miami's official two-way announcement documents real senior-year playmaking and efficient-enough shooting.
- Davion Mitchell and Dru Smith sit ahead of him, while Giannis and Bam can initiate without a conventional point guard.
- The roster's lack of another established handler creates a clearer call-up path than most two-way guards have, but Miami still has open standard-contract slots.
- His likely primary work is developmental; NBA cameos should be evaluated separately from G League counting stats.
Format outlook
- Nine-category/points redraft: not draftable in normal formats.
- Dynasty: taxi/30-team stash if roster space is cheap; assists provide a plausible specialist outcome.
- Immediate trigger: Mitchell injury plus no veteran guard signing. One condition without the other may still leave Donaldson outside the rotation.
Range and watchpoints
- Ceiling: earns a standard conversion and a 12–16 minute backup role late in the season.
- Median: regular G League work plus 24 brief NBA appearances.
- Floor: almost entirely developmental with no fantasy-relevant NBA stretch.
- Translation question: his 35.9% college three and 76.6% FT are adequate, not proof defenders must honor him in NBA Giannis/Bam lineups.
Sources
- Heat sign Donaldson to a two-way contract — 2026-07-03; official college statistical line.
- Miami Herald: Donaldson explains two-way decision — 2026-07-02.
- ESPN player profile — accessed 2026-07-18.
- RealGM Miami depth chart — accessed 2026-07-18; lists limited playing time.
Career record
Pre-NBA: Four college seasons at three schools. Two years at Auburn, ending with a sophomore season in which he started 10 of 35 games and averaged 6.7 points and 3.2 assists. Transferred to Michigan for 2024-25 and started all 37 games as the lead guard on a Big Ten tournament winner, averaging 11.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists while shooting .375 from three and leading the team in assists. Transferred again to Miami for a senior year in 2025-26 and produced his best season: 35 games with 33 starts, 34.0 MPG, 16.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.7 threes on .454/.359/.766, earning second-team All-ACC and an ACC Player of the Week award in January 2026. Draft: undrafted (2026); signed a two-way contract with Miami on June 24, 2026, tied to the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Donaldson has never appeared in an NBA regular season game. His most recent competitive season is the 2025-26 Miami line below.
| Season | Age | Team | GP | MPG | PTS | REB | AST | STL | 3PM | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 22 | Miami (NCAA) | 35 | 34.0 | 16.4 | 3.6 | 5.7 | 1.4 | 1.7 | .454 | .359 | .766 |
Durability: No NBA record to assess. He played 35, 37 and 35 games across his last three college seasons with no reported missed time of note, which is the only availability signal available.
Trajectory: Donaldson is a 22-year-old four-year college guard whose case rests on one thing — real lead-guard creation at a high-major level, 5.7 assists in 34 minutes against ACC defenses, with a jumper that is adequate rather than a weapon. That profile usually produces a G League starter and an occasional NBA call-up rather than a rotation player, and the two-way contract prices him accordingly. He spends most of 2026-27 in Sioux Falls. The specific condition for relevance is narrow and double-barrelled: an injury to Davion Mitchell combined with Miami declining to sign another standard-contract handler, since Miami can otherwise initiate offense through its bigger playmakers and simply not use a conventional point guard. Absent that, he is a taxi-squad name in 30-team dynasty formats and nothing in redraft.
Career sources: G League, Heat two-way signing release · Wikipedia · ESPN player page · Michigan Athletics player page · NBC Sports, two-way agreement
Open questions
- Does Miami sign another standard-contract point guard before camp?
- Where does Donaldson spend most of the season, and how large is his G League on-ball role?
- Can his jumper support minutes beside non-shooting star lineups?