Report: Heat's McGruder out 3-6 months with stress fracture

The Miami Heat just lost one of their best defenders on the wing.

Heat shooting guard Rodney McGruder will likely undergo surgery to correct a stress fracture in his leg and miss three-to-six months, sources told Shams Charania of The Vertical.

McGruder posted nine points and five rebounds in 25 minutes of action during the Heat's last-second victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.

The Heat are fortunate to be extremely deep on the wing and should be able to sustain McGruder's absence by relying on the combination of Josh Richardson, Dion Waiters, and Wayne Ellington.

McGruder worked his way up from the D-League to become a consistent option in Erik Spoelstra's rotation. The 26-year-old averaged 6.4 points last season while hitting 33.2 percent from deep in 25.2 minutes per game.