In his third NBA season, McGruder established new career-highs in points (7.6), rebounds (3.6) and assists (1.7) per game. He also improved his free-throw percentage to 72.2 percent -- up significantly from his previous career mark of 60.8 percent. The versatile guard also added 1.3 three-pointers per contest and shot 35.1 percent from beyond the arc on the season. He made at least three three-pointers on 11 separate occasions. McGruder started the season quickly, averaging 16.0 points and 7.4 rebounds over his first five games, including back-to-back 19-point efforts against the Hornets on Oct. 20 and the Knicks on Oct. 24. Down the stretch, McGruder had 17 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in a March 2 win over the Nets. Just over a month later, McGruder was waived by the Heat on April 7 and subsequently claimed on waivers by the Clippers. McGruder was not eligible to appear in the postseason for Los Angeles.

McGruder was ruled out indefinitely at the start of the 2017-18 campaign due to a stress fracture in his left leg. He remained sidelined for several months before returning to action in late February. McGruder was initially assigned to play with Sioux Falls in the G League. There, he averaged 13.5 points and 5.0 rebounds over two games. He made his season NBA debut against Philadelphia on Feb. 27, scoring three points in nine minutes. McGruder's playing time varied throughout the remainder of the regular season, topping out at 26 minutes. On April 4, he scored a season-high 14 points in a win over Atlanta. Two days later, he grabbed a season-best four rebounds against the Knicks. McGruder remained on the team's roster into the postseason. He played in four contests during Miami's five-game opening round series against Philadelphia. McGruder totaled 16 minutes in the series, scoring two points and grabbing four rebounds.

Rodney McGruder declared for the 2013 NBA Draft but was not selected. He spent the following campaign playing for Atomeromu SE in Hungary, averaging 14.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Over the next two seasons, he played a combined 77 games in the D-League between the Maine Red Claws and the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He excelled with the Skyforce during the 2015-16 playoffs, averaging 22.7 points and 5.9 rebounds to help the squad win the league championship. McGruder finally got his chance in the NBA during the 2016-17 campaign. He played 78 games with the Miami Heat, averaging 25.2 minutes per contest. In his rookie season, McGruder posted per-game averages of 6.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists. Against Cleveland on Dec. 9, he pulled down a season-high eight rebounds and dished five assists. On Feb. 6, he scored a career-high 15 points while collecting five rebounds and four assists in a win over Minnesota. That performance was part of a strong February in which McGruder averaged 8.0 points and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 40.5 percent from beyond the arc.