Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat Notes: Waiters, Wade, Dragic

March 12th, 2017 at 12:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Dion Waiters is looking at a substantial raise this summer and he wants it to come from Miami, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The 25-year-old shooting guard is making an impressive case for himself in free agency, averaging a career-best 16.0 points per game and fueling a second-half surge that has the Heat back in the playoff race. Waiters, who is making $2.9MM this season, hopes his long-term future is in South Florida. “I want to get it done as quick as possible,” he said. “Let’s keep this thing rolling by any means. I don’t want to go into free agency with a couple days and make a decision. I don’t want that. I know where I want to be. Let’s just get it done. My mom loves it here. Would be mad at me [if I left]. My son loves it. My family loves it.”

There’s more news out of Miami:

Waiters plans to contact former Heat star Dwyane Wade for tips on improving his game, Jackson writes in the same piece. He seems like an obvious candidate as Waiters has taken over Wade’s spot as a primary scorer in coach Erik Spoelstra’s offense. “I am definitely going to reach out to him to see if I can propel my game to a new level,” Waiters said. “That’s what the best players do.” If Waiters remains in Miami, it might prevent the Heat from having a reunion with Wade, who can opt out of his $23.8MM deal with the Bulls this summer.
The Heat aren’t sure how a bruised right eye socket will affect point guard Goran Dragic, relays Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald. Dragic suffered the injury in the third quarter Saturday when he was hit with an elbow by Toronto’s Cory Joseph. Dragic said his vision was blurry, but he wasn’t dizzy and hopes to play tonight in Indiana. “The plan right now is to travel him,” Spoelstra said Saturday night. “We’ll see; we’ll be smart about it.”
Development of players throughout the season has led the Heat to reassess not only their playoff chances, but their long-term future, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel.

Heat DPE On Verge Of Expiring

March 9th, 2017 at 12:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Disabled player exceptions will expire for 2017 on Friday, and that’s relevant for the Heat, who received a modest DPE worth about $1.3MM when Justise Winslow went down for the season. As Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald details, that exception figures to go unused. Check out our glossary entry for more details on how disabled player exceptions work.
In a separate piece for the Herald, Jackson breaks down why it makes more sense for the Heat to make a push for the playoffs rather than hoping to land in the lottery.

Waiters, Johnson Among Role Players Headed For FA Payday?

March 8th, 2017 at 12:42pm CST by Luke Adams

The annual list of “Luke Walton All-Stars” from ESPN’s Zach Lowe includes several role players who could be headed for lucrative paydays in free agency, including Michael Beasley (Bucks), Dion Waiters (Heat), and James Johnson (Heat).

Ellington's Free Agency Options; Williams Speaks Highly Of Riley

March 7th, 2017 at 4:57pm CST by Austin Kent

The Heat have several options for dealing with Wayne Ellington‘s contract this summer, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes. The guard has emerged as an elite source of production beyond the arc and may command significant amount more on the open market than if the franchise were to just pick up his $6.3MM option for 2017/18.
Though he isn’t even on the Heat roster anymore, Cavaliers forward Derrick Williams has nothing but good things to say about Pat Riley, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. “The way things were going at that time, it was mutually agreed,” Williams said. “That was the best thing. We were both on the same page. It was a mutual parting. Everything [Riley] told me was the truth. I don’t think we have enough of that around here [in the NBA].”

Pat Riley: “No-Brainer” To Promote Magic Johnson

March 6th, 2017 at 4:28pm CST by Milo Taibi

Magic Johnson’s ascension to the Lakers‘ president of basketball operations hasn’t been met with universal praise. Sam Amick of USA Today recently summarized Johnson’s promotion, emphasizing the necessity of Magic recruiting elite players in free agency.

“If this massive move is going to pay off, it’s Johnson’s ability to attract and select the right talent that will determine his value,” Amick wrote. “But if Magic shoots an airball on the free agency recruiting front in July, perhaps suffering the same fate as the Lakers’ jettisoned basketball execs who couldn’t convince Carmelo Anthony, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Durant, then he’s just another inexperienced former player who is learning on the job.”

For what it’s worth, Johnson will enter the position with a powerful NBA figure supporting him. In an interview with Harvey Araton of The Vertical, Heat president Pat Riley gave Magic his full endorsement.

“Why shouldn’t Earvin get an opportunity?” Riley said. “Earvin is a guy who has been a prolific businessman…he’s gone into companies and changed management, changed the culture. He’s charismatic, gets up in front of people and puts an immediate face on an organization. To me, it’s a no-brainer that Earvin was given that position to capture the attention of the people in L.A. and to try to recapture that sense of continuity.”

Riley’s connection to Johnson has been well-documented. As head coach of the Lakers, Riley coached Magic to four NBA titles, calling Johnson “The smartest player I ever coached.”

“To adamantly say Earvin is not qualified is nonsense. Like Jerry West, he’s a prodigal son of the Lakers,” Riley added. “With everything that goes on, who knows how long he’s going to be there? And it’s not going to happen for him this year, or even in two years. But if they keep their [top-three protected] draft pick, with the young players they have, and Earvin’s reputation in that market, he’ll have a chance.”

Heat Met With Jared Sullinger

March 6th, 2017 at 1:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Having been sent to Phoenix in a deadline-day trade, Jared Sullinger was subsequently waived and became a free agent. Now, he’s in the “exploratory stages” of finding a new team, per agent David Falk, who confirmed to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link) that Sullinger met with Heat president Pat Riley in recent days.

As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel observes (via Twitter), the Heat may soon have a roster spot opening up, if they can finalize the removal of Chris Bosh‘s contract from their books. Although that spot isn’t necessarily ticketed for Sullinger, Winderman reports that the Heat have “kicked the tires” on the veteran big man.

Sullinger, who turned 25 on Saturday, averaged at least 10.3 PPG and 7.6 RPG in each of his previous three seasons with Boston before signing a one-year pact with the Raptors last summer. However, his season was derailed by foot surgery, which prevented him from making his debut with Toronto until well until the new year. For the season, Sullinger has played sparingly in just 11 games, averaging 3.4 PPG and 2.5 RPG.

While a healthy Sullinger could potentially be an asset to a team in need of rebounding help and interior scoring down the stretch, he didn’t look to be at 100% during his time with the Raptors. Any team with interest in adding him as a free agent in the coming days or weeks will likely want to take a close look at his health and conditioning before making any commitments.

Heat Notes: Weber, McGruder, Richardson, Wade

March 4th, 2017 at 6:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

When the Heat host the Hornets on Wednesday, it will mark their first game against training camp cut Briante Weber, notes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Weber had been a fixture on Miami’s D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls for the past two seasons, helping the Skyforce win the league title in 2015/16. He signed two 10-day contracts with the Warriors last month, but was released when Golden State wanted to make room for Jose Calderon, and later Matt Barnes. Weber agreed to a 10-day deal with Charlotte February 27th. “I just told him I appreciated his attitude and his effort and what he brought to us,” Stephen Curry said about Weber’s time with the Warriors. “He has a lot to offer this league, his tenacity on the defensive end and his confidence. … He’s going to be around for a long time.”

There’s more news out of Miami:

Rodney McGruder has come a long way to earn a starting job and get consideration for the All-Rookie team, Winderman writes in a separate story. McGruder went undrafted out of Kansas State in 2013, then played in Hungary and the D-League before making the Heat roster at the start of this season. “It is nice being mentioned,” he said. “… But I’ve just got to thank my teammates. The coaching staff put me in a great situation, that’s what I always say.”
The injuries that have followed Josh Richardson through his first two NBA seasons are a new experience, writes Shandel Richarson of The Sun-Sentinel. The former Tennessee standout said he never missed a game in college and only one in high school. But injuries limited him to 52 games last season, and he has sat out 30 already this year because of knee surgery and ankle problems. “Figuring out how to get through injuries has been good for me,” Richardson said. “… Now I just got to get my basketball rhythm back. I think I was starting to show good growth before I was injured the last time.”
Dwyane Wade keeps dropping hints about opting out of next season’s contract with the Bulls, but Dave Hyde of The Sun-Sentinel argues that it’s not time for a reunion in Miami. Signing Wade, who would want more than the $23.8MM he’s scheduled to get from Chicago, would make it unlikely that the Heat could keep Dion Waiters, who has been a major part of their recent surge back into playoff contention.

Jackson, Winderman Look Ahead To Free Agency

March 1st, 2017 at 11:06am CST by Luke Adams

Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald looks ahead to free agency and wonders if a reunion with Dwyane Wade would be possible for the Heat this summer, exploring whether Wade would be a better fit for the club than Dion Waiters. As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel observes, the Heat will have to evaluate Waiters as they would any outside free agent, since the team won’t hold his Bird rights in the offseason and won’t necessarily have a leg up on re-signing him.

Latest On Chris Bosh

February 28th, 2017 at 9:28pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Chris Bosh has missed over a year of action due to blood-clot issues and a source tells Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald that Bosh has not attempted to return this season. Jackson adds that the big man would like to play in the future should his health allow him to. Bosh addressed his situation on Monday during TNT’s Players Only coverage (via Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel). “My health is great. I’m feeling good, still working out, and just really still saying ready,” Bosh said.

Bosh failed his preseason physical with the Heat and team doctors believed his condition would be career-ending. Miami intended to move forward with its future plans, which did not include the big man. Yet, Bosh maintained hope of returning to the team at some point and it caused a strain in the relationship between Bosh and the franchise.

Sources tell Winderman that the Heat have attempted to reach out to Bosh over the past few days, hoping to find some middle ground. The big man hasn’t responded to the team, according to Winderman.

Miami is expected to petition the league for a medical exclusion, which would give Bosh the salary remaining on his deal, but take the amount owed off their future cap. Once the team waives him, an independent physician will determine Bosh’s ability to return to the court. Bosh must make himself available for this evaluation if he wants to receive his remaining salary. Jackson hears that the sides are expected to begin this process sometime during the month of March.

By waiting until after March 1, Miami can assure that Bosh won’t play 25 games this season, a mark that would force his salary back on its cap sheet. With the big man’s salary off the books, Miami could have roughly $38MM in cap space this summer.

Should the Heat use that cap room on players this offseason and Bosh plays 25 games for another team next season, Bosh’s salary would return to Miami’s cap. The franchise would not have to shed salary in that scenario, per league rules, but it would likely cause the team to be in the luxury tax.

Bosh spoke about how his life has been different since being sidelined with the condition.

“I think one of the interesting things that I didn’t anticipate was my mental health,” he said. “And that’s something that as athletes we have to take into regard because we’re used to a set schedule and we’re used to a certain type of world. And that’s something that I’ve really had to work on for my well being.”

McGruder Emerges As Pest; Reed Sidelined With Ankle Bursitis

February 26th, 2017 at 9:15pm CST by Austin Kent

Undrafted rookie Rodney McGruder is making a name for himself as a scrappy, pest of a player, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel. The forward has played a substantial role on a Heat team that has done nothing but exceed expectations this season. “He’s always head first, nose first into everything,” teammate Wayne Ellington said. “He makes it hard for guys when he frustrates guys.“
Backup center Willie Reed is day-to-day with ankle bursitis and didn’t travel with the team for Sunday’s matchup with the Mavs. With Reed out, the Heat will turn to veteran Udonis Haslem or an out-of-position James Johnson to handle duties at the five, says Winderman in a separate piece for the Sun-Sentinel.