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Heat Rumors: Weber, Udrih, McGruder, Dragic

October 23rd, 2016 at 10:08am CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat plan to send point guard Briante Weber to their D-League team in South Dakota if he clears waivers, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Weber was among five players released Saturday as Miami trimmed its roster to the limit of 15. The 23-year-old Weber is trying to come back from from tears in the ACL, MCL and meniscus in his right knee that he suffered in January. He had 19 steals in 149 minutes during the preseason, but struggled with his shot and had 20 turnovers to go with 23 assists. Jackson writes that Miami officials believe Weber, who has a has a $328K guarantee, is an “intriguing” prospect, but needs regular playing time to develop his game.

There’s more this morning from Miami:

  • Veteran point guard Beno Udrih, who was also waived Saturday, will receive the $1.5MM veteran’s minimum, Jackson notes in the same piece. That’s much more than the $90K he sacrificed as part of a controversial buyout last season that helped the franchise escape the luxury tax. Udrih reportedly passed up several overseas opportunities to re-sign with Miami.
  • Getting rid of Weber and Udrih leaves the Heat without a proven backup at point guard, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Miami opted to keep  6’5″ shooting guard Rodney McGruder, a key player for the Heat’s affiliate in Sioux Falls, which won the D-League title last season. McGruder had an impressive preseason, averaging 7.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 152 minutes of action. Winderman believes injuries to Josh Richardson and Wayne Ellington could make McGruder a rotation player in three-guard lineups when the season starts.
  • The Heat have told Goran Dragic that they aren’t trying to trade him, but that situation could change as the season wears on, claims ESPN’s Marc Stein. A slow start could alter the front office’s thinking about the 30-year-old point guard, who still has four years and more than $70MM remaining on the contract he signed last summer. There have been rumors that Miami was talking about sending Dragic to Sacramento in exchange for Rudy Gay and Darren Collison.
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Heat Part Ways With Five Players

October 22nd, 2016 at 3:06pm CST by Eddie Scarito

3:06pm: The Heat have announced via press release that the moves are official.

1:40pm: The Heat intend to part ways with Briante Weber, Beno Udrih, Okaro White, Luis Montero and Vashil Fernandez, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel relays (All Twitter links). The team will be on the hook for $100K for White, $327,989 for Weber and $980,431 for Udrih, unless those players are claimed off waivers by another team.

Udrih played 36 games with Miami last season before agreeing to a buyout in February to help the team avoid the luxury tax, which certainly gained him some fans within the organization. In those 36 games for the Heat last season, Udrih averaged 4.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 16.3 minutes per outing. He shot .434/.333/.882 from the field.

Weber, 23, appeared in a combined seven games with Miami and Memphis in 2015/16. He averaged 4.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 24.1 minutes per outing while shooting .359/.000/.750.

White went undrafted out of Florida State in 2014 and then headed overseas, spending the 2014/15 campaign with the Italian club Granarolo Bologna, where he averaged 12.2 points and 6.9 rebounds on the season. White then headed to Greece, spending this past season with Aris BC, notching averages of 13.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 26.8 minutes per outing. He shot .465/.337/.791 from the field on the year.

A 6’7″ swingman from the Dominican Republic, Montero signed with the Heat after being waived by the Blazers earlier this month. He appeared in 12 games as a rookie last season for Portland, averaging 1.2 points and 0.3 rebounds per night in limited playing time. Montero played just one game this preseason for Portland before he was cut, scoring three points against Utah on October 3rd.

Fernandez went undrafted this June after spending his four-year college career at Valparaiso. The 6’10” big man averaged just 5.6 PPG during his senior season, but also chipped in 7.3 RPG and 3.3 BPG over the course of 36 games.

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2016/17 NBA Over/Unders: Southeast Division

October 21st, 2016 at 9:12am CST by Luke Adams

The 2016/17 NBA regular season will get underway next week, which means it’s time to start getting serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign. With the help of the lines from offshore betting site Bovada.lv, we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division, and having you weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic. Having looked at the Atlantic, Northwest, Central, and Southwest divisions so far, we’re moving on to the Southeast today…

Atlanta Hawks

How many games will the Hawks win?
Over 43.5 59.84% (231 votes)
Under 43.5 40.16% (155 votes)
Total Votes: 386

(App users, click here for Hawks poll)

Charlotte Hornets

How many games will the Hornets win?
Under 42.5 62.22% (224 votes)
Over 42.5 37.78% (136 votes)
Total Votes: 360

(App users, click here for Hornets poll)

Washington Wizards

How many games will the Wizards win?
Over 42.5 51.60% (177 votes)
Under 42.5 48.40% (166 votes)
Total Votes: 343

(App users, click here for Wizards poll)

Orlando Magic

How many games will the Magic win?
Over 37.5 54.42% (191 votes)
Under 37.5 45.58% (160 votes)
Total Votes: 351

(App users, click here for Magic poll)

Miami Heat

How many games will the Heat win?
Under 34.5 61.45% (220 votes)
Over 34.5 38.55% (138 votes)
Total Votes: 358

(App users, click here for Heat poll)

Previous voting results:

Atlantic:

  • Boston Celtics (52.5 wins): Under (54.59%)
  • Toronto Raptors (50.5 wins): Over (54.63%)
  • New York Knicks (38.5 wins): Over (71.41%)
  • Philadelphia 76ers (23.5 wins): Under (54.62%)
  • Brooklyn Nets (20.5 wins): Under (60.74%)

Northwest:

  • Utah Jazz (49 wins): Under (68.72%)
  • Portland Trail Blazers (45.5 wins): Over (69.92%)
  • Oklahoma City Thunder (43.5 wins): Over (65.71%)
  • Minnesota Timberwolves (40.5 wins): Over (50.11%)
  • Denver Nuggets (37 wins): Under (68.81%)

Central:

  • Cleveland Cavaliers (56.5 wins): Over (66.5%)
  • Detroit Pistons (44.5 wins): Over (55.03%)
  • Indiana Pacers (44.5 wins): Over (73.06%)
  • Chicago Bulls (38.5 wins): Over (61.9%)
  • Milwaukee Bucks (34.5 wins): Over (67.48%)

Southwest:

  • San Antonio Spurs (58.5 wins): Under (57.4%)
  • Houston Rockets (44 wins): Over (52.76%)
  • Memphis Grizzlies (42.5 wins): Over (59.69%)
  • Dallas Mavericks (38.5 wins): Over (69.71%)
  • New Orleans Pelicans (37 wins): Under (70.9%)
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Goran Dragic Told Trade Rumors Are Untrue

October 20th, 2016 at 9:23pm CST by Dana Gauruder
  • Shannon Brown has signed with the NBA D-League and will be eligible for its draft, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor tweets. The 30-year-old guard last appeared in the NBA in 2014/15, when he played five games for the Heat.
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Amnesty Clause Unlikely To Remain In Next CBA

October 20th, 2016 at 8:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There isn’t enough support among NBA owners to retain the amnesty clause in the new CBA, which could impact the Heat’s long-term decision on Chris Bosh, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reports.

The amnesty clause was included in the past two CBAs, which allowed each team to waive one of its player contracts and have 100% of the player’s salary removed from the team’s salary for cap and tax purposes. The team still had to pay that player.

Without an amnesty clause included in the next agreement, the Heat would lose one of their best options regarding Bosh. They refuse to medically clear Bosh, whose last two seasons have been cut short by blood clots, leaving Bosh in limbo. Bosh has three years and approximately $76MM remaining on his contract.

The two sides are close to finalizing the new CBA, as Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported earlier. Windhorst offers a few more tidbits on the negotiations:

  • Players are expected to have the ability to sign an extension two years after the date they signed their current contract, rather than three seasons.
  • Restricted free agents will be able to agree to offer sheets on the first day of free agency — July 1 — instead of waiting to July 7. The window for teams to decide to match offer sheets would be reduced from 72 hours to 48 hours. That would make it more appealing for suitors to make those offers, since they are often hamstrung financially until a final decision is made.
  • Teams would no longer be able to pull qualifying offers from RFAs, which is currently allowed prior to July 31.
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Rudy Gay Notes: Trade Rumors, Heat, Dragic

October 19th, 2016 at 10:12am CST by Luke Adams

While Rudy Gay has been the subject of trade speculation throughout the offseason, given his apparent discontent with his situation in Sacramento, a Tuesday report provided the most concrete update yet on potential trade talks involving Gay. According to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders, the Kings and Heat have discussed a potential deal that would send Gay to Miami along with Darren Collison, with Goran Dragic heading to Sacramento.

While such a deal has been discussed, it’s believed to be in the “kicking the tires” stage, with nothing imminent. With that in mind, here’s the latest on Gay and the trade rumors surrounding him:

  • Asked about the latest trade whispers, Gay downplayed the talk, as James Ham of CSN Bay Area details. “I’m in the same place I was earlier in the day, I’m in Sacramento,” Gay said. “It is what it is, man, it’s the NBA, it happens. Rumors are going to happen and you’ve just got to go out there and play basketball.”
  • According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, both he and fellow Herald reporter Manny Navarro have heard nothing is happening with the Heat and Kings at this time. Jackson adds that Miami likes Gay as a “complementary player,” but wants to see how Dragic looks with the current roster rather than trading him right now. Per Jackson, Gay would “love” to play in Miami, and the Heat will consider him a secondary option in free agency next July, whether or not they trade for him.
  • Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel also explores the Gay rumors from a Heat perspective, suggesting the team probably wouldn’t do the rumored deal involving Dragic and Collison unless the Kings included a draft pick or Willie Cauley-Stein. Winderman also echoes what Jackson wrote, suggesting it’s too early at this point for Miami to make a major trade.
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Spoelstra Excited By Addition Of Montero

October 18th, 2016 at 9:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito
  • Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is excited about the addition of swingman Luis Montero, who was signed by the team earlier today, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel notes (Twitter links). “We were actually surprised that he was available and wanted to take advantage of that,” Spoelstra said. “He’s one of these long,athletic, combo wing guys that we’ve had success with.“
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Kings, Heat Discuss Gay, Collison, Dragic

October 18th, 2016 at 2:17pm CST by Luke Adams

As ESPN’s Zach Lowe recently reported, the Heat and the Kings have engaged in some “vague” trade discussions since July. Today, Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders fills in some details on those talks, reporting that the two sides have discussed a trade that would send Rudy Gay and Darren Collison to Miami and Goran Dragic to Sacramento.

The Kings appear open to moving Gay, who has expressed some frustration with the franchise and has indicated he’ll opt out and explore the open market next summer. Sources tell Scotto that Sacramento would like to land a starting-caliber point guard in a deal involving Gay, and Dragic would fit that bill. However, the Heat gave up two first-round picks in their previous trade for Dragic, so they may require a more significant return to part with him.

Still, acquiring Gay and Collison would make some sense for the Heat. Gay is a talented scorer who could help make up for the loss of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in the short term, while Collison could provide some backcourt depth — he likely wouldn’t require as significant a role as Dragic, which could free up some minutes for Miami’s younger players.

Both Gay and Collison will also come off the books in 2017, whereas Dragic has a pricey cap hit through at least the 2018/19 season. Moving Dragic for a pair of expiring contracts would give the Heat much more financial flexibility to go out and pursue top free agents next July.

No deal seems imminent at this point, with Scotto reporting that both teams are “kicking the tires” on the possibility. However, it’s worth keeping an eye on the Heat and Kings as potential trade partners before the 2017 deadline.

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Heat Sign Luis Montero, Waive Keith Benson

October 18th, 2016 at 1:39pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat continue to cycle through camp invitees, announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived center Keith Benson, replacing him on their roster with guard Luis Montero. The Blazers just waived Montero on Saturday, so Miami didn’t waste much time in snatching him up once he cleared waivers.

A 6’7″ swingman from the Dominican Republic, Montero signed with the Blazers last summer. He appeared in 12 games as a rookie last season, averaging 1.2 points and 0.3 rebounds per night in limited playing time. Montero played just one game this preseason for Portland before he was cut, scoring three points against Utah on October 3.

Benson’s deal with the Heat was only partially guaranteed, with the big man getting $75K from the Heat. The details on Montero’s contract aren’t yet known, but he’ll likely receive little to no guaranteed money as well. Both players are candidates to end up with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s D-League affiliate.

Miami continues to carry 20 players on its roster after waiving one and adding another. The team will have to make five cuts before opening night.

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Heat Notes: Winslow, Bosh, Udrih

October 17th, 2016 at 9:10pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Heat swingman Justise Winslow has made tangible improvements from a season ago, according to coach Erik Spoelstra, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel relays. Spoelstra compared his second-year player to Spurs star Kawhi Leonard, whom Miami squared off against last week, Winderman adds. “He does what he’s always done, and that’s make winning plays,” Spoelstra said of Winslow. “He is one of those unique players. The guy he was playing against on the other side [Friday] night is very similar. They make a lot of winning plays. And you can’t define them necessarily by a box score. Now, Justise can fill up a box score, and he’s showing his development. We plan on using him all over the court — handling the ball, posting up, drives, spacing the floor. The more responsibility we’ve given him, the more inspired his play has become.”

Miami recently picked up Winslow’s third-year option and will likely do the same next October when it needs to decide on his fourth-year one, Winderman writes. “It’s new to me, some parts of it,” Winslow said regarding contract deadlines. “But you’ve just got to understand the situation. You’ve got to understand the business. So a lot of guys are just talking to me about the business of basketball, and that’s just one part of it, the two-year team option. You’ve just got to know it and be aware of it, because it’d be crazy if they didn’t pick it up and I had no idea about it. So just being aware of the situation is the first step.”

Here’s more from South Beach:

  • In his latest “Ask Ira” column, Winderman opines that Miami is likely to keep Beno Udrih on its roster over Briante Weber to start the regular season, with Weber on-deck as a call-up option from the D-League later in the campaign.
  • The Heat must wait until at least February 9th, 2017 to release Chris Bosh if they wish to clear him from its cap, provided an independent doctor says the forward is still unfit to play. But despite that cutoff, Miami may wait longer to part ways with Bosh, given that they would be back on the hook for his salary if the player appeared in 25 regular season or playoff games with another team, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
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