Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat’s Riley: ‘Great Regret’ Over Losing Wade

July 16th, 2016 at 12:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

During a news conference today in Miami, Heat president Pat Riley expressed his sorrow over losing free agent Dwyane Wade to the Bulls and said he should have done more to prevent it. “I have great regret I didn’t put myself in the middle of it,” Riley said in a quote relayed by Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel (Twitter link).

Wade officially signed with Chicago on Friday after reportedly being unhappy with the offers he was getting out of Miami. Riley says he wishes he had taken a more active role in the negotiations, adding that he should have “gotten in a canoe and paddled to The Mediterranean” if it meant keeping Wade, tweets Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post.

Riley said he had been trying to get “another guy” to pair with Wade since LeBron James returned to Cleveland in 2014 (Twitter link). He added that he hadn’t spoken to Wade since his decision, but has been putting together a long e-mail for him (Twitter link).

Wade, a 12-time All-Star, had been with the Heat since they drafted him in 2003. He is the franchise’s leader in career points, assists and several other categories.

“It’s not going to be the same without [Wade] but we will forge ahead,” Riley said. “Dwyane is unique. There will always be a key under the mat [for Dwyane], I just hope it doesn’t get too rusty. We will miss him.” (Twitter links).

Riley touched on several other topics during the news conference:

Any decision on Chris Bosh’s future is “on hold” until August or September, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Bosh, who didn’t play after blood clots were discovered in his left calf during the All-Star break, would like to return next season, but the Heat aren’t sure if it’s medically feasible. Riley said the team is considering a restricted travel schedule or limited workload to help Bosh get back on the court (Twitter link). “I know Chris wants to play, and we would be open to that,” Riley said “But this is still fluid. There’s not an answer.” (Twitter link).
Riley believes Justise Winslow is ready to be Miami’s starting small forward after a promising rookie season. “Are we ready for Justise Winslow to start at the 3,” Riley asked. “I am.” (Twitter link). The Heat lost last year’s starter when Luol Deng signed with the Lakers.
The Heat offered a more balanced contract to Tyler Johnson than the deal he signed with the Nets, but Johnson insisted on taking the offer sheet from Brooklyn (Twitter link). That contract, which the Heat matched on Sunday, pays Johnson $5.628MM in the first year and $5,881,260 in the second, followed by $18,858,765 in season three and $19,631,975 in season four.
Kevin Durant, who chose Miami as one of the five teams he met with in free agency, told Riley that he wants to win right away and viewed the Heat as being in a rebuilding phase (Twitter link). “I’ll never not take an offer from a free agent who calls and says we’d like to talk to you,” Riley said. “We had to do it, it didn’t slow us down.” (Twitter links).
Riley is working toward a contract extension with head coach Erik Spoelstra and his staff (Twitter link).
The Heat don’t plan to use their $2.9MM room exception this offseason. (Twitter link).

Heat Sign Okaro White

July 15th, 2016 at 5:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

JULY 15, 5:01pm: The Heat have made their deal with White official.

JULY 14, 6:30pm: The Heat have agreed to a deal with unrestricted free agent forward Okaro White, Greek basketball journalist George Zakkas tweets and international journalist David Pick confirms (via Twitter). The length and terms of the agreement are unknown, but it does include a partial guarantee, Pick notes.

The 23-year-old 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.

White attended a free agent mini-camp that Miami held in June, but didn’t come away with a contract offer. He appeared in the Orlando Summer League for the Magic’s squad and has been suiting up for the Heat’s squad in Las Vegas, chipping in 10.0 PPG and 6.3 RPG over four contests.

Heat Notes: Butler, Chalmers, Westbrook, Weber

July 15th, 2016 at 2:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heat president Pat Riley reached out to Caron Butler‘s agent, but the team opted for younger players in its flurry of signings last Sunday, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Riley’s initial call came before Dwyane Wade decided to join the Bulls, Jackson reports, and he hasn’t called since. The Kings waived the 36-year-old Butler last week. He spent one season in Sacramento and appeared in just 17 games.

There’s more news today out of Miami:

Riley also decided not to pursue Mario Chalmers, Jackson writes in the same piece. Chalmers spent seven full seasons with the Heat before being traded to Memphis in November for luxury tax relief. He ruptured his right Achilles tendon in March and was subsequently waived by the Grizzlies. Jackson says the Heat were concerned not only about the injury, but about how Chalmers would respond to reduced playing time as a backup for Goran Dragic.
Miami would be taking a major risk by trying to trade for Russell Westbrook this season, contends Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. There has been speculation that the Thunder point guard might be available because of his looming free agency next summer and the loss of Kevin Durant, but Winderman argues that the assets the Heat would have to give up in such a deal would make it less likely Westbrook would re-sign. The writer says Oklahoma City would want Dragic and Justise Winslow, which would create two big holes in Miami’s roster. Winderman doesn’t think Riley would consider that deal unless he was assured that Westbrook would stay in Miami past the 2016/17 season.
Briante Weber‘s aggressive defense may make him a valuable part of the rotation next season, according to Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post. Weber, who suffered a serious right knee injury as a senior at Virginia Commonwealth, spent most of this season with Miami’s D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls. The Heat briefly lost Weber in March when the Grizzlies signed him to a 10-day contract, but he returned to the D-League when that expired and joined Miami’s roster just before the playoffs. After playing just one game for the Heat — and seven total — during his rookie season, Weber has been making an impression in Summer League play. “He’s getting better and better at being our floor leader,” said Heat Summer League coach Juwan Howard. “They’re trying to get into him and make him uncomfortable with ball pressure and picking him up full-court, but Bri’s done an excellent job making decisions. At times he’s overly aggressive, but that’s his nature. I trust him.”

Heat Still In DIscussions with Udrih

July 13th, 2016 at 10:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Heat are still engaged in contract discussions with point guard Beno Udrih, according to his agent, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The possibility exists that Udrih could rejoin the team at the league minimum, but the veteran hasn’t made up his mind about what he wants to do, Jackson adds.

Heat Sign Willie Reed

July 13th, 2016 at 5:36pm CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 13th, 5:36pm: The signing is official, the team announced.

JULY 10th, 7:18pm: Reed’s deal is expected to be finalized Monday, Winderman tweets.

6:41pm: Reed has agreed to a two-year minimum-salary deal with Miami, tweets Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops. The contract includes a player option for the second year.

6:29pm: After a flurry of moves today, the Heat could add power forward Willie Reed to their roster by Monday, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Reed would bring Miami’s roster to the 15-player limit,but partial guarantees would provide some flexibility (Twitter link).

The 26-year-old saw his first NBA action this season with Brooklyn, averaging 4.7 points and 3.1 rebounds in 39 games. Reed wasn’t taken out of St. Louis in the 2011 draft and spent four years playing overseas and in the D-League before getting a chance with Brooklyn.

Earlier today, Miami signed free agents James Johnson and Wayne Ellington, picked up Luke Babbitt in a trade with New Orleans, re-signed Udonis Haslem and matched the Nets’ $50MM offer sheet to Tyler Johnson.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Heat Sign Stefan Jankovic

July 13th, 2016 at 4:17pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Heat continue to fill out their preseason roster, announcing that they have signed unrestricted free agent forward Stefan Jankovic. The length and terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it is more than likely a minimum salary arrangement.

Jankovic went undrafted out of the University of Hawaii this year and is currently playing on Miami’s Summer League squad in Las Vegas where he has appeared in two games, notching a total of eight points, three assists and two rebounds in 26 minutes of action.

The 22-year-old was named the Big West Player of the Year this past season after averaging 15.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, 1.2 assists in 24.7 minutes of action over 33 games. Jankovic shot 54.3% from the floor overall, 39.3 % from three-point range and 77.2% from the foul line.

Haslem Discusses Dwyane Wade's Departure

July 12th, 2016 at 12:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Udonis Haslem is returning to the Heat for his 14th season, but for the first time, he won’t be joined by longtime teammate Dwyane Wade. Speaking to reporters today on a conference call, Haslem expressed optimism about the new-look Heat, but also conveyed some disappointment over Wade’s deal with the Bulls, as Anthony Chiang of The Palm Beach Post details. “I don’t know if there’s anything I could have done or should have done,” Haslem said of Wade’s departure. “I felt like it could have been avoided but for whatever reason it just wasn’t.”

Wade: Heat Offer Forced My Hand

July 11th, 2016 at 9:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Dwyane Wade admits that the superior contract offer he received from the Bulls forced him to make a hard choice, as he told Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press and other members of the media. Wade agreed to sign a two-year, $47MM deal with Chicago when the Heat drew the line near the $40MM mark. “Moments like this, it [stinks],” Wade said. “The business side of the sport, sometimes it just [stinks]. That’s what we’re dealing with.”

Heat Match Tyler Johnson Offer

July 10th, 2016 at 7:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

7:22pm: The move is official, the team announced.

JULY 10th, 6:02pm: The Heat have matched Brooklyn’s $50MM offer sheet for Tyler Johnson, tweets The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Johnson signed the offer on Thursday, so tonight was the deadline for Miami to make a decision.

The Nets’ offer contained a significant jump in salary for the third and fourth season to make it difficult for the Heat to match. Johnson will receive $5.628MM in the first year and $5,881,260 in the second, followed by $18,858,765 in season three and $19,631,975 in season four.

This is the second disappointment of the day for Brooklyn, which earlier learned that Portland has matched a four-year, $75MM offer sheet to Allen Crabbe. The Nets still have more than $30MM in cap space available and are expected to move on to other free agents.

Heat Trade For Luke Babbitt

July 10th, 2016 at 5:32pm CST by Arthur Hill

5:32pm: The trade is official, the Heat have announced.

JULY 10th, 5:16pm: The Heat are in “advanced trade discussions” with the Pelicans for combo forward Luke Babbitt, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. New Orleans will receive draft considerations and cash in return.

The draft considerations involve the heavily protected 2018 pick the Pelicans sent to Miami in a February deal for Jarnell Stokes, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The draft choice was protected unless it fell out of the top 55 (Twitter link). Miami is also sending the first of its allowable cash outlays for next season to New Orleans (Twitter link).

The 6’9″ Babbitt has six years of NBA experience with the Pelicans and Trail Blazers. He played in 47 games last season, averaging 7.0 points and 3.1 rebounds.