- Hassan Whiteside says he and his representatives tried several times without success to convince the Hornets to give him a tryout before he signed with the Heat last season, as Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post relays. Whiteside, who hits free agency again this summer, is from Gastonia, North Carolina, just outside of Charlotte.
- Heat center Hassan Whiteside is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but he won’t let that overshadow his excitement at being in the playoffs, Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post relays. “I’m not gonna put a lot of pressure on myself,” Whiteside said. “When you start saying, ‘I gotta do this or that’… I’m just gonna play the way I’ve been playing and try to get every rebound and every block and play smart basketball. I’m not going to put pressure on myself.”
Hassan Whiteside‘s playoff performance may help the Heat determine how much they’re willing to pay him, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. If Whiteside contributes to a long postseason run, team president Pay Riley will be more inclined to give him a long-term contract starting at about $22MM per season. But an early exit or a poor performance might make management think twice about committing so much to the 26-year-old center, even though he led the NBA in blocks this season, tied for third in rebounding and finished third in field-goal percentage. “It’s very meaningful,” Whiteside said of the postseason. “Every day is a day I can try to leave an impression on the Heat. They really emphasize winning here. I want to make a good impression.”
There’s more news out of Miami:
- Whiteside never enjoyed the reserve role that coach Erik Spoelstra had him play for about two months, according to Michael Wallace of ESPN.com. A lineup tweak just before the playoffs made Whiteside a starter again, and Dwyane Wade was glad to see it. “Coach did it and we all support whatever decisions he makes,” Wade said. “We haven’t played with [Whiteside] since [Chris Bosh] went out, so this is our first time. It was good as we get prepared for the playoffs.”
- Dorell Wright may not get off the bench much in the playoffs, but he couldn’t be happier to be back in Miami, relays Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The 30-year-old Wright, who played in China most of this season, officially signed with the Heat on Tuesday. Miami drafted Wright out of high school in 2004 and he spent his first six NBA seasons with the team. “It’s awesome, man, just the energy I felt as soon as I walked into the building was great,” he said. “It’s been a long time, somewhere I grew as a man, as a player, as a professional,” Wright said. “So just happy to be back. It’s been a long little journey for me.”
- Goran Dragic‘s play in the postseason may also determine his future in Miami, Winderman writes in a separate piece. Winderman speculates that the Heat may decide to move Dragic this summer and use his salary-cap room on someone else.
10:24am: The signing is finally official, the team announced (Twitter link). A mistake involving either spelling, translation or both on the FIBA clearance paperwork caused the delay, tweets Ethan Skolnick of the Miami Herald.
TUESDAY, 9:43am: Winderman confirms FIBA clearance is the holdup (Twitter link).
MONDAY, 1:45pm: The Heat will sign Dorell Wright, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. The move has been widely expected, as Winderman and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link) have both written in the wake of this weekend’s deal with rookie point guard Briante Weber, which seemed to preclude the idea that veteran point guard John Lucas III would sign, as Winderman observed then (Twitter link). Wright and the Heat were reportedly set to meet in recent days about the possibility of a deal.
Winderman suggests that complications stemming from Wright’s deal to play in China earlier this season have held up an official signing with the Heat. The Chinese season is over, so Wright is no longer under contract, but FIBA clearance is required whenever a player jumps from one country to another to play.
In any case, the Heat have the financial flexibility to sign Wright to either a prorated minimum-salary deal or a slightly more lucrative one that encompasses a portion of the prorated mid-level exception. The mid-level exception contract could run three years and be worth as much as $33,751 without the Heat going over the tax line and incurring repeat-offender penalties. Wright has said he’d like a multiyear deal.
The 30-year-old Wright averaged 24.3 points in 30.8 minutes per game this season for North Control Beijing, the team formerly known as the Chongqing Dragons. The 11-year NBA veteran went to China after his playing time dipped in two seasons with the Trail Blazers, for whom he saw just 12.3 minutes per game in 48 regular season appearances last year.
Wright has a history with Miami, which drafted him out of high school in 2004 and had him for the first six seasons of his NBA career, and he’s close with Dwyane Wade. The addition of Wright would give the Heat a full 15-man roster heading into the playoffs.
- Joe Johnson would have been a valuable addition to a Cavaliers team that is weak at the backup wing position, contends Jeff Kasler of AmicoHoops. Cleveland was considered an early favorite to land Johnson as he was negotiating his buyout with the Nets, but Johnson opted for Miami because he prefers the Heat’s up-tempo offense. Kasler says Johnson would have given the Cavs quality minutes that Richard Jefferson and Iman Shumpert aren’t providing and would have allowed more rest time for LeBron James in the postseason.
SUNDAY, 1:52pm: The Heat announced the signing via Twitter. Weber will be eligible for the playoffs, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel tweets.
SATURDAY, 11:38am: The Heat are planning to sign point guard Briante Weber to a three-year deal, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (via Twitter). The deal will include a partial guarantee, notes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). Miami is also reportedly discussing a deal with small forward Dorell Wright, with Charania previously relaying that the two sides could formalize a contract arrangement by Sunday.
The franchise is skirting the luxury tax line and the Heat need to be especially mindful of when any new deals are finalized if they wish to avoid incurring repeat-offender tax penalties. The Heat have 13 players, two shy of the league maximum, and they reportedly plan to carry 15 players into the playoffs. They’re only $46,106 shy of the tax and a prorated minimum salary contract would count $5,572 per day for tax purposes. Sunday is the first day they could sign two players in one day without incurring the tax.
Weber, 23, had a brief stint with the Grizzlies last month on a 10-day deal and is currently with Miami’s D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls. The point guard appeared in six games during his stint in Memphis and averaged 4.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 27.7 minutes per outing. Weber’s D-League numbers are solid, but not eye-popping, with him notching averages of 10.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 28 appearances. His slash line for the Skyforce this season is .469/.408/.725.
The Heat were looking to the future when they agreed to sign Briante Weber to a multiyear contract Saturday, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. The partially guaranteed deal ties up a small amount of money, but it gives Miami a chance to develop the 23-year-old point guard. Winderman notes that the Heat made a similar move with Josh Richardson and will probably do the same this summer with Tyler Johnson. He speculates that the addition of Weber and the possible return of Beno Udrih gives Miami the flexibility to trade Goran Dragic if the front office believes it needs more cap space to re-sign Hassan Whiteside, Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng or Joe Johnson. Weber, who was waived by the Heat during training camp, is known as a playmaker and defensive specialist. His only NBA experience is six games with the Grizzlies during a 10-day contract in March.
There’s more news from Miami:
- Despite being a candidate for a max contract, Whiteside is still learning the intricacies of basketball, Winderman writes in a separate story. Coach Erik Spoelstra frequently pulls his center from games for brief teaching moments. “If he sees something, he’ll let me know,” Whiteside said. “If he doesn’t … more likely he’ll see something. Or he’ll give me advice and I’ll go back out there.”
- Dorell Wright would just provide insurance if he signs with the Heat, Winderman contends in another piece. Miami is planning to use an eight-man rotation in the playoffs, which leaves almost no playing time for Wright, Weber or veteran point guard John Lucas III if the Heat sign him instead of Wright. Winderman notes that the battle for court time is already crowded, with Gerald Green and Josh McRoberts out of the rotation and Tyler Johnson possibly picking up some minutes if he returns from injury.
- The Heat have embraced “small-ball” in response to Chris Bosh‘s absence, according to Michael Pina of RealGM. Deng has taken over Bosh’s role as Miami has cranked up its tempo. The Heat have been outscoring their opponents by 7.4 point per 100 possessions with Deng on the floor. “It’s a requirement for us,” Spoelstra said. “That’s the benefit of it. Chris Bosh goes out, you have to do things differently.” Bosh hasn’t played since the All-Star break because of blood clots in his left calf.
- Tyler Johnson wouldn’t guarantee he’d return this season in the immediate wake of surgery on his left rotator cuff in early February, but this week he pegged his chances of returning for regular season games at a minimum of 70%, notes Jason Lieser of the Miami Herald. The Heat, who are reportedly planning to fill their two open roster spots by Wednesday’s deadline to sign players, have four regular season games left.
The Heat and Dorell Wright are scheduled to meet about the possibility of a deal, league sources told The Vertical’s Shams Charania. The sources suggested the sides could have a formal agreement by Sunday, Charania adds. Miami is once more eligible to sign a player without crossing the tax threshold.
The Heat have 13 players, two shy of the limit, and they reportedly plan to carry 15 players into the playoffs. They’re only $46,106 shy of the tax and a prorated minimum salary contract would count $5,572 per day for tax purposes. That means they can sign one player today and another on Wednesday, the final day of the regular season, while still avoiding the tax. Sunday is the first day they could sign two players in one day without incurring the tax.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald wrote this weekend that the Heat were considering Wright, as well as Briante Weber. Reports have connected the Heat and Wright since last summer, when Jackson heard the sides were in talks. The 11-year NBA veteran wound up signing to play in China, but the Chinese season is over and he’s free to sign with any NBA team. The Heat checked on Wright shortly before the end of his time in China, as Jackson reported then.
The 30-year-old Wright told Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders last month that he would prefer a multiyear deal, and while the Heat have the ability to accommodate him, it would slightly after the timing of their ability to sign him and fill the 15th roster spot, since that would increase his salary for tax purposes to $8,819 per day. The Heat would meanwhile insist that Wright and anyone else they sign be comfortable with the idea of being placed on the inactive list for playoff games, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel hears (Twitter link). NBA teams can only have 13 active players for any game.
Still, the Heat and Wright have a long history that dates to 2004, when Miami drafted him 19th overall. He played his first six NBA seasons with Miami and has a close relationship with Dwyane Wade, Charania notes. His most recent NBA appearance was with the Trail Blazers last season, when he averaged 4.6 points in 12.3 minutes per game with 38% 3-point shooting.
- Heat buyout market signee Joe Johnson isn’t giving the team quite as much return on its investment of late after a hot start, though coach Erik Spoelstra, among others, isn’t overly concerned, as Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald chronicles. Johnson will hit free agency again this summer after his short-term deal with Miami is over. “Joe’s a vet, an experienced guy,” said fellow soon-to-be free agent Luol Deng. “We’re not worried about the vet guys. He’ll be fine.”