Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southeast Notes: Hawks, Beal, Frye, Heat

September 7th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The Hawks have gone through several key changes since Bruce Levenson self-reported racially charged emails he’d sent and announced a year ago today that he was selling the team, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recaps. Tony Ressler took over for Levenson as the principal owner, Mike Budenholzer assumed former GM Danny Ferry‘s responsibilities and received a promotion, and Tiago Splitter and Tim Hardaway Jr. replaced DeMarre Carroll and Pero Antic as key parts of the roster. The team now faces the challenge of improving upon a season that saw “the most remarkable on-court run in franchise history,” as Vivlamore puts it. While we wait to find out where the Hawks go from here, see more from the Southeast Division:

Some people around the Wizards had questioned Bradley Beal‘s work ethic and whether he could become a great player, but the season that Paul Pierce spent in Washington helped Beal more than anyone else on the team, many Wizards insiders feel, reports Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders. Pierce opted out and signed with the Clippers, so it remains to be seen how Beal, whose extension candidacy I examined in depth Friday, will perform without the veteran mentor.
Channing Frye put up his lowest numbers in five years this past season after signing a four-year, $32MM deal with the Magic, and while he started 51 games, the Magic insisted that they brought him in as more of a complementary player than as a starter, writes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Next month, the 32-year-old Frye will try to hold off Aaron Gordon, who turns 20 in a few weeks, for a starting spot, but Frye would best serve the Magic in a reserve role that would emphasize his floor-stretching abilities, Schmitz believes.
Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel won’t be surprised if the Heat open the regular season with only 14 players on the roster, though he contends in his mailbag column that the team faces depth issues.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Magic, Hawks

September 6th, 2015 at 2:10pm CST by Will Joseph

There’s a decent chance that the clause in James Ennis‘ contract with the Heat that makes it fully guaranteed if he makes the opening day roster will hamper Ennis from securing one of the final spots with Miami, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes in a mailbag Q&A. Ennis signed a three-year deal with the Heat in July. Ennis’ contract this season is worth $845,059. Ennis’ contract could still be modified, Winderman adds.

Here’s more from around the Southeast Division:

The Magic missed on landing Paul Millsap, who re-signed with the Hawks, but Orlando locked up Tobias Harris and have built through the draft. The franchise would be best served if it continued to build through the draft after this upcoming season and then it has a better chance of being a preferred destination for free agents, Shaun Powell of NBA.com writes in a 30 teams in 30 days series.
Citing Kyle Korver‘s age (34), Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders pegs the Hawks shooting guard, who was an All-Star last season, as a player who will likely see a decline in production this season. Korver has been very solid in Atlanta, but the Hawks added veteran Jason Richardson and acquired Tim Hardaway Jr. this summer to add depth to the shooting guard position.

Heat Rumors: Ennis, Riley, Winslow

September 6th, 2015 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

James Ennis is the only incumbent Miami player at risk of being cut, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Ennis is scheduled to make $845,059 next season, but none of that is guaranteed if he doesn’t make the opening-night roster. Jackson speculates that Greg Whittington could challenge Ennis for the final roster spot, or the Heat could decide to carry just 14 players in hopes of finding someone later in the season. Veteran forward Rasual Butler has reportedly expressed interest in coming to Miami, and former Georgetown center Joshua Smith has a workout scheduled for this week. Jackson says Ennis had a disappointing summer league and is lucky that the Heat haven’t already signed a veteran free agent such as Will Bynum, Carlos Boozer, Ben Gordon, Willie Green, Jordan Hamilton or Luke Ridnour. Jackson notes that Ennis’ situation could change if Mario Chalmers or Chris Andersen is traded for luxury tax relief.

There’s more this morning from Miami:

Pat Riley marked his 20th anniversary with the franchise this week, and that stability has helped make the Heat a consistent contender, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Riley was hired as coach and team president in 1995, six months after Micky Arison took over as managing general partner. Riley last coached the team in 2008. He and Arison have formed a successful partnership for two decades, with Arison focused on business and Riley focused on basketball. Winderman says this week’s celebration of that milestone shows Arison and Riley are still enjoying the situation too much to move on to anything else.
Rookie Justise Winslow says his ankle is back to normal after limiting his availability at the end of summer league, Winderman writes in the same piece. “I feel pretty good,” Winslow said. “I took some time off, but really just strengthened my body so I can last a full season, no injuries. I’m just working on all aspects of my body, trying to take care of myself, eat better.”

Los Angeles Rumors: Bryant, Hibbert, Young, Pierce

September 5th, 2015 at 6:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kobe Bryant’s continued presence on the Lakers’ roster has kept the franchise in a holding pattern, Shaun Powell of NBA.com opines. Bryant’s $25MM contract this season hampered them from signing a top-level free agent and none of them wanted to join the Lakers anyway just to play one season with Bryant, Powell continues. Bryant, who might retire at the end of the season, could play a valuable role in the rebuilding process by mentoring his younger teammates, Powell adds.

There’s more out of Los Angeles:

Roy Hibbert’s lack of speed could be a larger liability in the Western Conference, argues J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. The Lakers acquired Hibbert from Indiana in a July 9th deal, sending a future second-round draft pick to the Pacers in return. While Hibbert may increase the Lakers’ talent level, his plodding style of play could leave him lagging behind other teams in the conference, and Michael fears that coach Byron Scott may be stubborn enough to try to match him up with players such as the Warriors’ Draymond Green.
Nick Young of the Lakers and Paul Pierce of the Clippers are among the players projected to decline next season by Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders. Greene expects Young’s minutes, shots and overall role to regress with the addition of Lou Williams and D’Angelo Russell as well as Bryant’s return from injury. The writer expects Pierce, who left the Wizards to sign with the Clippers as a free agent, to have his first season averaging below double figures in scoring. Also on Greene’s list are the Pistons’ Brandon Jennings, the Nets’ Joe Johnson, the Bulls’ Pau Gasol, the Hawks’ Kyle Korver, the Spurs’ Manu Ginobili, the Raptors’ Terrence Ross and the Heat’s Dwyane Wade.

Dana Gauruder contributed to this post.

Eastern Rumors: Haslem, Pistons, Smart

September 5th, 2015 at 11:23am CST by Dana Gauruder

Udonis Haslem is unlikely to be part of the Heat’s rotation this season, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel opines. Winderman points out that Hassan Whiteside, Chris Andersen and Amar’e Stoudemire are Miami’s top options at center while Chris Bosh and Josh McRoberts should receive a majority of the minutes at power forward. Haslem could see his role expand if the Heat trade either Andersen or McRoberts, Winderman adds. Haslem’s spot on the roster is secure, as he is signed for a guaranteed $2.9MM.

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

Platinum Equity founder and Pistons owner Tom Gores is buying his firm’s stake in the team, which would give him 100% ownership of the franchise, sources with knowledge of the transaction have informed Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg News (story hosted by The Detroit News). Gores, who currently owns 51% of the franchise, is the founder and CEO of the company he’s purchasing the shares from, so his level of control is not likely to change significantly as a result of the deal. The league has already approved the transaction, though it has yet to be officially announced, Soshnick adds.
Celtics point guard Marcus Smart has been named in a lawsuit filed by former Oklahoma State guard Stevie Clark, accusing Smart of “hazing and disrespect,” A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com reports. In the lawsuit filed on Wednesday, Clark alleges that head coach Travis Ford put him on drugs, without his consent, after he expressed frustration to Ford about the alleged hazing from Smart, Blakely continues. The complaint also names the university, its Board of Regents and Ford, Blakely adds.
The Knicks’ 17-win season in 2014/15 has affected their ticket sales for the upcoming season, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. According to a Madison Square Garden spokesman, season tickets were renewed at an 87% rate, compared to 92% last summer, Berman continues. If the Knicks get off to a poor start, their 201-game sellout streak could be in danger, Berman adds.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this report.

Heat Interested In Joshua Smith

September 4th, 2015 at 1:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

FRIDAY, 1:29pm: Miami is expected to have Smith in for a “workout/tryout” next week, tweets Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. Smith said recently that he lost 21 pounds in a month, and the Heat have been encouraging him to shed weight, Winderman adds (Twitter link).

THURSDAY, 10:34pm: The Heat have had discussions with undrafted free agent center Joshua Smith regarding a potential training camp invitation, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reports (on Twitter). Miami also reportedly agreed to a deal with combo guard Briante Weber earlier this evening, and currently possess one remaining open roster slot.

Smith, 23, finished his NCAA career at Georgetown after spending his first two seasons at UCLA, and he appeared in 33 games as a Senior, averaging 10.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 20.5 minutes per night. His career collegiate numbers overall were 10.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 0.7 assists, and his career slash line was .591/.000/.613.

Miami may have designs on adding Smith for training camp for depth, and then plans to send him to its D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls, though that is merely my speculation. The Heat’s current depth chart at the pivot has Hassan Whiteside firmly entrenched as the starter, with Amar’e Stoudemire and Chris Andersen in reserve. There have been reports that the team is shopping Andersen in an effort to reduce its luxury tax hit, but it has reportedly been finding a soft market for the Birdman’s services. Also in the mix at center for the Heat is training camp signee Keith Benson, though he also is more likely to end up in Sioux Falls than Miami when the regular season tips off.

Eastern Notes: J.R. Smith, Wizards, Contracts

September 3rd, 2015 at 5:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

J.R. Smith‘s new two-year contract with the Cavaliers has an unusual structure that includes partial guarantees for both this season and next, sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter links). This year’s salary, worth $5MM, is guaranteed for only $2MM, and next year’s salary, a player option, has a $2.15MM partial guarantee on the full $5.4MM value, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (All four Twitter links). However, this season’s salary becomes fully guaranteed if the team keeps him through Monday, Pincus adds. That’s almost certain to happen, but the reason that clause is in the contract is so that his 2016/17 salary can become fully guaranteed if he sticks on the roster through the same date next year, in a structure similar to the deal that Kostas Papanikolaou signed with the Rockets last year, Pincus explains. The Cavs formally announced Smith’s signing Wednesday, nearly two weeks after Smith revealed that he would be rejoining the team.

See more from around the Eastern Conference:

Coach Randy Wittman likes the grit that Wizards camp signee Toure’ Murry has shown in the past, but the shooting guard will have to make quite a convincing case for the Wizards to keep him over one of the 15 players on their roster with a fully guaranteed contract, writes J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic. Jaleel Roberts, the other Wizard with a non-guaranteed deal, won his training camp roster spot more so by his performance at Tim Grgurich’s private camp than through his play with the Wizards summer league squad, Michael hears. Still, Roberts is more likely to make the regular season roster in 2016/17, when the team will ostensibly have greater flexibility, than he is this year, according to Michael.
Kelly Dwyer, Ben Rohrbach and Eric Freeman of Yahoo! Sports weighed in on which 2015 NBA draftee ended up in the best situation to succeed next season. Dwyer chose the Knicks‘ Kristaps Porzingis, while Rohrbach tabbed Justise Winslow of the Heat, and Freeman’s pick was the Nuggets’ Emmanuel Mudiay.
The Cavs had possessed one of the most tradeable contracts in the league in Brendan Haywood‘s non-guaranteed pact, which they had dealt to the Blazers at the end of July. Pincus, in a separate post, ran down some of the most desirable trade chip contracts around the NBA , including Amir Johnson and Jonas Jerebko of the Celtics, the Wizards‘ Kris Humphries and Martell Webster, as well as Ersan Ilyasova‘s deal with the Pistons.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

Heat Sign Greg Whittington For Camp

September 3rd, 2015 at 2:21pm CST by Chuck Myron

THURSDAY, 2:21pm: The deal is official, the Heat announced.

TUESDAY, 9:01am: The Heat and undrafted small forward Greg Whittington have reached agreement on a one-year, non-guaranteed deal, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). The 22-year-old from Georgetown had three partially guaranteed offers from NBA teams last month, as Charania reported then, so it’s surprising to see him take one without a guarantee, even though he played for Miami’s summer league squad. Still, the Heat seem to offer him a decent shot at the regular season roster, since they have only 13 fully guaranteed deals.

Whittington was a longshot for the draft, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranked him as only the 108th-best prospect. He nonetheless looked sharp during the Las Vegas summer league, averaging 13.0 points and 8.2 rebounds in 30.3 minutes per contest while nailing eight of 17 three-pointers in five appearances after a so-so four-game stint for the Heat in the Orlando summer league. He had seen limited action since an ACL injury to his left knee during the summer of 2013. Academic trouble clouded his time at Georgetown, and after his dismissal from the school, he joined the Westchester Knicks, though he never appeared in a game.

Tyler Johnson would appear to have the inside track on the 14th regular season roster spot for Miami, since he has a partial guarantee worth half of his minimum salary, but James Ennis, Keith Benson and Corey Hawkins all have non-guaranteed pacts. So, Whittington will ostensibly compete with that trio to make it to opening night.

Going into camp, who do you think is the favorite for the Heat’s last regular season roster spot? Leave a comment to let us know.

Heat Fully Guarantee Hassan Whiteside’s Salary

September 3rd, 2015 at 12:36pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat have turned Hassan Whiteside‘s partially guaranteed salary for this coming season into a fully guaranteed salary, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). The big man had previously been assured only 50% of the $981,348 three-year veteran’s minimum that his contract calls for him make this season, though little chance existed that Miami would have released Whiteside before the full salary was to have locked in on December 1st. Thus, today’s move essentially amounts to a goodwill gesture on the part of the Heat, with the Sean Kennedy client set to hit unrestricted free agency in July 2016.

Teams and players under contract are free to alter clauses that pertain to the amount of guaranteed salary if they mutually consent to doing so, and the Heat already made one such adjustment this summer. Miami’s deal with James Ennis was to have become 50% guaranteed on August 1st, but instead the sides agreed to keep his salary non-guaranteed until opening night, when a full guarantee would kick in. Other clubs have adjusted contracts in a fashion more similar to what the Heat have done with Whiteside. Last year, the Bucks guaranteed Kendall Marshall‘s full salary more than two months ahead of his scheduled guarantee date.

Whiteside becomes the 13th Heat player with a fully guaranteed contract. Half of Tyler Johnson‘s salary is guaranteed, while Ennis, Corey Hawkins, Keith Benson and Greg Whittington have non-guaranteed salaries.

Who do you think will win the final two regular season roster spots for the Heat? Leave a comment to tell us.

Florida Notes: Winslow, Vucevic, Chalmers

September 2nd, 2015 at 6:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Justise Winslow, who was selected No. 10 overall by the Heat in this year’s draft, is excited about the creative ways that Miami’s coaching staff is planning on utilizing his diverse skillset this season, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald relays. “It’s going to be good,” Winslow said. “The way they’re using me I think is going to be really special, really going to help me showcase a lot of my skills.” Winslow has been working with the coaching staff to improve the mechanics on his outside shot, which was one of the areas of his game that was criticized heading into this year’s draft, Jackson adds.

“I definitely feel comfortable shooting from three-point range but it’s working on everything – pull-ups, mid-range, posting up, finishing. There has been a huge emphasis on my shooting mechanics, trying to get everything more fluid and more natural so I can become a better three-point shooter. But there hasn’t been an over-emphasis on three-point shooting,” said Winslow.

Here’s more from the Sunshine State:

Winslow isn’t sure what position he’ll play this season, but noted that the Heat‘s system is built on versatility, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel writes. “The offense, all the positions are pretty interchangeable. And so I’m working on all my skills,” Winslow said. “Just playing alongside all the great players, some of the things will be limited,” he continued. “So just trying to find spots where if I’m in the game with Dwyane Wade , Goran Dragic and Chris Bosh, how I can be most efficient?“
One of new Magic coach Scott Skiles‘ goals this season will be to get center Nikola Vucevic to be more aggressive and consistent on the defensive end, and to get to the foul line more on offense, Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel writes in his profile of the big man. Vucevic is entering the first season of the four-year, $53MM contract extension he inked with Orlando.
Though he is reportedly on the trading block, Mario Chalmers still remains the Heat‘s best option for a solid backup point guard, opines Winderman in his daily mailbag. The Sun Sentinel scribe notes that though Chalmers can be frustrating at times, he can thrive if placed in the right situations.