Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Rumors: Williams, Knicks, Dragic

July 12th, 2015 at 11:25am CST by Dana Gauruder

Lionel Hollins denies that his sometimes stormy relationship with Deron Williams led to the Nets waiving the veteran guard in a buyout deal, according to Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. Though sources confirmed to Bontemps that the head coach and Williams had a heated meeting in Memphis earlier this year, Hollins said the Nets didn’t part ways with Williams because of their disagreements. “Everything is not peaches and cream, but there’s not one shred of evidence that our relationship is the reason that he had to go,” Hollins told the team’s beat writers. “I would have coached Deron this upcoming year just like I coached him last year, and we would have went forward just like everybody else on the team.” The Nets saved more than $50MM this season in payroll and luxury-tax payments by agreeing to give Williams $27.5MM of the $43.5MM he was owed over the next two years, Bontemps adds. The Nets used the stretch provision on the buyout.

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

Carmelo Anthony‘s decision to take slightly less than the max last summer helped the Knicks to re-sign Lou Amundson and Lance Thomas to more than the league minimum this month, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. Anthony’s deal opened up $1.4MM in cap space this summer and that, combined with the NBA’s cap increase to $70MM, allowed the Knicks to secure Amundson for $1.65MM and Thomas for $1.63MM instead of the roughly $1MM minimum, Berman continues. If Anthony didn’t take less, the Knicks could have re-signed only one of them above the league minimum, Berman adds.
Goran Dragic‘s deal with the Heat is only worth a total of $85MM and has a starting salary of $14.783MM, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays (on Twitter). Earlier reports estimated the deal at $90MM.
Paul George is pleased with the backcourt moves the Pacers have made this offseason, he told Scott Agness of the VigilantSports.com in a Q&A session. The pending addition of Monta Ellis and re-signing of Rodney Stuckey gives the team numerous playmakers, George told Agness. “One of the biggest things we needed to get better at was pushing the tempo and playing a little faster,” George said. “I didn’t know it was going to be a drastic roster change but I knew that was the direction this team needed to go to give ourselves a better chance of winning.”

Heat Re-Sign Dwyane Wade

July 10th, 2015 at 4:57pm CST by Eddie Scarito

JULY 9TH, 4:57pm: The deal is official, the Heat announced in a press release. “For over a decade, Dwyane has embodied what it means to wear the Miami Heat uniform,” said Riley. “He has been the pillar and constant of this organization, and is a true champion in every sense of the word. We are thrilled that Dwyane has re-signed and will lead us as we look to win another NBA Championship.”

JULY 2ND, 5:03pm: The Heat and Dwyane Wade have reached an agreement on a new contract, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press reports (Twitter link). It will be a one-year, $20MM arrangement, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel relays (on Twitter). The deal is less than the max, which for Wade would be roughly equivalent to 35% of the salary cap, likely at least $22MM, but it will be the highest annual salary of his career.

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Wade released a statement regarding his return to Miami (h/t Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald). “It has been an honor and privilege to play with the Miami HEAT the past twelve years,” Wade said in the statement. “The Heat family and I have shared incredible moments over the years and I look forward to continuing our journey. I am extremely proud of my personal contributions in helping to build the Heat franchise and for bringing three NBA championship wins to our great city. For my entire NBA career, Miami has always been my city and my home. I’m overwhelmed with the love and support the Miami community have consistently shown me and my family throughout the years.”

Henry Thomas, Wade’s agent, had this to say about the deal: “This contract is a win-win for both Dwyane and the Heat. Not only does Dwyane get to extend his Hall of Fame-worthy career with the only franchise for whom he has ever played, but he will have the flexibility next summer to sign an additional deal. And the Heat gets to keep their franchise cornerstone while having the ability to build a championship-contending roster.”

The 33-year-old had opted out of his contract for 2015/16, which would have paid Wade $16.125MM. The Heat had reportedly preferred that Wade opt in and sign for $10MM salaries next summer. A friend of Wade’s had noted that the guard didn’t feel that the team regarded him as a priority. Team president Pat Riley spoke highly of Wade, saying in part that, “We love Dwyane. Dwyane is a pillar.” Now it would appear that the franchise icon will have the opportunity to finish his career in Miami.

Miami will use its Bird Rights on Wade to complete the deal, which is poised to send the Heat, who have also agreed to sign Goran Dragic for five years and $90MM, deep into luxury tax territory. The Heat entered July with about $53MM in guaranteed salary already on the books, with the tax line projected to come in at about $82MM. Heat president Pat Riley is scheduled to meet with LaMarcus Aldridge tonight, but without cap flexibility and likely without the capability of engineering a sign-and-trade, Wade’s deal only furthers the notion that Aldridge is a long shot to come to Miami.

Wade has been limited by injuries the past few seasons, and appeared in 62 games for Miami last season, averaging 21.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in 31.8 minutes per contest. His career numbers through 781 regular season games are 24.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 5.9 APG, with a slash line of .490/.289/.765.

Heat Sign Amar’e Stoudemire

July 10th, 2015 at 4:41pm CST by Chuck Myron

FRIDAY, 4:41pm: The Heat have officially signed Stoudemire, the team announced. It will be a one-year deal worth $1.5MM, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today tweets. “We are very fortunate that a proven All-Star like Amar’e has chosen the Miami Heat,” said team president Pat Riley. “He is going to bring gravitas, leadership and a hardworking mentality to our team as we look to win another Championship in Miami.”

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

THURSDAY, 10:53pm: The Heat are believed to be close to a deal with Amar’e Stoudemire, reports Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, who cites sources (Twitter link). Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald confirmed through an associate of Stoudemire’s that it is indeed the case and that the 13-year veteran would like to play for the Heat, though that associate cautioned that a deal is not yet a given. The Happy Walters client won’t base his decision on money, Jackson hears, a plus for the Heat, who are limited to only their $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level exception and are poised to pay repeat-offender tax penalties this season unless they clear some of their salary commitments.

Stoudemire will meet with the Heat on Friday, as Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reported (on Twitter), and team president Pat Riley will take part, Jackson notes. Several other teams have apparently been in the mix for the big man, as the Clippers, Rockets, Mavericks, Lakers and Suns all reportedly expressed interest in him as someone who could shore up their respective benches.

Stoudemire didn’t want to go to the Clippers unless he could start, as Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reported, and it seems unlikely he’d start over Chris Bosh or Hassan Whiteside in Miami. Still, Stoudemire apparently had at least some level of mutual interest in the Clippers, as well as the Mavs, Lakers, Suns and Spurs. He was expected to speak with Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers this past weekend, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, who added the Pacers to the list of teams that Stoudemire was eyeing.

Southeast Notes: Dragic, White, Hawks

July 10th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

All five Southeast Division teams made official moves Thursday. Check out our transactions log for a full recap of the first day following the July Moratorium. Here’s more from around the division:

Goran Dragic never spoke with other teams during his free agency, tweets Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post. Dragic wanted to remain in Miami and believes in team president Pat Riley and coach Erik Spoelstra, Lieser adds, and he was willing to give the Heat a discount to make it happen. “I could get more [money], but it doesn’t matter,” Dragic said, as Lieser relays (Twitter links). “The most important thing is that I’m happy, and I’m happy to be here and surrounded with all the coaches and all the players. I don’t want to be miserable on the court.”
The Wizards could receive an outside shooting boost this season from Aaron White, whom the team selected with the No. 49 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, writes Ben Standig of CSNWashington.com. Speaking about being drafted by Washington, White said, “I love this fit for me. Their style fits in my style. It should be a good match.“
The Hawks renounced their rights to Elton Brand and John Jenkins to clear cap space Thursday for their flurry of official moves, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. They also renounced DeMarre Carroll and Pero Antic, who’ve signed elsewhere, and Gustavo Ayon, whose rights they’d retained even though he signed a multiyear deal overseas this past September.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

Heat Sign Gerald Green

July 9th, 2015 at 8:56pm CST by Chuck Myron

8:56pm: The signing is official, the Heat announced. “We are fortunate to be able sign a proven veteran like Gerald,” said team president Pat Riley. “He is a dynamic talent who possesses great athleticism, and has the ability to shoot from distance and spread the floor. He’ll be a perfect complement to our team.”

8:28am: It’ll be a minimum-salary contract, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). The Mavericks had been interested before their deal with DeAndre Jordan fell apart, Berger adds.

8:02am: The Heat will sign Gerald Green to a one-year deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter). Miami has its $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level exception at its disposal if Green is getting more than the minimum.

Green departs from the Suns, which is no shock after agent Kevin Bradbury took coach Jeff Hornacek to task this past spring in response to Hornacek’s criticism of Green’s defense. The swingman nonetheless seemed open to a return. The Clippers had interest and expressed that to Green’s camp, but with DeAndre Jordan coming back and Paul Pierce in the fold, L.A. has only the minimum to spend. Green seemed likely to pursue a deal approaching $5MM a year, though he’s unable to get quite that much from the Heat.

The Heat will still meet today with Marcus Thornton, who also ended last season with the Suns, in spite of their agreement with Green, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). Still, it’s tough to see Miami signing both, Jackson tweets, particularly since the Heat are already short on roster space, as Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post notes (on Twitter).

Heat Re-Sign Goran Dragic

July 9th, 2015 at 10:43am CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 9TH, 10:43am: The deal is official, the team announced.

“When we traded for Goran last season, we knew he was the type of player and person that we wanted to be part of our HEAT culture,” team president Pat Riley said in a statement. “His pace, ability and vision for the game is the perfect complement to lead our team as we look to bring another championship to Miami. We are pleased he has re-signed and will wear the HEAT uniform for years to come and make Miami his home.”

3:57pm: Riley confirmed that the Heat intends to sign Dragic in a statement the team released. A formal signing can’t take place until July 9th, the day after the July Moratorium.

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

JULY 1ST, 8:44am: The Heat and Goran Dragic have agreement on a five-year, $90MM deal, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It’ll have a player option on the final season, Stein adds (on Twitter). That’s less than an estimated $108MM max, notes Grantland’s Zach Lowe (Twitter link). Reports in recent weeks indicated that Miami was offering between $80-100MM, though the expectation had previously been that the Heat would offer the max.

Miami has appeared a strong front-runner for the client of Rade Filipovich and Bill Duffy since the Heat gave up two first-round picks in a deal to acquire him at the deadline this year, as Dragic expressed his affection for the Heat and the city of Miami. He nonetheless saw the Lakers as a perfect fit, too. and the Knicks, Pelicans, Kings and Bucks were reportedly likely suitors. Dragic was apparently more likely to leave the Heat if Dwyane Wade bolted, but it appears as though the 29-year-old Slovenian made his decision before his backcourt partner did.

The Heat already had $53MM on the books for next season, so Dragic’s return and a new deal at market value for Wade would likely send the team zooming into tax territory unless it clears salary via trade. Heat president Pat Riley denied that the Heat are shopping Mario Chalmers and Chris Andersen with the idea of doing just that.

The deal is a windfall for Dragic, who made just $7.5MM this past season and less than $23MM during his first six years in the league, according to Basketball Insiders and Basketball-Reference data. Still, it will look like less of an investment from Miami’s standpoint once the salary cap skyrockets, as expected, in the next few years, as Arthur Hill of Hoops Rumors pointed out when he examined Dragic’s free agent stock.

And-Ones: Matthews, Stoudemire, Kanter

July 8th, 2015 at 11:24pm CST by Eddie Scarito

As the drama regarding DeAndre Jordan‘s free agency decision seemingly concludes, the Mavericks can breathe easier knowing that Wesley Matthews still intends to sign with the team regardless of Jordan’s choice, Jason Quick of The Oregonian writes. Matthews reached a verbal agreement with Dallas on a sign a four-year deal worth approximately $13MM per season, and he is expected to officially sign the agreement and be introduced to the Dallas media on Thursday, the first day the NBA moratorium ends, Quick adds.

Here’s more from around the league:

With Jordan deciding to remain with the Clippers, signing unrestricted free agent Amar’e Stoudemire will be an option for the Mavericks, Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report relays (Twitter links). Stoudemire is also strongly considering the Heat, Zwerling adds.
There is growing speculation around the league that the Pacers will approach the Mavs about a trade for Roy Hibbert now that Dallas has missed out on Jordan, Jake Fischer of LibertyBallers tweets. That’s apparently even though Indiana has committed to trade Hibbert to the Lakers.
With the free agent moratorium set to end on Thursday, league sources believe that restricted free agent Enes Kanter will either re-sign with the Thunder or sign an offer sheet that the team would then match, Royce Young of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link).
Forward Livio Jean-Charles, the No. 28 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, won’t be joining the Spurs for the 2015/16 campaign, according to Tony Parker, Dan McCarney of The San Antonio Express-News relays. Parker is not only a potential future teammate of Jean-Charles’, but he is also the president and owner of ASVEL Basket, the French team Jean-Charles currently plays for.
The Thunder sent the Raptors $250k as part of the trade that landed Luke Ridnour in Toronto, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
The Celtics have a vested interest in where Jordan ends up, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com tweets. Boston owns the rights to the Dallas 2016 first-rounder from the Rajon Rondo trade, which is top seven protected. With the Mavs whiffing on signing Jordan, a blow to the team’s chances of winning this coming season, the pick becomes more valuable, as long as the Mavs don’t sink too far and end up keeping it.

Lowe’s Latest: Heat, West, Aldridge, Suns

July 7th, 2015 at 12:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat have “put out Shabazz Napier feelers” as they seek to maximize their cap flexibility for the summer of 2016, Grantland’s Zach Lowe writes within a larger column on free agency. Mario Chalmers and Chris Andersen are available “for nothing,” Lowe adds, presumably meaning that the Heat continue to place a priority on clearing their salaries in an effort to avoid repeat-offender luxury tax penalties. Heat president Pat Riley denied a report last month that the team was shopping the pair, who are set to make a combined $9.3MM this coming season, but it sounds as if Miami is at least open to the idea of moving them if another team comes forward with an offer. Miami could simply decline its 2016/17 team option on Napier, worth about $1.35MM, but the team presumably wants to extract more value than that out of last year’s 24th overall pick. Lowe dishes plenty more in his latest must-read column, and we’ll pass along some of the highlights:

David West turned down an extra $4MM or so from the Wizards and about an extra $2MM from the Warriors when he reportedly agreed to sign for the minimum salary with the Spurs, several league sources tell Lowe. That signals that Washington would have spent its $5.464MM non-taxpayer’s mid-level and Golden State would have used its $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level instead of committing part of it to Leandro Barbosa.
The Nuggets tried before the draft to trade the lottery protected 2016 first-round pick it acquired from the Blazers in the Arron Afflalo trade in February, but no one bit, out of fear that the Blazers would lose LaMarcus Aldridge and miss the playoffs two years in a row, Lowe hears. If Portland doesn’t qualify for the postseason in 2016 or 2017, the first-rounder turns into two second-rounders, as RealGM notes.
Aldridge’s interest in the Lakers was serious as free agency began, several sources told Lowe. He took two meetings with the team after the first one apparently didn’t focus enough on basketball for his liking.
Suns owner Robert Sarver is impatient with his team’s playoff drought and has made it clear to the front office that he wants them to be aggressive in free agency, Lowe reports. That explains Phoenix’s pursuit of Aldridge, which had the Suns seemingly co-favorites with the Spurs at one point.
The best information so far indicates that DeMar DeRozan and Chandler Parsons will opt out next summer, Lowe writes, though it’s early.
George Karl loved coaching Kosta Koufos when they were together with the Nuggets, according to Lowe, so Sacramento’s agreement to sign the center leaves the Grantland columnist with the impression that Karl indeed has some degree of sway over Kings personnel.

Heat Engage Clippers About Jamal Crawford

July 6th, 2015 at 5:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat have reached out to the Clippers to gauge their willingness to trade Jamal Crawford, a league sources tell Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group, with the idea that he would provide depth and injury insurance behind Dwyane Wade. Still, a Clippers official who spoke with Haynes insists that the team is not shopping Crawford. Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported earlier that the Cavs have explored trading Brendan Haywood for Crawford and others, advancing an earlier report from The Plain Dealer’s Terry Pluto of rumors linking Cleveland to Crawford.

Cleveland would be able to offer superior cap flexibility in return with Haywood’s sizable non-guaranteed deal, though Miami could offer direct roster relief to the Clippers as they reel from DeAndre Jordan‘s departure. Heat president Pat Riley has denied that he’s looking to trade Chris Andersen and Mario Chalmers, though those names keep coming up. The Clippers would probably focus on someone who could provide more production, so perhaps they’d ask for Josh McRoberts, though that’s just my speculation.

Crawford is due $5.675MM this coming season, making him still a relative bargain even coming off his fewest minutes per game since the 2002/03 season. The 35-year-old’s salary became fully guaranteed when the Clippers elected not to waive him before last week’s contract guarantee date. The Clippers were apparently exploring the idea of trading him, if not shopping him, before the draft, with one report linking him to the Nuggets.

Latest On David West

July 6th, 2015 at 2:52pm CST by Chuck Myron

MONDAY, 2:52pm: The Heat are also pursuing West, as Miami Herald columnist Dan Le Batard reported and as Herald scribe Barry Jackson confirms (Twitter links), though Jackson doubts the Heat will be able to overcome his other suitors.

SATURDAY, 12:38pm: The Cavs and the Spurs are both aggressively pursuing West, with Cleveland having a slight edge at the moment, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports relays (via Twitter).

FRIDAY, 9:56am: The Wizards are making a hard push for West, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Spurs are still very much in the picture for him, but the Warriors have become “highly unlikely,” Stein adds in a second tweet. The ESPN scribe said Wednesday that the Spurs and Wizards were his most likely destinations. Washington has only the $5.464MM mid-level exception to spend unless it can work a sign-and-trade.

THURSDAY, 9:35am: David West is seriously interested in playing for either the Spurs or the Warriors, a source with knowledge of his situation told USA Today’s Sam Amick. Playing for one of the last two NBA champions would jibe with the reason he turned down his $12.6MM player option with the Pacers, as he explained Wednesday to Bob Kravitz of WTHR-TV in Indianapolis, telling him that he wants a legitimate chance at a title that he feels the Pacers can’t provide. He also said to Kravitz that while the team’s open criticism of Roy Hibbert wasn’t the deciding factor, it also played a role in his choice to leave Indiana.

“That’s one thing where I wish they would have handled better was the situation with Roy,” West said. “I’ll be honest with you, that bothered me a little bit, and I told Roy that. I’m the type of guy who feels like we’re all in this fight together and I’m not designed in that way to put it all on one guy. That did rub me the wrong way. That threw me off. I started reading some of that stuff, I started thinking, ‘Whoaa.’ I just didn’t feel good about that. I told Roy that it bothered me, that he’s still my teammate.”

West was open-minded at the end of the regular season about returning to Indiana, but as he watched the Finals on TV, he decided winning was a greater priority, as Kravitz detailed. The Pacers still have West’s Bird rights, but he doesn’t sound keen on re-signing, and it doesn’t sound like he’s Knicks-bound, either. He called the rumor that he was likely to sign with the Knicks ridiculous, citing his desire to play with a contender, Kravitz tweets.

The Spurs have maximum-level cap flexibility as they seek LaMarcus Aldridge after agreeing to trade Tiago Splitter to the Hawks, and while West probably wouldn’t command the max, he may well be a fallback option for San Antonio should it miss on Aldridge or Marc Gasol. The Warriors have only the $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level exception to offer. It’s not clear if either team has interest in the Lance Young client.