Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Drummond, Farmar, Mekel

July 6th, 2015 at 11:00am CST by Chuck Myron

The Pistons could reap greater cap flexibility for next summer if they wait until then to sign Andre Drummond as a restricted free agent instead of giving him an extension this summer, but the team will leave that choice to the Jeff Schwartz client, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Drummond reportedly wants an extension, so it would seem it’s a strong bet he’ll end up with one before the October 31st rookie scale extension deadline. Here’s more from around the NBA and related circles:

Jordan Farmar has signed with Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv, the team announced (hat tip to David Pick of Eurobasket.com). Agent Tony Dutt searched for NBA deals for the point guard who spent part of last season with the Clippers, but found nothing, as Pick hears (Twitter link).
Maccabi Tel Aviv management pushed for the deal with Farmar, while the coaches were higher on former Mavs and Pelicans point guard Gal Mekel, according to Pick, who earlier reported that Mekel and the team had a verbal agreement on a three-year deal with NBA out clauses (Twitter links). However, fellow Israeli club Hapoel Jerusalem is still pursuing Mekel, who remains in talks with teams from the NBA and Europe, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Lakers co-owner Jeanie Buss clarified in a radio appearance on KPCC-FM last week that this past year was the first on brother Jim Buss‘ three-year window to guide the team to at least the Western Conference Finals, as Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com details. Jim Buss would resign his job as executive VP of basketball operations if the Lakers aren’t back to that point by the end of the 2016/17 season, his sister said.
The Lakers, Heat, Knicks, Suns and Pelicans have expressed interest in Justin Hamilton, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). The Timberwolves elected not to retain the right to match offers for him when they decided against making a qualifying offer.
Serge Ibaka failed to meet an incentive worth $100K this past season, so his cap hit for the Thunder for this coming season shrinks by that amount, to $12.25MM, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter). That’s unlikely to matter for the Thunder, who are expected to be well above the cap and exceed the tax line. Ibaka’s salary for tax purposes will be determined based on the bonuses that he either triggers or doesn’t trigger this coming season, whereas last season’s figures only affect his cap number.
The Nuggets are hiring German national team coach Chris Fleming, former Magic assistant Wes Unseld Jr., and Kings assistants Ryan Bowen and Micah Nori as assistants to new head coach Michael Malone, reports Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. They’ll join Bulls assistant Ed Pinckney, who’s also reportedly joining the Denver coaching staff.

Mavs, J.J. Barea Nearing Deal

July 6th, 2015 at 8:21am CST by Eddie Scarito

MONDAY, 8:21am: It’s almost a certainty that Barea will re-sign with the Mavs for the $2.814MM room exception, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link). The Mavs believe that they’re making progress toward a deal, according to a source who spoke with Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. That source suggests the possibility of a three-year deal that includes a player option, but a three-year deal would be impossible on the room exception, and his Non-Bird rights would only allow for a salary of 120% better than the minimum.

FRIDAY, 4:06pm: The Mavericks and free agent J.J. Barea are close to an agreement that would allow the veteran to return to Dallas, David Aldridge of TNT reports (Twitter link). The length and terms being discussed are not yet known, but Barea is seeking a three-year arrangement, Aldridge notes.

Dallas has been optimistic that it would be able to land Barea, but was waiting for other free agents to make their decisions first, noted Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. The Heat were the Mavs’ strongest competitors for the 31-year-old’s services, Aldridge adds.

Barea appeared in 77 games for the Mavs last season, including 10 as a starter. His averages were 7.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 17.7 minutes per game, and he owned a slash line of .420/.323/.809. Through 586 career contests, Barea’s numbers are 8.2 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 3.4 APG.

Southeast Notes: Whiteside, Thornton, Wizards

July 5th, 2015 at 8:05pm CST by Zachary Links

The dollars are flying this summer for the league’s top free agents — especially free agent big men — but Heat center Hassan Whiteside says that he’s not concerning himself with all of that right now, Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post writes. Whiteside, who just experienced a breakout season, will hit free agency next summer. As Lieser points out, Whiteside has never earned more than $1MM in a season and will make $981,348 this upcoming season.

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

Marcus Thornton is part of a small group of shooters — and one that has shrunk because of recent reported signings — that Miami is interested in, a Heat official told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Thornton, according to Jackson, is a realistic target. There are other guards on the free agent market that would be bench upgrades, but they are more likely to command more than the minimum, and Miami hasn’t decided if it will pay more than that, Jackson adds.
The Wizards were probably out on Rodney Stuckey after agreeing to sign Gary Neal, J. Michael of CSNWashington.com tweets. On Sunday, Stuckey agreed to stay in Indiana on a three-year, $21MM deal.
Drew Gooden appears to be most likely of the Wizards‘ unrestricted free agents to return, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke with J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Gooden is one of four UFAs for Washington, including Rasual Butler, Kevin Seraphin, and Will Bynum. With Paul Pierce out of the picture, Gooden is an affordable and logical choice to help fill that void at the stretch four.

Will Joseph contributed to this post.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Wizards, Carroll

July 5th, 2015 at 11:04am CST by Arthur Hill

Pat Riley has denied that he’s looking to do so, but the Heat may look to trade Mario Chalmers and Chris Andersen to reduce their luxury tax costs, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Miami is staring at a bill of more than $30MM if no further moves are made, and replacing Chalmers and Andersen with minimum salary players [Jackson mentions Carlos Boozer as a possibility] or near-minimum guys [such as Marcus Thornton] could reduce that by about $20MM. Another trade candidate is Josh McRoberts, but Jackson says many in the organization would prefer to keep him. Jackson also credits Goran Dragic for taking a less-than-maximum deal to help the Heat keep Dwyane Wade. Zoran Dragic, who is entering the final year of his contract, admitted to being frustrated by a lack of playing time in Miami after being acquired from Phoenix in February.

There’s more news from the Southeast Division:

A sign-and-trade deal involving Chalmers, Andersen or McRoberts could be the best way for the Heat to get the extra shooter they need, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. The columnist also contends Chris Bosh, if fully healthy, is a better fit for Miami than LaMarcus Aldridge would have been.
Free agent Drew Gooden will probably be re-signed by the Wizards, writes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com, but Michael isn’t as optimistic about Kevin Seraphin. Gooden is valuable for Washington because he provides both size at 6’10” and three-point range, Michael argues, but he expects Seraphin to go somewhere he can get more playing time. The free agent center has been linked to the Lakers, Suns and Spurs. Michael also notes that the Wizards have been stocking up on wing players this summer in an effort to match up better with the Cavaliers’ LeBron James. So far, Washington has agreements to add Gary Neal, Jared Dudley and Kelly Oubre.
The Hawks told DeMarre Carroll they had to make a choice between him and Paul Millsap in free agency, tweets Ethan J. Skolnick of Bleacher Report. Carroll said the Raptors made it clear to him that he was a top priority. “I came in and realized this team really wants me and the coach really wants me,” he said (Twitter link). “… At the same time, then they threw the money at me, and that was even bigger.” (Twitter link). Carroll is to receive $60MM over four years from Toronto.

Eastern Notes: Seraphin, Watson, Winslow

July 4th, 2015 at 11:28pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Free agent Kevin Seraphin is getting interest from the Wizards, Lakers and Suns, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports tweets. Spears adds that the Spurs would also be interested in the forward’s services if they fail to land David West. Seraphin signed the qualifying offer from Washington last offseason, which allowed him to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

C.J. Watson will make $5MM in each of the next three seasons after reaching an agreement to sign with the Magic, but in the final season of the deal, only $1MM of his salary is guaranteed, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports. Watson is expected to lead the bench unit and be the primary backup to Elfrid Payton.
The Wizards had shown interest in Watson before he agreed to his deal with Orlando, Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post tweets.
The Knicks are getting a bargain in their agreement with Kyle O’Quinn, opines Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com. O’Quinn’s new contract is worth $16MM over the next four years. The statistician projected that the 25-year-old would get a contract of $27MM over three years.
The Heat reportedly turned down the Celtics’ proposal of four first-round picks and two second-rounders for the rights to Justise Winslow and Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel ponders whether the team made the right call by keeping the Duke product on its roster. The Celtics have a bounty of future first-rounders, as our Draft Pick Tracker page indicates. The exact draft picks that Boston was offering has not been disclosed, but with the Heat owing three of their future first round picks to the the Sixers and Suns, the team could have certainly used the extra assets. Given the situation, Winderman argues the rejection of the offer further proves how valuable Miami views Winslow.

LaMarcus Aldridge Rumors: Friday

July 3rd, 2015 at 6:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

LaMarcus Aldridge checked in third when we did our last Free Agent Power Rankings in June, but he seems to have the league on a string now with LeBron James almost assuredly going back to Cleveland and Kawhi Leonard already reportedly committed to the Spurs. Aldridge reportedly met with the Lakers for a second time and the Heat for the first time Thursday, when he apparently canceled a meeting with the Knicks. We’ll use this post to track the client of Arn Tellem and Thaddeus Foucher today, with any new information added to the top:

The Spurs and the Suns have solidified themselves as the favorites to land Aldridge, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets.

11:45am update:

Spurs president/coach Gregg Popovich would like to have another meeting with Aldridge, and the team is confident that the power forward will choose San Antonio, as John Canzano of The Oregonian hears (Twitter links).

11:00am update:

Rival executives believe that Riley told Aldridge that he should sign a short-term deal if he goes elsewhere with the idea that the Heat would come calling again next summer, tweets Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.

9:51am update:

The Spurs are in the lead for Aldridge, with the Suns second and the Mavs a “darkhorse of sorts” in third, according to Sam Amick of USA Today. The Lakers, Rockets and Raptors don’t seem to have moved any closer, Amick adds, having heard that the Heat‘s meeting with Aldridge was “much ado about nothing” other than a nice dinner.

8:45am update:

Aldridge is genuinely torn and will need some more time to decide, as Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com hears (Twitter link). The Spurs and Suns are the front-runners, the Blazers are trying for a Hail Mary, the Mavericks are still in pursuit, the Lakers are flailing and the Knicks are in the green room, as Shelburne succinctly puts it (on Twitter).
The meeting between Aldridge and Heat president Pat Riley went longer than expected Thursday, but the Texas teams (presumably meaning the Spurs and Mavs, though he’s met with the Rockets) remain out front for him, reports Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).
The Lakers apologized to Aldridge for not giving him more of a basketball focus in their initial meeting, which was more than an hour old before GM Mitch Kupchak and coach Byron Scott spoke, according to Shelburne (Twitter link).
The presentation the Lakers made was a good one, but the team doesn’t believe Aldridge was wooed by it, sources tell Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).

Heat Sign Justise Winslow

July 3rd, 2015 at 10:49am CST by Chuck Myron

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

The Heat have signed No. 10 overall pick Justise Winslow, the team announced, as Miami formally brings the Duke small forward that team president Pat Riley raved about onto the roster. Teams may officially sign first-round picks during the July Moratorium, as Miami is doing here, though most other moves must wait until Thursday, when the Moratorium is over.

Most teams hesitate to sign their first-rounders until after they’re done making free agent moves, so this news is further indication that the Heat are extreme long shots to land LaMarcus Aldridge, in spite of Riley’s meeting with the power forward Thursday. Still, the timing might just have to do with summer league, as Winslow put pen to paper before the team’s first summer league practice, notes Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald (on Twitter).

Winslow’s cap hold likely goes from slightly more than $2.068MM to nearly $2.482MM, assuming the Heat are giving him the standard 120% of the rookie scale. If that’s the case, he’ll be in line to make a total of $11,613,750 over the four-year rookie scale contract.

Winslow is a versatile player, though it’s possible he’ll end up a tweener, stuck between both forward positions, as Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors wrote in his prospect profile. Eddie had Winslow going at No. 5 in our final mock draft, so perhaps that positional concern played into his drop on draft night.

Mutual Interest Between Heat, Lou Williams

July 3rd, 2015 at 9:21am CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat and Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams have mutual interest, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, while league sources tell Jake Fischer of SI Now that the Kings will begin talks with Williams and Josh Smith today (Twitter link). Williams would have to take a steep discount unless the Heat, who likely have only the $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level to spend above the minimum on outside free agents, can clear quite a bit of salary or pull off a sign-and-trade, and Jackson has received no indication of any ongoing sign-and-trade discussions. The Kings, with plenty of cap flexibility to play with following their agreement on a three-player trade with the Sixers and failed pursuits of Monta Ellis and Wesley Matthews, would appear to have more of a clear shot at Williams, though it’s unclear if he’s as interested in Sacramento as he appears to be in Miami.

The Knicks reportedly reached out to Williams earlier this week. The new client of Wallace Prather was apparently expected to hear from New York and Sacramento, as well as the Lakers and Nets, while Jackson anticipated that he would reach out to the Heat. Williams called re-signing with the Raptors the ideal situation in April, but Toronto, which was reportedly chasing Matthews, largely hasn’t been linked to its own free agent since.

Houston and Smith reportedly have mutual interest, but the Rockets aren’t making much progress with their free agents at this point as they wait to hear LaMarcus Aldridge‘s decision, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle details. Several reports indicated that the Kings engaged in talks with the Pistons about trading for Smith last summer, and Smith has said that he and Rajon Rondo, who’s meeting with the Kings, have spoken on multiple occasions about the possibility of playing together.

Eastern Notes: Johnson, Watson, Dellavedova

July 2nd, 2015 at 10:08pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Nets have been actively shopping veteran forward Joe Johnson over the past few days, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter). Brooklyn hasn’t had much luck in finding a taker, as teams are leery of taking on Johnson’s $24,894,863 salary for the 2015/16 campaign, which is the final year of his deal, as well as gutting their rosters to acquire the 34-year-old, Mazzeo adds.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

The Wizards refused to compromise their salary cap space for the summer of 2016, when Kevin Durant is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent, in order to re-sign veteran Paul Pierce, J. Michael of CSNWashington.com writes. This was the same stance the franchise took regarding Trevor Ariza, who ended up signing with the Rockets last summer, Michael notes. Pierce agreed to a three-year, approximately $10MM deal with the Clippers this week.
The Cavaliers and free agent point guard Matthew Dellavedova are making progress in their discussions to bring the Australian back to Cleveland next season, Shams Charania of RealGM tweets. Dellavedova is seeking a multiyear deal in the $3MM-$5MM range annually, Charania adds.
The Wizards have expressed interest in free agent guard C.J. Watson, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post notes (Twitter link). Watson is intent on signing for the mid-level exception, which is not necessarily what Washington is currently offering, Michael tweets.
Greg Monroe chose to sign with the Bucks because they were the most playoff ready team of all his suitors, Howard Beck of Bleacher Report tweets.
The Wizards could be a potential landing spot for free agent forward Chris Copeland, tweets Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report. Washington is also reportedly in discussions with the Bucks regarding a trade for Jared Dudley.
Prior to reaching an agreement on his five-year, $90MM deal with the Heat, Goran Dragic asked team president Pat Riley how he could be flexible to aid the franchise in retaining Dwyane Wade, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com writes (on Twitter). Wade and Miami agreed to a one-year, $20MM arrangement earlier today.

Free Agent Rumors: Stoudemire, Hill, Butler

July 2nd, 2015 at 9:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The free agent signing period is now in its second day, and here are the latest rumblings from around the league:

The Clippers, Rockets, Mavericks, Lakers, and Suns all have expressed interest in signing Amar’e Stoudemire as a backup big man, Chris Broussard of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link). Stoudemire is only interested in signing with the Clippers if DeAndre Jordan departs and he could become the starter, Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times tweets.
The Mavs will shift focus to pursuing unrestricted free agent Jordan Hill if the team misses out on signing Jordan, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com tweets.
Having missed out on Greg Monroe, one of their prime free agent targets, the Knicks have been in contact with Hill’s representatives, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes.
Caron Butler, who was waived by the Bucks shortly after they had acquired him from the Pistons, is on the Knicks‘ radar thanks to his shooting ability and potential fit in the triangle offense, Marc Berman of The New York Post tweets. The Cavaliers have also been in constant contact with Butler, though no signing appears imminent, notes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Unrestricted free agent Quincy Acy is garnering interest from the Magic, Kings, Pelicans, Hawks, and Spurs, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders relays (via Twitter).
Free agent Gigi Datome is split on whether to return to the NBA next season or to play in Europe, tweets Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. The forward’s primary concern is playing time, not money, adds Himmelsbach.
The Mavs are back in play for J.J. Barea after he was leaning toward signing with the Heat Wednesday, TNT’s David Aldridge relays in a series of tweets. The point guard is seeking a three-year deal, Aldridge adds. Dallas is optimistic it can land Barea but is waiting for other free agents to make their decisions first, notes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com (on Twitter).
Unrestricted free agent Joel Freeland said that he will sign with a European team if he doesn’t agree to an NBA contract by July 10th, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (via Twitter).
Center Kosta Koufos has received interest from the Mavs, Lakers and Kings, Kennedy tweets. The Bucks had shown interest as well, prior to signing Greg Monroe, Kennedy adds.
Free agent forward Derrick Williams is scheduled to meet with the Knicks and Mavericks today in Los Angeles, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets.
The Pistons and Suns both made hard pushes to sign DeMarre Carroll, who instead inked a deal with the Raptors, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link). Carroll was blown away by Toronto’s offer, its environment, and is a big fan of coach Dwane Casey, Arnovitz adds.