Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

LaMarcus Aldridge To Meet Lakers Again, Heat

July 2nd, 2015 at 3:54pm CST by Chuck Myron

3:54pm: Riley will indeed have a meeting with Aldridge that will come after the second meeting with the Lakers, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links).

3:23pm: Aldridge canceled his meeting with the Knicks today, a source tells TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link). He turned away from New York when the team made it clear it wanted him to play center, Aldridge adds (on Twitter).

3:06pm: The Lakers will meet with LaMarcus Aldridge again today in Los Angeles, one day after it appeared he’d decided against signing with them after their initial meeting, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The Heat would also like to get a meeting, Wojnarowski reports (on Twitter).

Heat president Pat Riley is in Los Angeles to conduct business related to free agency, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (Twitter links). Plenty of other free agents set up their home bases in L.A., meaning Riley didn’t necessarily go there just to meet with Aldridge, but it’s nonetheless an intriguing coincidence. The Heat would have to unload tens of millions worth of salary commitments to have a shot at Aldridge, barring a sign-and-trade, but the Blazers apparently don’t want to participate in any Aldridge sign-and-trades.

The Spurs, Rockets, Suns, Mavericks, Raptors and Knicks, along with the Lakers, are so far the teams on his meeting agenda, with all of them coming to see him in Los Angeles. He’s also considered taking one or two trips to see suitors, according to Wojnarowski (on Twitter).

The Suns made an aggressive move toward him today, reportedly agreeing to clear about $8.423MM salary in a trade with the Pistons. They also agreed to sign Tyson Chandler on Wednesday, and while that leaves Phoenix still short of the cap room they’d need to sign Aldridge to the max, Aldridge has wanted to play with Chandler, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic notes (Twitter link).

And-Ones: Harris, Barea, Matthews

July 1st, 2015 at 11:38pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Jamal Crawford (Clippers), Jon Leuer (Suns) and Anthony Tolliver (Pistons) had their salaries fully guaranteed when they remained on their respective rosters Tuesday, as the schedule of salary guarantee dates indicates, along with Robert Sacre (Lakers) and Chris Kaman (Blazers), as we previously noted. Matt Barnes (Grizzlies) joins that group today, while Langston Galloway (Knicks) and Markel Brown (Nets) pick up partial guarantees of $220K and $100K, respectively. Cory Jefferson was originally thought to have a partial guarantee coming his way if he stuck on the Nets roster through today, but he’ll remain non-guaranteed until July 15th, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).

Here’s more from around the league:

The Magic would not be willing to match a max salary offer sheet to restricted free agent forward Tobias Harris, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe relays (Twitter link). The Hawks could be a potential suitor, though Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders noted previously that Atlanta’s level of interest in Harris was dependent on how the team’s pursuit of its own free agents, DeMarre Carroll and Paul Millsap, went. Millsap is reportedly set to ink a three-year, $58MM pact with Atlanta, and Carroll is on his way to the Raptors after inking a four-year, $60MM contract.
Free agent point guard J.J. Barea is leaning toward signing with the Heat, David Aldridge of TNT tweets. Barea appeared in 77 games for the Mavs last season, averaging 7.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 17.7 minutes per contest.
The Raptors and the Mavericks are still battling over free agent Wesley Matthews, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. Toronto is still in on Matthews despite signing Carroll, Stein notes.
The Wizards have expressed interest in free agent swingman Alan Anderson, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post tweets.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Heat, Dwyane Wade Make Progress Toward Deal

July 1st, 2015 at 12:24pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat and Dwyane Wade are progressing in talks toward what will likely be a multiyear deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Wade is seeking the max, as Wojnarowski wrote earlier. The Lakers, with whom Wade has reportedly held mutual interest, have been planning to have him in for a meeting, though none has been scheduled, according to USA Today’s Sam Amick (on Twitter).

The max for Wade would be roughly equivalent to 35% of the salary cap, likely at least $22MM. Still, it’s been tough to peg just what Wade has wanted. Wade was to have welcomed $20MM salaries on a three-year deal, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald wrote weeks ago, while more recently Chris Mannix of SI.com wrote that Wade was seeking at least $16MM. In any case, Miami seems determined to figure out a solution with Wade before he talks with other teams, Mannix tweets. The Clippers also apparently have mutual interest, but the Heat have been optimistic the last few days, according to Jackson (on Twitter).

Monta Ellis In Talks With Pacers

July 1st, 2015 at 4:00am CST by Chuck Myron

4:00am: Indiana is believed to be offering Ellis a deal in the three-year, $32MM range, Wojnarowski reports.

1:25am: Ellis and his family are traveling to Indiana to meet with Pacers officials on Wednesday, Wojnarowski relays (via Twitter).

1:06am: The Hawks, Nuggets and Kings are calling on Ellis tonight, too, a source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).

JULY 1ST, 12:31am: Ellis is “gathering traction” in talks with the Pacers, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Bird is determined to reach a deal and the Pacers are pushing hard, Wojnarowski adds (on Twitter).

JUNE 30TH, 11:22am: The Kings have interest in Ellis, too, Broussard hears (Twitter link).

12:11pm: Interest is mutual between Ellis and the Heat, and the shooting guard also plans to talk to the Hawks, reports Shams Charania of RealGM, who suggests that Ellis would generally prefer to sign with an East Coast team.

JUNE 24TH, 10:15am: The Pacers and Heat are interested in signing Monta Ellis, who’s opting out of his contract with the Mavs to become a free agent, a source tells Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Interest from both would presumably hinge on other option decisions. The Heat would be unlikely to have the cap space necessary to chase Ellis if Dwyane Wade opts in to his $16.125MM salary for next season or if the sides work out a new deal. The same is the case with the Pacers and both Roy Hibbert and David West, who also hold player options.

Ellis, a Relativity Sports client is surely seeking more than the $8.72MM he would have seen on his player option with the Mavs. The shooting guard has until midnight tonight to change his mind and opt in, but that would be unforeseen. The Heat have only about $43MM committed for next season against a projected $67.1MM cap, but they have a lucrative offer earmarked for Goran Dragic and also seemingly have interest in retaining Luol Deng, who has a player option worth $10.152MM. A continued partnership with Wade, who’s reportedly open to leaving the team amid tense negotiations, would presumably push the team well into tax territory, though Miami is reportedly shopping Mario Chalmers and Chris Andersen in an effort to clear salary. Ellis would ostensibly be a replacement for Wade at the shooting guard position in Miami.

Indiana, unlike Miami, doesn’t have a star entrenched at two-guard, though with $36MM in guaranteed salaries on the books, Hibbert’s option of more than $15.514MM and West’s, worth $12.6MM, would largely close the door on any chance the Pacers have at opening cap room without making a trade. The deadlines both face to decide on their respective options aren’t until next week, GM Kevin Pritchard said, according to Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link), and it’s unclear what they’ll choose to do. Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird earlier this spring seemed to encourage Hibbert to opt out as Indiana seeks a faster style of play.

Free Agency Rumors: Pierce, Green, Dragic

June 30th, 2015 at 11:56pm CST by Zachary Links

The Wizards have a phone conversation scheduled with free agent forward Paul Pierce at 12:01 a.m. ET, a league source tells Shams Charania of RealGM (on Twitter). Here’s more from a busy night around the league:

One GM told Sean Deveney of the Sporting News (on Twitter) that the three-year, $46MM deal that Chandler Parsons signed in 2014 will set the market for wings this year. That will apparently have an impact on guys like Danny Green, Khris Middleton, and DeMarre Carroll.
The Heat placed a call to Goran Dragic shortly after midnight on the East Coast, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (on Twitter). However, the guard is in Slovenia where it’s early in the morning and Shelburne seems to be implying that he was not awake to receive the call.
The Cavs have reached out to the reps for forward Tayshaun Prince, according to Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. The Cavs feel that Prince could help shore up their wing depth. Prince, 35, played for the Grizzlies, Celtics, and Pistons last season and averaged 7.5 PPG and 3.6 RPG.
The Mavericks and Rockets were the first two teams to reach out to Patrick Beverley, sources tell Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter).

Eastern Rumors: Knicks, Millsap, Wade

June 30th, 2015 at 10:07pm CST by Zachary Links

Madison Square Garden named long-time talent agency executive David “Doc” O’Connor as its next chief executive, as The Associated Press writes. O’Connor comes from CAA, the same agency that represents Knicks star Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, and Paul George. O’Connor will officially join the Knicks on July 15th. Here’s more out of the East..

Paul Millsap‘s possible price range of $17-$19MM would be too high for the Knicks, Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders tweets. The Knicks are said to be eyeing the Hawks free agent.
Heat people are optimistic a deal will get done with Dwyane Wade, even though Wade is expected to at least consider other options, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. Meanwhile, two Wade associates cite the Lakers as his top choice other than the Heat.
The Celtics are expected to show interest in free agent forward Amir Johnson and they could also pursue a reunion with former Celtic Gerald Green, Chris Mannix of SI tweets.
Pending free agent Rodney Stuckey will have at least two “serious” suitors besides the Pacers when he hits free agency tonight, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com tweets. The guard is very much interested in staying with the Pacers, but Scott Agness of VigilantSports.com (on Twitter) hears that his asking price might be around $6MM. He hears that roughly six teams have expressed interest.
There’s mutual interest between the Pacers and Lavoy Allen, but the two sides won’t have deep discussions until the Pacers see what kind of money they have available, Agness tweets.
Free agent guard John Jenkins has signed with Relativity Sports, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter). The Hawks guard, who appeared in just 37 games the past two seasons after playing in 61 contests as a rookie in 2012/13, left BDA Sports Management earlier this month.

Free Agency Rumors: Boozer, Williams, Heat

June 30th, 2015 at 6:24pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest free agent news..

The Nets, Mavs, Rockets, Lakers, Heat, and Spurs are in on veteran big man Carlos Boozer, Chris Broussard of ESPN.com tweets.
In addition to the incumbent Kings (whose interest was previously reported), the Wizards, Rockets, Lakers, Heat, Suns, and Knicks are expected to show interest in forward Derrick Williams, Broussard tweets. Williams can become a restricted free agent this summer if the Kings tender him a qualifying offer worth $4,045,894. The former No. 2 overall pick averaged 8.3 PPG and 2.7 RPG in 74 games last season.
The general sense among teams around the league is that Kyle O’Quinn will be able to draw $4-5MM salaries on his next deal and Shane Larkin $2-3MM on his, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes in his NBA AM piece. Sources tell Kyler that Gerald Green could be had for around $5MM a year, or slightly less on a deal that runs three or four years.
The Mavs, Pacers, Grizzlies, Clippers, and incumbent Suns are the teams showing the most interest in high-flying big man Brandan Wright, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com tweets.
Jamario Moon is looking to make an NBA comeback and has signed with Hazan Sports Management, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Southeast Rumors: Heat, Winslow, Harris, Brand

June 30th, 2015 at 2:18pm CST by Zachary Links

Dan Le Batard of the Miami Herald (via Barry Jackson on Twitter) hears that the Celtics offered the Heat four first-round picks and two second-rounders for their No. 10 pick so that they could grab Justise Winslow. Instead, Miami stood pat and grabbed the Duke star, who many feel could wind up being the sleeper of the draft. Here’s more from the Southeast Division..

Magic forward Tobias Harris is looking for a max or near-max offer sheet since the salary cap is set to rise, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter). If he gets a large enough offer, Kennedy adds, the Magic might not match. Harris, as expected, received a QO from Orlando earlier today.
The Hawks likely won’t re-sign Elton Brand, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Vivlamore anticipates that Mike Muscala, entering his third season, will have an increased role with Brand out of the picture.
More from Vivlamore, who tweets that the Hawks have announced that Kyle Korver will undergo surgery. The sharpshooter’s procedure will be done in New York by Dr. David Altchek.
Magic GM Rob Hennigan said it’s possible he will be “very active” in free agency, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes. Still, Robbins points out that Orlando is unlikely to jump into the mix for Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, or Kevin Love.
Janis Timma, whose NBA rights were traded to the Magic last week, has joined up with B.C. Zenit Saint Petersburg, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (on Twitter).
Mario Hezonja‘s buyout agreement calls for him to give $1.4MM to his former club, not ~$1.8MM as previously reported, according to David Pick of Eurobasket.net (on Twitter). In a chat with Robbins, agent Arn Tellem confirmed that the buyout for the Magic‘s top draft pick has been finalized.

Heat Decline Michael Beasley’s Team Option

June 30th, 2015 at 1:22pm CST by ChrisCrouse

TUESDAY, 1:22pm: The move indeed took place, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).

SUNDAY, 12:16pm: The Heat have informed Michael Beasley that they will not pick up his option for the 2015/16 season, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). Beasley would have made slightly less than $1.3MM had the team opted to pick up his option.

Miami indicated the the decision to draft Justise Winslow was a major factor in the decision to part ways with Beasley, Jackson adds in a full-length article. There was no discussion of Beasley returning to the Heat down the road, according to Jared Karnes, who represents Beasley and spoke to Jackson.

Starting small forward Luol Deng has a player option worth more than $10.15MM for the upcoming season and the team hopes he sticks around for at least one more season. Assuming Deng is on the roster next season, along with Chris Bosh, Josh McRoberts and Winslow, the team shouldn’t have a major need at either forward position. Beasley played minutes at both the three and the four spot while averaging 8.8 points, 3.7 rebounds per game while shooting 43.4% from the field during his third stint in Miami.

Free Agent Rumors: Wright, Belinelli, Barea

June 29th, 2015 at 6:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

Dorell Wright is unlikely to return to the Trail Blazers, Jabari Young of CSNNW.com reports. Wright, who was born in Los Angeles, would like to return home and play for either the Clippers or Lakers, Young continues. The Lakers are the more likely suitor for the unrestricted free agent, who made $3.135MM last season, unless the Clippers fail to secure the services of Paul Pierce, Young adds. The Raptors could also make a run at Wright but Young believes the Heat, who were previously thought to be interested in Wright, probably won’t pursue him since Luol Deng exercised his player option.

In other free agent news around the league:

Spurs swingman Marco Belinelli could be targeted by the Bulls if they fail to re-sign Mike Dunleavy, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune tweets. The Bulls have made retaining Dunleavy a priority and he’s comfortable playing in Chicago, Johnson adds. Both players are unrestricted free agents.
The Clippers are interested in C.J. Watson, Lavoy Allen, Darrell Arthur and Gerald Green, among others, according to Dan Woike of the Orange County Register (Twitter links). They’d like to find a true point guard to serve as a backup, a league source tells Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter).
The Raptors could be a landing spot for Bismack Biyombo, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer tweets. Biyombo will be an unrestricted free agent because the Hornets decided not to make him a qualifying offer.
The Heat, Bulls, Lakers and Mavericks are among teams interested in signing J.J. Barea, a source told Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link). Barea is seeking a multi-year contract in the $3MM per year range, MacMahon adds.
The only incumbent free agents the Pelicans don’t appear to have at least some interest in re-signing are Jimmer Fredette and Toney Douglas, as John Reid of The Times-Picayune details.