Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Fallout From Greg Oden’s Choice To Sign With Heat

August 2nd, 2013 at 10:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

Greg Oden let former college teammate Mark Titus of Grantland know about his decision to sign with the Heat ahead of the news breaking this evening, and heard from the one-time can't miss prospect about why Miami won him over.

"Obviously the chance to play with the best player in the world and compete for a championship was a big selling point," Oden said. "But more than that, what I really liked was how they thought I could really add something to their team. They’ve won back-to-back championships without me, so for them to pursue me as hard as they did meant a lot, especially given all that I’ve gone through."

Here's more on the Heat's second major victory of the summer:

Other teams offered more money, but a conversation Oden had with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra last week at a Chili's in Indianapolis played a key role in the decision, agent Mike Conley Sr. says to Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida.
Sources tell Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio that the Heat were willing to make promises to Oden that other teams wouldn't. Some of Oden's other suitors wanted a team option in year two rather than the player option the Heat gave him, Amico says (Twitter links).
Oden tells Marc Stein and Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com that the Heat's willingness to bring him along slowly this season was a “big deciding factor” for him. Oden's not sure he'll be ready for opening night, and just wants "to finish the season healthy."
The Heat expect Oden to take part in training camp, but they aren't putting any pressure on him to play in the regular-season opener, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, who wonders if Oden's arrival signals that the team will look to trade Joel Anthony.
Heat team president Pat Riley and company passed on signing Marcus Camby while they were waiting on Oden's decision, Winderman also reports.
Oden isn't expected to play back-to-backs early in the season, a source tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
The Heat will pay an approximately $2.6MM tax bill on Oden's contract, pushing their total projected tax payment to $18.8MM, tweets Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. With no further roster moves, the team's payroll, tax included, will be $101,539,013, according to Windhorst's math.
The Cavs showed early interest in Oden, but the Andrew Bynum signing took them out of the running, tweets Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer.

Southeast Notes: Magic, Wizards, Heat, Hawks

August 2nd, 2013 at 7:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Hawks acquired five players in the Joe Johnson trade last summer, and with their release of DeShawn Stevenson today, none of the five remain on the team's roster, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution points out via Twitter. GM Danny Ferry has radically reshaped the club in little more than a year, and the Stevenson move wasn't Atlanta's only transaction of the day, as we detail amid other news from the Southeast Division:

Magic owner Rich DeVos is 87 years old, but he has no plans to sell the club, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes in an early Eastern Conference preview. Instead, he has given his four children shares of the Magic with the intent that the family will continue to own the team for decades to come.
The Magic would like to pursue a one-to-one affiliation with a D-League team that would be stationed in Florida, but obstacles are in the way, Robbins reports in the same piece. Orlando will be one of six teams sharing the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season. Ideally, the Magic want to have a "hybrid" partnership, wherein they'd run the D-League team's basketball operations while local ownership took care of the business side.
The Wizards seem likely to push for one of the final three playoff spots in the East, and owner Ted Leonsis believes a postseason berth would be a significant help to the team's hopes of signing a marquee free agent, observes Michael Lee of The Washington Post.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel believes that with so many teams with an eye on the lottery, buyouts could come earlier than usual this season. Winderman figures the Heat will be active in the market for bought-out players.
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer completed his staff Friday, hiring Jim Thomas as an assistant, the team announced. Thomas had been serving as a scout for the Thunder.

Several Teams Interested In Lou Amundson

August 2nd, 2013 at 12:39pm CST by Zachary Links

There are a number of teams anxiously awaiting Greg Oden's free agent decision today and many of those clubs all seem to have a common Plan B. Some of the same teams that are pursuing the former No. 1 overall pick are also showing interest in free agent Louis Amundson, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

The Heat, Kings, and Mavericks, who are all finalists for Oden, have registered some level of interest in the well-traveled 30-year-old (link). The Hawks, Knicks, and Pacers are also looking into Amundson.

The UNLV product averaged 1.9 PPG in 9.5 minutes per contest for three teams last season. In seven career NBA seasons with eight diffeent clubs, Amundson has career averages of 3.7 PPG and 3.6 RPG in 12.8 minutes per contest.

Odds & Ends: Oden, Thunder, Clippers

August 1st, 2013 at 11:24pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat, Spurs and Mavs are the most likely to land Greg Oden when he makes his decision Friday, sources tell Jeff Goodman and Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Goodman and Stein are hearing conflicting information on whether the Pelicans, Kings and Hawks remain in the running, but it appears New Orleans has the best chance out of those three. The Cavs, Celtics and Grizzlies have also expressed interest, but they declined to make formal offers, the report also says. Here's more on Oden and others around the Association:

Whichever team signs Oden once he makes his decision tomorrow won't be committing more than a few million dollars, leading HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy to argue that he's worth the risk. Taking such risks is what shrewd GM's do, SB Nation's Tom Ziller opines.
The league is reimbursing the Thunder $8MM, or roughly half of the difference between the money the team is shelling out for Kevin Durant and the smaller amount the Thunder agreed to pay when he signed his extension, Grantland's Zach Lowe tweets.
The ESPN.com staff is high on the Clippers, as Chad Ford gives them the only A+ among his Western Conference offseason grades (Insiders only), while the 5-on-5 crew lauds the team's acquisitions of coach Doc Rivers and sharpshooter Jared Dudley.
HoopsWorld's Nate Duncan profiles six players whom teams may have undervalued this summer.

Knicks Rumors: Brown, Udrih, Williams, West

August 1st, 2013 at 12:29pm CST by Luke Adams

We heard yesterday that the Knicks, in their search for a third point guard, are hoping to convince veteran free agent Beno Udrih to sign for the minimum and come to New York. That's not the only iron the team has in the fire though. Here's the latest on the Knicks:

Although Bobby Brown reached an agreement with China's Dongguan Leopards, the deal has an August 15th NBA opt-out date, giving him two weeks to find an NBA offer he likes. According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, Brown's first choice would be to sign with the Knicks, even though the minimum salary he could make in New York would be about half of the $1MM he'd earn in China.
Before deciding whether to circle back to Brown, the Knicks are eyeing veteran options like Udrih and Mo Williams. However, if Williams ends up settling for a minimum-salary contract, he's more likely to join the Heat, says Berman.
Despite previous inquiries, the Knicks are no longer considering Delonte West, a source tells Berman.
Berman adds that the Knicks are expected to invite point guard Toure Murry to training camp after a successful Summer League run.
Noting that Lamar Odom is still undecided on where he'll play in 2013/14, Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com wonders (via Twitter) if the Knicks would be a fit, with New York in the market for a big.

Greg Oden To Make Decision On Friday

August 1st, 2013 at 11:07am CST by Luke Adams

Free agent big man Greg Oden will decide where he'll sign on Friday, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). The Heat, Kings, Hawks, Pelicans, Spurs, and Mavericks are the teams in the running for the former first overall pick.

Spears initially reported last Tuesday that a decision from Oden was expected to come this week, and has since suggested that the 25-year-old is most intrigued by the Heat and Pelicans. Miami has been linked to Oden for the better part of 2013, and have always looked to me like the frontrunner, though New Orleans and other clubs are making a late push.

Of Oden's suitors, the Pelicans and Kings have the $2.65MM room exception available to offer, while the Heat have their mini mid-level exception worth about $3.18MM. The Hawks could waive some non-guaranteed salaries to clear a chunk of cap space, and the Mavs and Spurs can only offer minimum-salary deals. Of course, just because a team like the Heat has the flexibility to outbid other teams, it doesn't necessarily mean they'll offer that full MLE.

Eastern Notes: Carmelo, Daye, Heat, Pistons

July 31st, 2013 at 4:57pm CST by Luke Adams

In his latest column for ESPN.com (Insider-only link), Chad Ford assigns grades to all 15 Eastern Conference teams for the moves they've made this summer. While I disagree with a few of Ford's grades, and think it may be a little early to assume each team's offseason work is done, his explanations are worth reading. It may come as no surprise that Ford, a draft expert, gives top marks to the Sixers, who snagged a pair of top-10 prospects in last month's draft and figure to have two lottery picks next year as well. Here's more from around the East:

ESPN.com's 5-on-5 crew also breaks down a few questions relating to which Eastern teams made the best and worst offseason moves.
While there's no real indication that Carmelo Anthony wants to explore the free agent market next summer, he also isn't saying he plans to be a long-term Knick, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. Carmelo will have the chance to opt out of his contract in search of a new deal next summer.
Before Austin Daye agreed to sign with the Raptors, the Heat were one team with interest, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star, who also cites the Lakers as a suitor for Daye.
The Pistons have two roster spots open after trading three players for Brandon Jennings, leaving room to sign second-round pick Peyton Siva. However, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com, the more pressing need for the team may be a big man to provide frontcourt depth.

Odds & Ends: Scola, Celtics, Heat, Suns

July 29th, 2013 at 10:11pm CST by Zachary Links

While Jason Kidd shocked everyone by becoming the head coach of the Nets just weeks after retiring, his co-Rookie of the Year in 1994/95 is going to go down a more conventional path. Grant Hill told Johnny Esfeller of IMG Academy that he is looking into a career in broadcasting and speaking with some of the major networks out there. The charasmatic and thoughtful Hill should make for a natural on TV, whether he's on color commentary or a studio analyst. Here's tonight's look around the Association..

The Pacers' acquisition of Luis Scola makes them an even bigger threat to the Heat, opines Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld. Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard noted that Scola isn't just a strong basketball addition, but he should also be a great fit for Indiana's locker room.
If Rajon Rondo is not ready to go at the beginning of the 2013/14 season, it's possible that the Celtics could slide undrafted rookie Phil Pressey into the starting role as he's the only other point guard on the roster, writes Marc D'Amico of Celtics.com. However, Boston also has two other players on its roster in Avery Bradley and Courtney Lee who can handle the one-guard duties in short order and there's even a chance that Rondo will be in action for opening night.
The Heat know that the rest of the Eastern conference is quickly catching up them, writes Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press.
The additions of Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee fit the Suns' offseason goal of increasing athleticism across the roster, writes Matt Petersen of Suns.com.

Southeast Notes: Hardaway, Hawks, Heat

July 29th, 2013 at 11:51am CST by Luke Adams

After helping lead Michigan to the Final Four in April and being drafted by the Knicks in June, Tim Hardaway Jr. is making more headlines than his father this year, but Tim Hardaway Sr. remains involved in the NBA, and is hoping to eventually land a larger role, as he tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida. Currently a scout for the Heat, Hardaway says he'd like to become the team's general manager down the road.

"That's my goal," Hardaway said. "That's why I'm here every day…. Everything is realistic. You just got to believe and make connections."

Let's round up a few more items from out of the Southeast division….

The Hawks' waiver claim of Gustavo Ayon makes it likely that first-round pick Lucas Nogueira will spend the 2013/14 season in Spain, writes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Second-round pick Mike Muscala will probably play overseas as well, according to Vivlamore.
In order to create the space necessary to claim Ayon, the Hawks renounced their rights to Ivan Johnson, tweets Jason Walker of Peachtree Hoops. The team can still re-sign Johnson, but no longer holds any form of Bird rights.
In his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes that it may make sense for the Heat to hang onto their mini mid-level exception through the summer and into the season.

Odds & Ends: Oden, Heat, McGrady, Scola

July 28th, 2013 at 10:16pm CST by Zachary Links

All eyes are on Greg Oden at this stage of the offseason and David Aldridge of NBA.com (via Twitter) hears that the big man will make his decision either Wednesday or Thursday. The former No. 1 overall pick will choose between the Mavericks, Pelicans, Spurs, Kings, Heat, and Hawks as he looks to mount another comeback. Here's tonight's look around the Associatiion..

A source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo (via Twitter) that Oden is most intrigued by the Pelicans and Heat.
While in China fulfulling committments with sponsors, veteran Tracy McGrady said that he is open to returning to the CBA next season, according to a report from China.org.cn.
Luis Scola's nearly $4.9MM salary for 2014/15 will be partially guaranteed for $940K, rather than non-guaranteed, because he appeared in all 82 games for the Suns this past season, reports Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
In the same piece, Coro passes along Suns GM Ryan McDonough's optimism that Channing Frye will be ready to play in time for the season. Frye missed all of 2012/13 with an enlarged heart.
Gal Mekel told Kevin Arnovitz of True Hoop TV that he isn't concerned about making the transition from playing in Israel to suiting up for the Mavericks.
Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer delves into Sixers GM Sam Hinkie's philosophy of acquiring undervalued players with upside.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.