Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat ‘Feverishly’ Pursued Trade For Nikola Vucevic

March 6th, 2013 at 10:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Nikola Vucevic gives the Heat fits, having twice gone for at least 20 points and 20 rebounds against the team after tonight's 25-point, 21-board performance. The second-year Magic center could have been putting up those numbers for the Heat instead of against them if Miami had been willing to part with either Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole, or both, according to John Denton of Magic.com (Twitter link). Denton tweets that the Heat were "feverishly" trying to trade for Vucevic when he was with the Sixers last season, but apparently they weren't willing to give up their top two point guards to make it happen.

The Sixers dealt Vucevic to the Magic in August as part of the four-team Dwight Howard/Andrew Bynum blockbuster. The 22-year-old native of Switzerland has blossomed in Orlando, where he averages 12.1 points and 11.2 rebounds per game as the starting center. He's seeing twice as many minutes per game as he did last year with Philadelphia, which made him the 16th overall pick in the 2011 draft. Vucevic saw even less time in the playoffs, notching just three minutes during the Sixers' run to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Heat had evidently seen enough to believe he could address their deficiencies in the paint. Miami has grabbed the fewest rebounds of any team in the league, and certainly the addition of Vucevic would have helped remedy that. Money likely wasn't an inhibiting factor for the Heat, since he's on a rookie-scale contract that pays him just $1.7MM this season. Still, Heat president Pat Riley and the rest of the team's front office probably didn't predict Vucevic would develop as well and as quickly as he has. If they had foreseen it, they might have had pause about dealing away both of their top two point guards, though they're apparently confident enough in the ballhandling abilities of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James to go without a third point guard this season.

Southeast Notes: Oden, Heat, Magic, Scott

March 6th, 2013 at 4:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA's longest current winning and losing streaks both belong to Southeast Division teams, and will be on the line tonight. The Heat are hosting the Magic, in search of their 16th straight win, while the Bobcats will look to snap a seven-game losing streak at home against the Nets. As we wait for the Eastern Conference's best and worst clubs to get underway tonight, let's round up a few notes out of the Southeast….

Agent Mike Conley Sr. doesn't expect Greg Oden to sign anywhere until July, suggesting to Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that teams will have more financial flexibility to pursue his client after the season. According to Conley, there is mutual interest between Oden and the Heat, and the two sides expect to talk again in the summer. The Cavs, Bobcats, and Spurs are other potential suitors for the former first overall pick, according to Tomasson.
Responding to Dwight Howard's suggestion that his Magic teams were "full of people nobody wanted," Jameer Nelson shot back at his former teammate, as Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel documents. "At some point, when are you [Dwight] gonna as a man, when are you going to take ownership and stay out of the media in a professional manner?" Nelson said.
Mike Scott has returned to Atlanta to rejoin the Hawks after a brief stint with the team's D-League affiliate, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Hawks officially announced in a press release that Scott has been recalled from the Bakersfield Jam and will be available for tonight's game against the Sixers.

Eastern Notes: Heat, Williams, Thomas, Lowry

March 5th, 2013 at 11:03am CST by Luke Adams

The race for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference continues to become less dramatic by the day, as the Bucks won again on Monday night. Milwaukee now has a seven-game cushion on the ninth-place Sixers, who are at home against the Celtics tonight. If there's any drama in the East, it relates to seeding — the Bucks and Celtics are two of five playoff teams currently separated by just three games in the Eastern standings.

Here are a few Tuesday morning items out of the East:

Whether or not Chris Andersen returns to the Heat next season may depend on how much playing time he gets in the playoffs, says Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, noting that Ronny Turiaf left Miami last offseason after becoming an "afterthought" in the postseason.
Terrence Williams' contract with the Celtics will become guaranteed for next season if he makes the team out of camp, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
The Bobcats have told Tyrus Thomas to stay home during the team's four-game West Coast road trip for physical rehab and individual work, reports Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Thomas, who has fallen out of Charlotte's rotation entirely lately, remains a strong candidate to be amnestied this July, as I noted last week.
Kyle Lowry's first year with the Raptors hasn't been entirely smooth sailing, but after the team traded Jose Calderon, Chauncey Billups had dinner with Lowry and impressed upon the ex-Rocket that Toronto must have plenty of faith in him to hand him the point guard reins (Sulia link via Ric Bucher).

Odds & Ends: Davis, Cavs, Gibson, Heat, Saunders

March 3rd, 2013 at 12:51pm CST by Chuck Myron

It looked like we might have had an early commitment for the NBA draft yesterday, when UCLA coach Ben Howland said there was no doubt shooting guard Shabazz Muhammad would leave the Bruins after his freshman year. But Muhammad said he isn't ready to commit one way or another, as Peter Yoon of ESPNLosAngeles notes, leaving open the possibility, however slim, that the DraftExpress.com No. 3 prospect for 2013 won't be available until next year. While we wait for more definitive word from Muhammad, here's more from around the Association:

Power forward Josh Davis, who appeared in 15 games last season for the Grizzlies, has signed for the rest of the season with the Spanish club Assignia Manresa, Sportando's Emiliano Carchia reports. Davis had been playing in Venezuela, for Gaiqueries de Margarita.
Dion Waiters' ability to take over at point guard lately for the injured Kyrie Irving means the Cavaliers don't have to go looking for a backup at the position, observes Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer.
Whatever the Cavs do, don't expect them to bring back Daniel Gibson as a free agent this summer, as the veteran guard is no longer in the team's plans, according to Bob Finnan of The News-Herald.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel argues the Heat would have been better off signing a point guard instead of Juwan Howard, but coach Erik Spoelstra is comfortable relying upon his wing players to shift to the point should the need arise, as Winderman notes.
Yesterday, Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune mentioned Flip Saunders' name in connection with the Wolves, and Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities notes the close relationship between Saunders and Wolves owner Glen Taylor (Twitter link).
Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside has a primer on Henry Sims, who signed a 10-day contract with the Hornets today.
Ronnie Brewer is glad to be with the Thunder, and the team appears pleased with its trade deadline acquisition, having placed a priority on bringing in defense, as HoopsWorld's Susan Bible documents.

Heat Sign Juwan Howard

March 2nd, 2013 at 1:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat have signed Juwan Howard to a 10-day contract, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported earlier today that the Heat were considering bringing the 40-year-old big man back. The team is likely to keep him around for the rest of the season, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Twitter link).

Howard has hung around the Heat all season in an advisory role, and the team kept an open locker for him even though he wasn't invited to training camp as a player. Back in September, coach Erik Spoelstra mentioned the possibility of Howard joining the team during the season even though he wouldn't be on the camp roster. Howard's agent, David Falk, said in the offseason that his client wasn't ready to retire, but strongly preferred rejoining Miami over signing with another club. Howard spent the previous two seasons with the Heat, seeing 9.2 minutes per game over 85 regular season contests in 2010/11 and 2011/12. He's averaged 2.1 points and 2.0 rebounds per game in his limited time with Miami.

Howard is joining the team primarily for his off-court leadership skills, as Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida tweets. He slides into the roster spot vacated when the Heat traded Dexter Pittman to the Grizzlies. It seemed at the time of that swap that the Heat were creating flexibility to sign a player bought out from another team, but the lack of buyouts before last night's playoff-eligibility deadline might have prompted Miami to turn to Howard.

Heat Considering Juwan Howard

March 2nd, 2013 at 9:26am CST by Sean Highkin

9:26am: Ira Winderman of the Miami Herald tweets that Howard has been around the Heat all season and has hinted in the past that re-signing was a possibility if they needed him.

8:22am: The Miami Heat are seriously considering re-signing veteran forward Juwan Howard, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. Howard, 40, played for the Heat the past two seasons, and won a championship with the team in 2012, but he has remained unsigned this year.

The Heat have an open roster spot they could use on Howard, having moved forward Dexter Pittman to the Grizzlies at the trade deadline. Howard's respected veteran presence and experience make him a desirable acquisition for a Heat team heavily favored to repeat as Eastern Conference champions.

D-League Moves: Varnado, Scott, Jones, Baynes

March 1st, 2013 at 12:26pm CST by Luke Adams

We'll track today's D-League assignments and recalls here, with any additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:

Jarvis Varnado has been sent to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat announced today in a press release. Varnado averaged a double-double in the D-League earlier this season, recording 14.0 PPG, 10.0 RPG, and 3.9 BPG for Sioux Falls.
The Hawks have assigned rookie Mike Scott to the D-League, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Consitution. Scott will join the Bakersfield Jam, who have a home-and-home set against the Los Angeles D-Fenders on Saturday and Sunday this weekend.

Earlier updates:

The Cavaliers have recalled Kevin Jones from the D-League just a day after re-assigning him, the team announced in a press release. Jones led the Canton Charge with 24 points and nine rebounds in last night's game, helping the team defeat the Idaho Stampede, 115-109. The rookie forward will be available for the Cavs tonight against the Clippers.
Aron Baynes also led his D-League team to victory last night during his one-game assignment. The Spurs announced today in a press release that Baynes had been recalled from the Austin Toros after recording 16 points and nine boards in the club's Thursday win.
The Celtics have assigned Fab Melo to the Maine Red Claws, according to a team press release. With D.J. White and Shavlik Randolph expected to be ready to play tonight, the C's didn't need Melo on the bench in Boston.

Bulls Frontrunners To Sign Lou Amundson

February 28th, 2013 at 10:51pm CST by Luke Adams

10:51pm: The Bulls are in talks to sign Amundson, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who adds that a decision is expected on Friday.

8:16pm: Amundson's agent, Mark Bartelstein, acknowledges that while the Knicks are currently in the mix, his client is currently "close" to signing with another team (Ian Begley of ESPN New York tweets).

1:51pm: Since being cut by the Timberwolves nearly three weeks ago, Louis Amundson has yet to find another NBA job. However, the big man tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that a few teams are interested in him, including the Heat, Knicks, Celtics, and Bulls.

The Heat, Celtics and Bulls all have open roster spots, while the Knicks would have to clear room on the roster to make a move. According to Amundson, New York is waiting to see how things work out with Kenyon Martin before making a decision. The Knicks could also waive Rasheed Wallace to clear a roster spot. As for the Heat, Amundson told Tomasson that there may be too much overlap between his skillset and Chris Andersen's. The Birdman recently signed with Miami for the remainder of the season.

While four Eastern Conference teams remain in the mix for Amundson, he was nearly sent to another Eastern club earlier this season. According to Amundson, a trade that would have sent him and Luke Ridnour to the Sixers for Spencer Hawes was nixed by Minnesota, out of concern that dealing Ridnour would leave the team thin at point guard while Ricky Rubio worked his way back to 100%.

Since he was released earlier in February, Amundson will be postseason-eligible for his next team even if he signs after tomorrow's buyout deadline.

Teams Projected To Be In The Tax

February 26th, 2013 at 8:43am CST by Luke Adams

On deadline day, the Warriors traded a pair of minimum-salary players, Jeremy Tyler and Charles Jenkins, for essentially nothing. Sixers GM Tony DiLeo confirmed that his team not only acquired Jenkins and put heavy protection on the second-round pick sent to the Warriors, but received an amount of cash from Golden State that more than covered the youngster's salary for the rest of the season. The specific details of the Hawks trade for Tyler aren't clear, but we can probably assume Golden State included a similar amount of cash there, and that Atlanta's second-rounder included similar protection.

For the Warriors, paying a little extra money now made more sense than paying the price later, as trading Jenkins and Tyler allowed the team to get below the tax threshold ($70,307,000) and avoid becoming a taxpayer. The moves will not only save the team from making a tax payment itself at year's end, but will allow the Warriors to receive a portion of the tax payments from the clubs above the threshold.

While the Warriors chose to avoid the tax, the Bulls resigned themselves to becoming a taxpayer for the first time rather than give up a future first-round pick to get below the line. A club like the Celtics also chose to remain marginally over the threshold, while others like the Heat, Nets, and Lakers remained significantly in the tax. Here are the clubs projected to be taxpayers this year, along with their current team salaries, which could rise if they make additional signings before season's end:

Los Angeles Lakers: $100,166,250
Miami Heat: $83,204,612
Brooklyn Nets: $83,147,981
New York Knicks: $80,165,743
Chicago Bulls: $74,061,031
Boston Celtics: $71,371,552

Of the six teams on this list, three of them – the Lakers, Heat, and Celtics – were also taxpayers last season, putting themselves in line for the repeater tax down the road. Teams that are in the tax for four of five seasons are subject to the repeater tax, so after being taxpayers for two consecutive years, the Lakers, Heat, and Celtics will have to stay out of the tax for two of the next three seasons to avoid paying the more punitive repeater penalty in 2016.

Storytellers Contracts was used in the creation of this post.

Odds & Ends: Allen, Sixers, Bynum, LeBron, Cavs

February 25th, 2013 at 10:20pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s tonight’s look around the Association..

Heat guard Ray Allen says that he won’t make any decision until after the season on whether he will pick up his 2013/14 contract option, according to Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports (on Sulia).
The Sixers can’t afford to let center Andrew Bynum walk this summer, even though the trade has backfired on them, writes John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Daily News. General Manager Tony DiLeo recently explained that re-signing Bynum is the club’s Plan A but they will look to use their increased financial flexibility to make a splash if that doesn’t happen.
NBA.com’s Sekou Smith rounded up a handful of articles speculating about LeBron James returning to the Cavaliers in free agency in 2014, and shares his own thoughts on the subject. In the eyes of Smith, the only thing that will silence the chatter is LeBron returning to Cleveland in the summer of 2014.
After returning from a NCAA suspension, Myck Kabongo of Texas needs to reestablish his value if he hopes to declare for June’s draft, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops offered up a glimpse of what the upcoming free agent market could have to offer. For a complete list of 2013/14 free agents, you can check out Hoops Rumors’ list right here.