THURSDAY, 11:20pm: Heat president Pat Riley says that there is no truth to the reports that the team is shopping Andersen and Chalmers, Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post tweets.
8:34pm: Wade and the Heat do not have a meeting scheduled, a source told Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, contradicting the previous report. Any meeting with Wade would like come after the start of free agency on July 1 when the Heat could discuss contract parameters with him, the same source informed Winderman.
2:58pm: Wade is angry at the Heat as they draw a hard financial line, and he doesn’t feel like the team regards him as a priority, a friend of his tells Jackson. Associates say the Heat have damaged Wade’s trust in the organization, Jackson also hears.
MONDAY, 12:49pm: The Heat are shopping Mario Chalmers and Chris Andersen in an attempt to clear salary that they could use on a new contract for Dwyane Wade, report Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. They’ll meet with Wade within the next week as the June 29th deadline for him to formally decide on his $16.125MM player option looms, Shelburne and Windhorst write. Wade, in addition to apparent mutual interest in the Lakers, is interested in the Clippers, too, and LeBron James has expressed interest in Wade joining the Cavs, but both are extreme long shots to land the shooting guard given their cap constraints, as the ESPN scribes explain.
Anderson is set to make $5MM next season and Chalmers $4.3MM as each enters the final year of his respective contract. Clearing their salaries would help the team afford to keep its starting lineup intact without going over the projected $81.6MM tax line, note Shelburne and Windhorst. Doing so would set up the Heat to pay the stiffer repeat-offender tax penalties at the end of next season if they remain over the tax line come the final day of the regular season. Miami isn’t a taxpayer this season, but repeater penalties come into play when a team pays the tax three out of four seasons.
The Heat and Wade had been discussing a new contract for $10MM for as many as three seasons beyond his current deal, sources told the ESPN scribes. A friend of Wade’s told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald recently that the Heat would like Wade to opt in and sign a deal next summer for $10MM each year for two more seasons. Wade instead prefers to opt out and would welcome $20MM salaries on a new three-year deal, as Jackson also reported.
Wade’s preference remains to stay in Miami, according to Shelburne and Windhorst. That was the case last month when Jackson broke the story that Wade is nonetheless open to leaving the only NBA franchise he’s ever played for. Many league execs believe Wade and the Heat will ultimately resolve their differences, Shelburne and Windhorst write. The Lakers have the cap space to give Wade $20MM a year, but the Heat have Bird rights that would allow them to do so, too. Miami is reportedly planning an offer of less than the max to Goran Dragic, one that would further help the team avoid the tax, or at least pay less of it. Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers and Cavs GM David Griffin have expressed they’re prioritizing new deals with their own marquee free agents, and thus wouldn’t have the cap space necessary to sign Wade for the sort of salary he’d apparently like.
I’ve suggested that the Heat should look to rebuild their bench for the last month or so. It just makes too much sense. They can get similar value at a lower cost. Looking at the Heat’s future cap situation, I feel like there are different ways for them to conduct this offseason if they want to set up for the next few years.
Though I think the Heat only really need a 3 and D player, and probably another shooter; Could the Heat attempt to move any, or all of, Josh McRoberts, Mario Chalmers, Birdman, Shabazz Napier, and possibly even Hassan Whiteside and/or Luol Deng if the right deal were to arise for them (obviously assuming Deng opts in or they agree to some sort of sign and trade if he opts out)? Maybe they could add a draft pick? Then, the roster space could allow them to bring in a couple of more young, and cheap talent to fill out the roster, and create flexibility. Maybe sign a free agent or 2 (depending on who or what they have to take on in the prior trade(s), and call it an offseason? Primary targets in free agency would be Danny Green, Wesley Matthews (if he gets a lesser short deal off the injury), or Corey Brewer. Secondary options being Aaron Afflalo and Mike Dunleavy.
Preferable roster in this case would be Dragic, Wade, Deng, Bosh, Whiteside (assuming Deng and Whiteside would be back), Tyler Johnson, James Ennis, Udonis Haslem, the 3 draft picks, Zoran Dragic, the 2 free agents/whatever they take on in the trade(s)(preferably 3 and D players), and then fill out the roster with young camp invitees like Khem Birch, Shawn Jones, Andre Dawkins, Beasley, and a couple of non drafted guys in this year’s group, getting to that total of 20 for camp. This would allow us to still compete this coming year, but have more flexibility moving forward, so we dont end up like the Clippers, and if anything, we would have some assets to deal during the season if the need arose. Obviously, a lot of things are probably complicated, and this stuff likely wont happen. I just think the Heat should consider moving those 4, and possibly those 6 players. I also think we should seriously consider that its pretty risky to risk everything on assuming that we can bring in Kevin Durant. There are a lot of options available this offseason to be able to build a contender.
I love Birdman.. but he makes more sense to move than Chalmers. Chalmers’ defense and scoring ability could make him a 6th man candidate in his first full year off the bench. Birdman will always have a home here in Miami.. but with a 5 mill contract, and the emrgance of Hassan Whitside… he’s a very very expensive luxury. Whiteside, Bosh, Haslem, McRoberts…. and possibly a draft pick… the Heat have one of the deepest front courts in the NBA even without Bird.
Now hopefully they can use that money to get Wade done and look at someone like Lou Williams or Arron Affalalo… that would put them right at the top of the East again.
#10 and Chris Anderson to Rockets for #18, Terrance Jones and Kostas Papanikolaou makes a lot of sense for both sides. Heat save $5.6M by cutting Papanikolaou and lowering their draft slot and Jones only adds $2.5M, but is easily sent to a 3rd team (for a decent asset like a high 2nd) if needed.
Interesting idea for Miami, but tough to see the Rockets giving up a promising guy like Jones for the aging Birdman.
This may be the time to enter legit panic mode…if the reports of the heat’s offer were true, Wade has every reason to be angry. They need to get this done. Stop trying to significantly low ball the face of South Florida sports. It’s not like he is making outrageous demands, which I’m sure is a factor on Wade being so upset
If wade leaves Miami then wade will come to the mavericks to play for them because monta Ellis was not very good for the mavs last season and wade was very good last season so look out for the mavericks to be in this sweepstakes with wade
We get it. Dallas is literally getting everyone this year and next year
Im saying wade would probably go to the mavericks and lamarcus Aldrige and deandre Jordan are going to dallas too im just not sure if the mavericks can pull this off
Dwayne Wade hasn’t been worth $20m a year for at least 4 seasons. He averages about 50 games per year in that span, doesn’t drive the lane like he used to and can’t shoot 3’s. Take the $16 this year and the 10 million per year beyond that and give back to the city and let them build the next contender around Bosh. Teams get into too much trouble paying for past performance. The Lakers are a prime example. Unless it’s all a ploy as a way to get out of Miami.
Can someone write an article without including what Lebron wants? News Flash We are not interested in what he wants