Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Rockets, Heat Talk Dwight, Whiteside Swap

February 16th, 2016 at 8:34am CST by Chuck Myron

TUESDAY, 8:34am: The Heat have questions about Howard’s character and the way he’d fit with their team, sources tell Zach Lowe of ESPN.com.

MONDAY, 10:56am: The Rockets and Heat are talking about a potential trade that would involve Dwight Howard and Hassan Whiteside, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). Miami would have to come up with at least an additional $17,315,052 in salary to make such a trade work within the league’s salary-matching rules, thanks in part to Howard’s trade kicker, and significantly more if the Heat want to cut payroll to avoid repeat-offender tax penalties. The Heat have reportedly measured the market for Whiteside, and the Rockets have reportedly gauged interest in Howard, too, if only on a due-diligence basis.

Howard is making in excess of $22.359MM this season, while Whiteside earns the three-year veteran’s minimum of $981,348. Both are poised for free agency this summer, with the Rockets expecting Howard to opt out and Whiteside’s bargain contract set to expire. The Heat have only Early Bird rights on Whiteside, meaning they’d have to use cap room to pay him in excess of roughly $6MM next season. The same would be true for the Rockets, or any other team that might trade for him before Thursday’s 2pm Central time deadline. The Heat reportedly believe Whiteside, who turns 27 this summer, would command a salary of at least $17MM. The Sean Kennedy client will no doubt try for a max deal with a projected starting salary of $20.4MM, while Howard, only three and a half years older but with eight additional years of NBA experience, is expected to seek his max of a projected $29.3MM.

Miami has reportedly grown frustrated with the emotional Whiteside, while the Rockets are looking for answers while they sit at 27-28, in ninth place in the Western Conference. ESPN’s Chris Broussard said this morning that Howard would like to play for his hometown Hawks, though it’s unclear if Atlanta has interest, and the market for the former All-Star center apparently hasn’t been overwhelming so far.

Can you envision a workable trade proposal involving Howard and Whiteside? Share your ideas in the comments.

Eastern Notes: Monroe, Carter-Williams, Love

February 15th, 2016 at 4:32pm CST by Chuck Myron

Greg Monroe isn’t available but Michael Carter-Williams is “undeniably gettable,” sources tell Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. That conflicts with one side of an earlier report indicating that Milwaukee had let other teams know it was open to giving up Monroe for the right price, but it confirms the other part, about the team’s willingness to trade Carter-Williams just a year after acquiring him from the Sixers at last year’s deadline. The Bucks are turning away calls on Jabari Parker, Stein and Windhorst also write. See more from the Eastern Conference:

Cleveland has made it clear it wants a star in return for Kevin Love, not the role players and draft picks the Celtics are offering, league sources tell Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Some executives around the league are growing stronger in their belief that the Cavs are more likely to entertain Love trades in the summer than they are now. the ESPN scribes add.
The market is strong for the first-rounders that the Sixers have from the Thunder and Heat this year, according to Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports, and with a below-average draft class and several teams devoid of first-round selections, it would be wise for Philadelphia to thinking about trading the picks, Marks opines.
The Heat have recalled Jarnell Stokes from the D-League, the team announced (Twitter link). Miami sent Stokes, whom the team is reportedly dangling in search of a second-round pick and tax relief, on assignment late last week so he could play in the D-League All-Star Game this past weekend, notes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (on Twitter).

Heat Interested In Ryan Anderson

February 14th, 2016 at 7:22pm CST by Will Joseph

The Heat have interest in adding Pelicans power forward Ryan Anderson as an offseason signee this summer, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. It’s unclear how much interest there is, but Jackson indicates that Miami is fond of Anderson. Anderson is making $8.5MM this season and is set to be unrestricted free agent in the offseason.

Anderson would be an intriguing addition to the Heat, especially if the team decides against re-signing Hassan Whiteside this season, which is something Jackson also reports Miami is considering. Anderson is averaging 16.7 points per game and is shooting 38.3% from beyond the arc. Therefore, he has been the subject of trade rumors regarding several teams, including the Wizards, Raptors and Pistons.

Like presumably the Heat, the Pistons’ interest in Anderson is only as an offseason signee. Anderson would likely not be a cheap sign. A source within an NBA team told Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times and Basketball Insiders that he expects that Anderson will be able to command a maximum-salary contract this summer. Anderson will be a veteran of eight years by the offseason, so he’d be eligible for the middle-tier max of a projected $24.9MM.

Southeast Rumors: Horford, Wizards, Heat

February 14th, 2016 at 3:00pm CST by Will Joseph

The Hawks are not actively shopping Al Horford despite his looming free agency, one league source told Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Horford has not signaled to Atlanta that he wants out via trade nor has he indicated he would re-sign with the Hawks, Deveney also hears. It was recently reported that Atlanta is thinking “long and hard” about offering Horford a five-year max deal. Horford has said on multiple occasions that he is fond of playing for the Hawks.

Here’s more from around the Southeast Division:

Kevin Durant likely needs more of an incentive to join the Wizards this summer than simply Washington being his hometown team, J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com opines. Durant has strong feelings toward his roots, but it seems like he cares more about winning, Michael writes. “I’m always going to be a part of that. That’s what made me who I am. I walked those straights. I took that subway back when it was MCI Center watched the Wizards play. And the Mystics,” Durant said regarding the Wizards. “I’m always going to be a part of that community no matter what because that’s where I grew up at. That’s where I honed my skills.That’s where I became a man so I’m always going to be part of that community and I always appreciate the support. They have a great team there with a lot of great young players and they’re right in front of you so don’t take nothing for granted.”
The Heat would likely only sign Hassan Whiteside to a lucrative long-term deal if he shows improved maturity and produces at an elite level while helping to lead Miami to a deep playoff run, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. It will also take the Heat missing on top free agents this summer for the team to lock up Whiteside, Jackson adds. Earlier today, we noted that there was an increased feeling within the Heat’s front office that moving Whiteside might be best for the franchise.

Heat Rumors: Whiteside, Wade, James, Bosh

February 14th, 2016 at 11:01am CST by Arthur Hill

There will be plenty of shooters on the trade market this week, but the Heat may have to give up center Hassan Whiteside if they want a more complete player, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Three-point shooting has been a problem in Miami all season, and Winderman lists the Thunder’s Steve Novak and Anthony Morrow, the Kings’ Omri Casspi and the Nets’ Wayne Ellington as possibilities if the Heat want an inexpensive solution. But he points out that coach Erik Spoelstra rarely relies on one-dimensional shooters, and says the Miami front office may be looking for something more. With Marc Gasol out indefinitely, the Grizzlies might have interest in Whiteside, even though he is only months away from free agency, Winderman posits. Whiteside and filler [such as Chris Andersen] could bring back Courtney Lee, Winderman speculates, while throwing in some more salary could be enough to land Jeff Green.

There’s more news out of Miami:

There is an increased feeling in the front office that trading Whiteside might be the best move for the franchise, Winderman writes in the same story, but he adds that Whiteside’s representatives aren’t expecting a deal.
Even before Whiteside made waves with his nationally televised ejection this week, Heat officials were having doubts about signing him long-term, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Miami expects Whiteside’s next contract to start at $17MM or more, and there are questions within the organization about whether that’s a wise investment. Jackson cited two sources who say the team is considering a Whiteside trade.
A reunion with LeBron James in the All-Star Game — the first time they have been teammates since James left the Heat in 2014 — is bringing back memories for Dwyane Wade, writes Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post. Miami’s Big Three was almost completely back together, but Chris Bosh had to pull out of tonight’s game with a strained right calf. Wade said the roster upheaval in Miami has changed the atmosphere in the locker room. “We all can deal with each other’s success and failures and family things a lot differently than what we deal with now with younger teammates that grew up watching us play like fans,” he said. “It was cool playing with our peers, guys that we came into the league with. That’s a totally different relationship.”

Heat Notes: Whiteside, Stokes, Bosh

February 13th, 2016 at 8:02pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Heat own the best defense in the Eastern Conference in terms of points per game, giving up only 96.3 per contest. Some of their success can be attributed to Hassan Whiteside, though the center hasn’t started a game since January 20th. The team is reportedly gauging what the trade market would bear for the 26-year-old.

Here’s more out of Miami:

The Heat are looking to net a second-round pick in exchange for Jarnell Stokes, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reports. Jackson notes that moving Stokes for a pick would lessen the team’s luxury tax bill this season.
Miami is keeping an eye on the market for 3-point shooters this trade deadline, which is something that Chris Bosh endorses, Jackson writes in the same piece. “I’m always a believer in making do with what you have, [though] we could always use another shooter. Everybody could,” Bosh said. The Heat are making just 32.3% of their shots from behind the arc this season. “To get in that upper part of the East, it’s tough to do that without shooting,” Bosh added.
Bosh is taking a cautious approach to his injured calf, Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press writes. “I didn’t feel it was wise to continue to push it, especially with this elongated week that we have off,” said Bosh, who dropped out of tonight’s 3-point contest because of the injury.

Latest On Markieff Morris

February 11th, 2016 at 12:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Markieff Morris, Archie Goodwin and interim coach Earl Watson all brushed off an incident during a timeout in Phoenix’s loss Wednesday to the Warriors when Morris shoved Goodwin and teammates had to separate them, as Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic details. It’s not the first confrontation involving Morris to take place on the Suns bench this season, and while the towel he tossed in former coach Jeff Hornacek‘s direction in the midst of a December game resulted in a two-game suspension for the power forward, other teams don’t find it concerning, reports Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports.

“We have to control our emotions,” Watson said, according to Coro. “Other than that, those two are really close. The team is not split. Those two are the closest on the team. They have a bond, a unique relationship. As we’ve seen, unique relationships can lead to something else throughout the league.”

Executives acknowledge that emotions run high and boil over at times during the heat of competition and most say the extra scrutiny surrounding Morris this year magnified the negative public perception of the towel toss, according to Marks. Nevertheless, if such outbursts become common, they could still hurt his trade value, Marks concedes. See more on one of the season’s most significant trade candidates:

Teams with interest in trading for Morris have wondered if the breakdown in communication between the Suns, Morris and his brother Marcus Morris this summer is a harbinger of similar problems they’d have if they traded for Markieff, as Marks details in the same piece. Those teams have looked into the relationship between Marcus and the Pistons and found no issues, Marks adds.
Markieff Morris said after Wednesday’s game that he didn’t regret having shoved Goodwin, notes Paula Boivin of The Arizona Republic. The way that Morris and the rest of the team have responded to the incident is baffling, Boivin contends, believing that Morris’ behavior puts the team in a tough position.
Morris praised Watson for sticking with him, as Boivin relays in the same column, and the coach has been complimentary of Morris since taking over for Hornacek, as his comments before Wednesday game illustrate. “Everybody thought Markieff would be the toughest challenge,” Watson said, according to Coro (Twitter link). “He’s been the easiest challenge.”

And-Ones: Oden, D-League, NBA Draft

February 10th, 2016 at 10:33pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBA is enamored with the idea of expanding rosters from the current regular season maximum of 15 to as many as 17 as part of the next CBA, with the additional spots to be designated for two-way D-League contracts, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com writes. While the concept is still very much in the planning stages, the current idea is that the D-League portion of the contracts would be valued in the neighborhood of $75K to $100K per season, according to the NBA.com scribe. If the player were called up to the NBA, he would then earn a prorated portion of his NBA salary, Howard-Cooper adds.

“I think it’s something that makes a lot of sense for our league,” D-League president Malcolm Turner said. “I don’t want to get ahead of where we are, in terms of planning conversations, but I think it’s clearly a logical next step in our evolution. As you expand, you have rosters to fill, and we want to do so in a way that allows us to add more and better talent to the league faster. A two-way system can be facilitating.”

Here’s the latest from around the league:

Former 2007 No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden was released by the Jiangsu Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association recently, throwing his playing future into question, Doug Lesmerises of The Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. Oden indicated that his deal with Jiangsu was month-to-month, so letting him go saved the team a month’s worth of salary, Lesmerises notes. When asked if he intended to continue his playing career, Oden said, “I mean, if the opportunity is there, and it’s the right opportunity, of course. I’ve just got to look at the opportunities. I haven’t heard about anything yet. I’ll take what I can.” Oden last appeared in the NBA during the 2013/14 campaign when he played in 23 games for the Heat.
LSU’s Ben Simmons, Duke’s Brandon Ingram and Croatian big man Dragan Bender top the latest 2016 NBA draft rankings from ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider subscription required).
One factor contributing to why the Knicks fired Derek Fisher prior to the All-Star break is that the league office frowns upon teams parting ways with coaches during All-Star week, as it detracts from the festivities, Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports tweets.
The Heat have assigned power forward Jarnell Stokes to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Stokes’ sixth trip to Sioux Falls on the season.

Heat Gauge Interest In Hassan Whiteside

February 10th, 2016 at 2:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat are “at least gauging” what the trade market would bear for Hassan Whiteside amid their frustration with him, ESPN’s Chris Broussard said in television appearance today (video link). Broussard speculates that it’s unlikely the Heat make a move, since his minimum-salary contract and the league’s salary-matching rules don’t give them the ability to reap much value in return. Plus, Whiteside has only Early Bird rights, and not full Bird rights, meaning the Heat or any team that trades for him couldn’t exceed the cap to pay him any more than the average salary, likely around $6MM. The 26-year-old, who leads the NBA with 3.9 blocked shots per game, appears a safe bet to command a salary much closer to the projected $20.4MM max than to that figure.

Whiteside drew his first ejection of the season Tuesday, after having twice been tossed out of games last year, for throwing an elbow in the direction of Spurs center Boban Marjanovic during Miami’s game against San Antonio. It left coach Erik Spoelstra irate, while Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, in their postgame comments, urged Whiteside to keep his emotions in check, as Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post detailed.

The decision-making of Whiteside has come into question, and the Heat have been bringing him off the bench since he returned from an oblique injury. Whiteside said when he had an earlier injury that the thought of his upcoming free agency entered his mind as he decided whether to play or sit out.

Miami is operating on other fronts, reportedly seeking 3-point shooting, with Omri Casspi as an object of apparent interest, while making aggressive attempts to offload players at the end of the bench. The Heat would pay the NBA’s first repeat-offender tax penalties if they don’t trim about $5.5MM from the books by season’s end.

Eastern Notes: Wade, Whiteside, Knicks, Zeller

February 10th, 2016 at 12:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

Dwyane Wade doesn’t want as much tumult to surround his free agency this coming summer as happened last year, when a stream of rumors emanated from his reported willingness to leave Miami and apparent insistence on more than the Heat wanted to pay him, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Ultimately, the sides settled on a one-year, $20MM deal. Wade insisted to Jackson this week that he wasn’t willing to test the market last year and isn’t looking to do so this year.

“The whole free agency thing, I didn’t want to be in it last summer; I don’t want to be in it this summer,” he said. “I don’t want to be on the market at all. … I’m not curious at all. I want to get to it [with the Heat]. I want to be able to sign my deal and move on and not have to deal with any rumors, any free agency, any this, any that. This is where I want to end my career. So we’ll figure it out.”

Regardless of what happened this past offseason, a renewed trust exists in the Heat’s relationship with Wade, Jackson writes. Wade, who’s not expected to end up with $20MM again for next season, will represent a cap hold of as much as $30MM this summer until he signs. See more from South Beach amid news from the Eastern Conference:

Coach Erik Spoelstra was furious with soon-to-be free agent Hassan Whiteside after the flagrant foul that forced his ejection from Tuesday’s game, one that will likely result in a one-game suspension from the league, observes Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post. Wade and Chris Bosh said that while they support the mercurial center, Whiteside ultimately has to keep his emotions in check, as Lieser details. The ejection is Whiteside’s first of the year, but he’s “taken a step back,” Bosh said, nonetheless adding that he still trusts him, Lieser notes.
Any chance the Knicks had to land Kevin Durant was lessened when they fired coach Derek Fisher, a former Durant teammate, but the team has been told that hiring Scott Brooks, Durant’s old Thunder coach, would influence New York’s pursuit of the top 2016 free agent, league sources tell Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. Presumably, that means adding Brooks would help the team land Durant. Knicks president Phil Jackson has hinted at a willingness to hire a non-triangle coach, but he’s made it clear he would prefer someone who runs his favored offense, Begley notes, and Brooks doesn’t appear to be a candidate at this point.
The resurgence of soon-to-be restricted free agent Tyler Zeller of late gives the Celtics added flexibility as the trade deadline approaches, posits Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com.