Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

LeBron Aftermath: Gilbert, Contract, Wade, Bosh

July 11th, 2014 at 4:25pm CST by Chuck Myron

LeBron James, agent Rich Paul and adviser Maverick Carter met with Dan Gilbert for four hours in Miami last week, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Previously, it had been believed that James had only met in person with the Heat this month. It was a moment of mutual reconciliation, as Wojnarowski details.

“We had five great years together and one terrible night,” Gilbert said. “I told him how sorry I was, expressed regret for how that night went and how I let all the emotion and passion for situation carry me away. I told him I wish had never done it, that I wish I could take it back.”

James, later in the conversation, told Gilbert he wished he hadn’t put together “The Decision” television show, and soon the talk turned to the future. Here’s more on LeBron’s decision to head back to his native northeast Ohio:

Even after meeting with Gilbert, James was still having trouble with the idea of going back to the Cavs in the wake of Gilbert’s scathing post-2010-decision letter, as USA Today’s Sam Amick details. James made up his mind Thursday that he would return to the Cavs, and worked with Sports Illustrated’s Lee Jenkins into the night on the story in which he revealed his choice, according to Amick.
Contract terms have yet to be negotiated, but James is expected to make a long-term commitment to the Cavs, and Cleveland is expected to offer the max, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.
James spoke with Heat owner Micky Arison and team president Pat Riley by phone Friday to inform them that he had decided to join the Cavs, but no one from the Cavs knew of his decision until he publicly revealed it via Sports Illustrated, as Windhorst writes in his piece.
LeBron personally informed Dwyane Wade of his decision, but Chris Bosh, who’s traveling out of the country, heard the news through his agent, Windhorst tweets

Bosh Mulling Max Offers From Heat, Rockets

July 11th, 2014 at 4:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:02pm: Miami has offered Bosh a deal for five seasons at the maximum salary in hopes of dissuading him from taking Houston’s four-year max offer, TNT’s David Aldridge reports (Twitter link). Only Miami can offer the fifth year.

3:52pm: The Heat are putting up a fight to keep Bosh, who’s set to make his decision today, Wojnarowski tweets.

1:55pm: Bosh will speak with Rockets coach Kevin McHale soon, and he’s nearing a commitment to the Rockets, Wojnarowski reports (on Twitter).

1:28pm: The Heat would target Patrick Beverley in sign-and-trade talks, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News (Twitter link).

1:10pm: The Rockets won’t reach out to the Heat about any sign-and-trade scenarios until they receive a firm commitment from Bosh, Wojnarowski tweets.

12:21pm: The Rockets believe that Bosh will commit to them soon, a source tells Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

12:03pm: Bosh and the Rockets are moving quickly toward securing a deal, Wojnarowski tweets, seemingly indicating that he’s headed to Houston. If they do reach agreement, the Rockets will match the Mavs’ offer sheet for Chandler Parsons, Wojnarowski hears, echoing an earlier report.

FRIDAY, 11:55am: In the wake of James’ decision to sign with the Cavs, Bosh hasn’t made up his mind about signing with Houston, tweets USA Today’s Sam Amick, though the Rockets believe they’ll have a commitment soon, a source tells Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Rockets are moving quickly to complete a deal for Jeremy Lin to clear the necessary cap room for Bosh, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter). They’ll also have to finalize their deal to send Omer Asik to the Pelicans, and the Pelicans are considering waiving Austin Rivers and using the stretch provision to clear cap space, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe tweets, since they still don’t have room for Asik.

THURSDAY, 7:54am: Bosh has yet to decide whether he’d sign with the Rockets, regardless of what happens with LeBron, agent Henry Thomas tells Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston.

9:01pm: A source denies that any contingency plan is in place with Bosh and Houston, tweets David Aldridge of NBA.com.

6:57pm: Bosh’s intention would be to leave Miami for Houston if LeBron doesn’t re-sign with the Heat, league sources tell Wojnarowski. The Rockets are prepared to clear enough cap room to offer Bosh a four-year, $88MM contract per Wojnarowski’s sources, although it remains to be seen if Chandler Parsons‘ looming offer sheet signing with the Mavs adds a wrinkle to those plans.

WEDNESDAY, 2:49pm: The Rockets and Bosh’s camp are in talks today amid uncertainty over where LeBron will play next season, Wojnarowski tweets.

TUESDAY, 7:20am: Wojnarowski clarifies his report about Bosh’s desire to play in Miami, tweeting that while Bosh indeed prefers to play there, he’s still open to Houston’s offer.

MONDAY, 1:56pm: Bosh is waiting to find out what James is going to do, not the other way around, a source tells Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link).

1:47pm: Bosh spoke with the Rockets this morning for the first time, Wojnarowski writes. He still prefers to remain with the Heat and play with James, but the Rockets would be Bosh’s top choice should he leave Miami, according to Wojnarowski adds.

1:10pm: Chris Bosh is considering a max offer from the Rockets, reports Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Bosh received a lower offer from the Heat and spoke to LeBron James this weekend, Broussard adds.

Bosh’s camp and the Rockets had been continuing conversations today after Houston started making a strong push for the Henry Thomas client. Bosh hadn’t personally spoken with any Rockets officials as of last night, but it appears Houston is moving quickly on the sharpshooting big man. It also appears to indicate that the Rockets aren’t waiting around for either James or Carmelo Anthony to decide on their destinations. Perhaps they feel they’re out of the running for one or both of them, though that’s just my speculation.

The 30-year-old has expressed on multiple occasions that he’d like to remain in Miami, and he still prefers to play with James on the Heat next season, as Wojnarowski reported this morning. His conversation this weekend with James seems to have given Bosh the notion that James might not be back with the Heat next season.

Cavs Pursuing Kevin Love

July 11th, 2014 at 12:33pm CST by Chuck Myron

12:33pm: Multiple executives from around the league indicated to Ken Berger of CBSSports that Wiggins would be in play in a Cavs trade for Love, which runs counter to earlier reports (Twitter link).

FRIDAY, 8:09am: Belief that the Cavs wouldn’t part with Wiggins in a trade for Love continues to grow, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities, and a Cavs source told Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio on Thursday that Wiggins is untouchable (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 5:07pm: Rival executives tell Chris Mannix of SI.com that the Wolves are giving no indication that they are in a rush to make a deal with Cleveland (Twitter link).

4:24pm: Wiggins would have to be part of any deal for Love, Krawczynski tweets.

4:01pm: The Cavs are indeed pursuing a trade for Love contingent on their ability to sign James, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

1:24pm: The Cavs spoke to agent Rich Paul, the representative for LeBron James, about trade scenarios that would allow Cleveland to acquire Kevin Love, report Sam Amico and Zac Jackson of Fox Sports Ohio. Cavs officials told Paul that engineering such a trade wouldn’t be easy, a source tells Amico and Jackson, and the source added that Cleveland is reluctant to include Andrew Wiggins in a Love trade. Wiggins’ camp doesn’t believe the Cavs are considering trading him, according to USA Today’s Sam Amick (Twitter link).

Cleveland and Minnesota have reportedly engaged in exploratory discussions regarding Love, but those apparently came to an end when the Cavs learned that Love, who can hit free agency next year, wouldn’t re-sign with them. That would change if the Cavs can sign James, as Love is “100%” on board with the idea of staying in Cleveland long-term to play with the four-time MVP, as ESPN’s Chris Broussard reported late last month.

There’s plenty of competition for Love, and Wolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders seems in no rush to deal his star power forward, even though it’s clear he wants to leave Minnesota. It’s indeed difficult to imagine Saunders giving the OK to deal with Cleveland that didn’t include Wiggins, as Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press observes (on Twitter), but the Cavs aren’t without other intriguing trade assets, one of which I explained Tuesday.

Rockets, Sixers In Talks On Jeremy Lin Deal

July 11th, 2014 at 12:19pm CST by Cray Allred

FRIDAY, 12:19pm: The Rockets and Sixers are currently in talks about a Lin deal, but no agreement has been reached, a source tells Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 11:55pm: The Rockets have a deal in place to send Jeremy Lin to the Sixers if Houston is able to sign Chris Bosh, league sources tell Mitch Lawrence of New York Daily News. The trade would give the Rockets needed cap flexibility in their attempt to make room for Bosh.

The Sixers were reportedly open to such a trade, but wanted to receive a first rounder from Houston as part of the agreement. Lawrence doesn’t report the specifics of compensation, but it seems likely Philadelphia’s demand has been met. That’s speculation on my part, since the Sixers would appear to have more leverage considering the Rockets are being squeezed into a three-day window to have any chance of securing Bosh alongside Chandler Parsons, who agreed to sign a max offer sheet with Dallas that Houston will have 72 hours to match or decline.

The move would work in conjunction with Houston’s pending agreement to send Omer Asik to the Pelicans, which still depends upon New Orleans’ ability to clear salary before taking back the big man’s contract. Lin and Asik have identical contracts that include a balloon payment exceeding the cap hit in the final year, which is the approaching 2014/15 season.

LeBron James Rumors: Friday

July 11th, 2014 at 10:11am CST by Chuck Myron

As agent Rich Paul pushes for the return of LeBron James to the Cavs, Cleveland executives were told to clear max cap room for him, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The execs pressured their counterparts with the Celtics and Nets to finish the final paperwork on this week’s three-team trade, Wojnarowski reports. The Cavs believed they had to get that cap room open as quickly as possible Thursday, and they started calling the agents of players who would serve as role players on a contending team, as Wojnarowski hears. They operated with the belief that James would be coming, as the Yahoo! scribe chronicles, pointing out that yet they hadn’t received confirmation from James himself. While the Cavs, Heat, and most of the rest of the league simmer at a virtual standstill awaiting this year’s version of The Decision, here’s the latest on the No. 1 player in the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings:

Wade is still unsure of which team James will sign with after riding with James on a flight from Las Vegas to Miami within the past several hours, Wojnarowski tweets.

Earlier updates:

One executive called described Paul’s meetings with teams last week as a waste of time, Wojnarowski notes in the same piece linked at the top of this post.
James left Wednesday’s meeting with Heat president Pat Riley and GM Andy Elisburg unconvinced, but James and Heat teammate Dwyane Wade have been spending time together over the last day or so, as Wojnarowski details.
A source tells Chris Broussard of ESPN.com that one of the reasons that James remains undecided is that he’s still stung by the infamous comic sans letter that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert wrote in response to James’ departure for Miami in 2010. The idea that the letter is a sticking point in any return to the Cavs would be news to the Cleveland organization, which has never received any such indication, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.

And-Ones: LeBron, Novak, Hibbert, Butler

July 10th, 2014 at 11:53pm CST by Charlie Adams

The Heat and Cavs expect LeBron James to make his decision on where to sign before he gets on his flight to Brazil this weekend, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. It’s likely that any decision James makes will impact where Chris Bosh, Kevin Love, and Chandler Parsons find themselves next season as well. While much is seemingly tied to the four-time MVP’s choice, odds are low anything is decided tonight. Let’s catch up on the rest of the league while we wait on LeBron and the 2014 edition of “The Decision”:

The Raptors are finalizing a buyout with Lucas Nogueira‘s team in Spain, writes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (on Twitter). We had heard earlier this week that Toronto was likely to bring over Nogueira and Bruno Caboclo prior to the start of 2014/15.
The $9.8MM trade exception that the Warriors had created from the Richard Jefferson deal with the Jazz expired tonight, as David Aldridge of NBA.com observes (via Twitter).
The Steve Novak trade, which became official today, allows the Raptors to create a $3,445,947 trade exception equivalent to Novak’s salary. The three-teamer between the Nets, Cavs and Celtics that was also formalized today allows the Nets to create a diminutive $741,160 trade exception equal to the difference between Marcus Thornton’s salary and the sum of the salaries for Jarrett Jack and Sergey Karasev. The Cavs could end up with trade exceptions out of the deal, too, but they’re poised to open cap room, so those exceptions would disappear when they officially dip below the cap.
The Bucks and Pacers have had discussions for a trade including Roy Hibbert, writes Gery Woefel of the Racine Journal Times. Milwaukee is interested in acquiring Hibbert, says Woelfel, but it isn’t clear if Indiana is interested in any packages the Bucks could put together.
Nikola Vucevic and Tobias Harris‘ rookie deals expire after 2014/15, and as a result, the duo became extension eligible this summer. Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel hears discussions about new contracts between the Magic and the young big men will pick up some time around Labor Day.
Caron Butler is being pursued by the Clippers and Thunder, tweets Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Butler, of course, has spent time with both organizations.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Free Agent Rumors: ‘Melo, LeBron, Morrow, Blake

July 10th, 2014 at 8:53pm CST by Charlie Adams

Phil Jackson might be expecting Carmelo Anthony to rejoin the Knicks, but ‘Melo hasn’t ruled out the Bulls just quite yet, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Meanwhile, the Heat expected to have had an answer from LeBron James by this point, according to Bleacher Report’s Ethan Skolnick. James was frustrated with some of coach Erik Spoelstra‘s strategy during the Finals this year and wasn’t impressed with team president Pat Riley‘s end-of-season press conference last month, Skolnick adds.

While the NBA world waits on the decisions of superstars like Anthony and James, let’s round up the latest from free agents all around the league..

Anthony Morrow has received interest from several teams, but it appears he’s deciding between joining the Clippers, Heat, Wizards, Raptors and Suns, reports David Aldridge of NBA.com, who adds that each of the teams Morrow is considering would be willing to use some or all of their mid-level exception to sign him (Twitter links). Given that the Clippers and Heat have both used up the full amount of their mid-level exceptions, signing Morrow would likely require a sign-and-trade to complete.
The Warriors took “another” look at DJ White today, notes Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group (on Twitter), thereby implying it’s at least the second time Golden State has looked at the big man. White had his rights renounced by Charlotte earlier today.
Other teams submitted much stronger bids for Steve Blake but he “desperately” wanted to play for the Blazers, as he agreed to do today, a source tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link). The Lakers weren’t among the teams making an aggressive play for the point guard, as they offered only the minimum salary, tweets Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times hears.
The Jazz, Pelicans, Rockets, and Nets are interested in Francisco Garcia, a source tells Haynes (Twitter link).
The Wolves are making an effort to sign Evan Turner to one-year deal, a source tells tells Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com. Turner played poorly last season after being shipped to Indiana at the trade deadline.
The matter of whether Mike Miller will re-sign with the Grizzlies will likely come down to contract length rather than salary, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal, who writes in subscription-only piece. Memphis wants him back on a two-year deal, but Miller is pushing for three or four seasons.
Rockets GM Daryl Morey has been in contact with Paul Pierce‘s representatives at Excel Sports Management, but it’s unlikely the veteran forward ends up in Houston, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.

Alex Lee and Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Celtics Notes: Love, Rondo, Trade Exception

July 10th, 2014 at 10:44am CST by Chuck Myron

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge believes that Kevin Love would like to play in Boston, but he also understands that the presence of Rajon Rondo isn’t enough to attract the power forward, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald hears. Instead, it seems Love may be casting his eye southward. An NBA GM told Bulpett that his players have been talking about the possibility that if the Wolves don’t trade Love, he’ll opt out of his contract next summer and sign with the Heat.

“I don’t know what to think anymore, but guys are saying there’s no way Love stays with Minnesota,” the GM said. “And if they don’t trade him, he’ll just opt out next summer and go play with LeBron [James] in Miami.”

That assumes, of course, that James would still be in Miami himself. Love has been a hot topic of conversation in Boston ever since his weekend getaway to the Hub a month ago, and there’s more on Love and an incumbent Celtics star amid the latest on the C’s:

The Wolves haven’t given the Celtics the names of any players they’d like Boston to get to sweeten the Celtics’ offer for Love, Bulpett writes in the same piece. Minnesota reportedly isn’t attracted to any combination of assets the Celtics currently hold.
Rajon Rondo isn’t certain if he’ll mimic Carmelo Anthony‘s multi-city free agency tour when it’s his turn to hit the market next summer, as he tells Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe. For now, Rondo seems committed to the Celtics. “Obviously everybody is waiting on [Anthony] and LeBron, so I’m not anxious at all,” Rondo said. “I have a lot going on here. I can only worry about what I can control — that’s myself and my game. Obviously, nothing’s happened, but I still trust Danny [Ainge]. Danny wants to win, so we’ll make something happen.”
Regardless of whether they can hook Love, the C’s will hold off on trading Rondo unless they receive an overwhelming offer, Bulpett hears.
The Celtics deftly used every bit, and then some, of the $10,275,136 trade exception they had left over from last summer’s Nets trade to facilitate their three-way trade with the Nets and Cavs that became official this morning. The salaries for Marcus Thornton and Tyler Zeller, the players headed to Boston, total $10,278,760, but the NBA allows teams to exceed their trade exceptions by up to $100K to get deals done.

LeBron James Rumors: Wednesday

July 9th, 2014 at 10:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

Today’s meeting between LeBron James and the Heat in Las Vegas has come and gone, and seemingly the entire league waits to see what will come of it. There are plenty of LeBron-related rumors. We’ll round them up here, with the latest on top as updates continue to come in:

The Cavs remain confident about their chances with LeBron based on their meetings with his agent, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
A person briefed on the Miami meeting tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that LeBron offered no counter to the Heat’s pitch, such as a shorter max contract. James could still make such a counter after deliberating further, of course.

Earlier updates:

James will not meet with any other teams, a source tells Broussard (Twitter link). The four-time MVP is comfortable with his knowledge of each of his suitors, and will spend the next day or more making his decision with his family, tweets David Aldridge of NBA.com.
The Heat feel the meeting with James went well, and remain optimistic they can re-sign the superstar, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com.
James plans to talk over his decision with his family now, tweets Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald.
The decision will not be made or announced this evening, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com.
At this time, James does not have a meeting scheduled with the Cavs, per Windhorst (on Twitter).
LeBron’s meeting with the Heat ended without a decision from James on where he will sign, tweets Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Bleacher Report’s Ethan J. Skolnick tweets that no announcement is imminent.
Rival executives across are rooting for LeBron to return to Cleveland, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
Kevin Love would only be interested in getting traded to Cleveland if James was acquired by the Cavs, sources tell Ken Berger of CBSSports.com which lines up with previous reports (Twitter link).
The Heat doesn’t see the sitdown as an “armageddon” of sorts, but rather a planning session to show James the financial outlook for the roster, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Agent Rich Paul, and not James or Heat president Pat Riley, was the one who called the meeting, as Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio hears (Twitter link).
A player close to James who spoke with Bleacher Report’s Ethan Skolnick laughed at the idea that the moves the Heat have made this summer would impress the four-time MVP, presumably referring to the team’s agreements with Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger. That unidentified player believes the Heat would have been better off preserving as much cap flexibility as possible to sell LeBron on a more significant acquisition (Twitter links).
The latest reports indicate James, Riley, Paul and Heat assistant GM Andy Elisburg will be present for the meeting.

Cray Allred contributed to this post.

‘Melo Wants To Play With LeBron On Knicks

July 9th, 2014 at 1:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:59pm: Heat assistant GM and salary cap expert Andy Elisburg will also be at Miami’s meeting with LeBron, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

12:31pm: James and agent Rich Paul will meet with only Riley today, according to Broussard, who corrects his earlier report that Spoelstra, Arison and Wade would take part (Twitter link).

11:51am: Several teams believe Anthony is delaying his decision until he knows what James is going to do, as Ian Begley and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com write. There’s been a strong belief of late that Anthony is likely to choose between the Lakers and Knicks, the ESPN scribes say. The Lakers are waiting on both Anthony and James, but they’re beginning to get impatient, worried that they’ll miss out on Pau Gasol and Trevor Ariza, among others, as they hesitate, according to Begley and Shelburne. The Lakers, like the Suns and Cavs, have explored the notion of clearing cap room both Anthony and James, but they haven’t gotten far, according to the ESPN report.

10:38am: There’s still a belief among GMs that James will end up re-signing with the Heat on a one- or two-year max contract, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. That conflicts with Mannix’s report that James is seeking a three-year commitment.

8:47am: Carmelo Anthony dreams of playing with LeBron James on the Knicks, a friend of Anthony’s tells Marc Berman of the New York Post. Berman reported earlier this week that the Knicks were worried that Anthony was hesitating to make a decision while the possibility still exists that he could join James on the Heat or the Lakers, but it appears that ‘Melo’s ideal setting for that scenario would instead be New York. Still, Anthony’s friend says the Knicks star hasn’t made up his mind about returning to New York.

Most NBA executives are confident that Anthony will return to the Knicks, given the inherent financial advantage of re-signing with the team, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Still, money won’t be the only factor in the decision, a person close to Anthony tells Isola. Anthony worked out with Thunder star Kevin Durant in Los Angeles recently, and Durant gave Anthony a strong endorsement of new Knicks coach Derek Fisher, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

Knicks president Phil Jackson is attempting to clear cap room to facilitate Anthony’s long shot hopes of teaming with James in New York, as Berman hears from Anthony’s friend. The Knicks have reportedly shopped Amar’e Stoudemire, and perhaps Andrea Bargnani as well, to open up space. Yet there’s a growing belief that Jackson would be open to a sign-and-trade with another team should Anthony decide to play elsewhere, Isola writes.

The friend of Anthony’s who spoke to Berman insists that James is fond of Jackson and would like the chance to play with ‘Melo. Another source tells Berman that the buzz surrounding the possibility that James would sign with the Cavaliers is coming from the Cavs themselves in an effort to enhance their reputation. The Mavs expect another meeting with LeBron’s representatives again this week in Las Vegas, although it isn’t clear whether or not LeBron will attend, a source tells Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.

James is meeting today with Heat president Pat Riley, and Chris Broussard of ESPN.com hears coach Erik Spoelstra, owner Micky Arison and Dwyane Wade will also be in attendance (Twitter link). Miami’s contingent enters the sitdown with “nervous anticipation” and no real sense of how James will react to the club’s offseason moves, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com. James is looking for a three-year commitment in his next deal, Mannix adds (Twitter link), contradicting earlier reports that indicated he would look for an opt-out after one season.

Ryan Raroque contributed to this post.