Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat Re-Sign Udonis Haslem

July 18th, 2014 at 3:54pm CST by Chuck Myron

FRIDAY, 3:54pm: The deal is official, the team announced.

“Udonis Haslem has been a fixture in Miami over the last 11 years,” Heat president Pat Riley said in the team’s statement. “He’s a team player, an encompassing all-purpose player, that would play just about any position or role in order to win. It’s been such a privilege and honor to have him with the organization and I’m so happy that he decided to come back.”

TUESDAY, 2:57pm: The Heat and Udonis Haslem have agreed a deal, a source tells Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (Twitter link). Miami will use its $2.732MM room exception, Winderman adds, so presumably that will be Haslem’s first-year salary on the deal. The room exception allows for a contract of up to two years, but it’s unclear if Haslem’s getting a second season.

The 34-year-old Miami native had appeared close to a deal in recent days, but there always seemed little chance he would leave the Heat. He winds up with little more than half of the salary he would have made if he had opted in for $4.62MM in June, but he chose to opt out in an apparent attempt to give the Heat a better shot at re-signing LeBron James. That didn’t happen, but Haslem will return as the Heat welcome Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and others who were a part of the team during LeBron’s tenure in Miami.

The Heat’s commitment to the client of Henry Thomas, who also represents Wade and Bosh, didn’t waver even as they renounced Haslem’s Bird Rights to clear cap room. Haslem had a reduced role for Miami this past season, averaging 3.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per game, but he made 18 starts in the regular season and six in the playoffs as coach Erik Spoelstra juggled his rotation.

Central Rumors: Bulls, Udoh, Oden, Jones

July 18th, 2014 at 10:30am CST by Chuck Myron

Pau Gasol said he has no worries about the health of Derrick Rose and added that the Knicks had only long shot to sign him as part of an interview with Jesus Sanchez of Marca.com, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune translates (Twitter links). The Bulls are scheduled to introduce Gasol and Nikola Mirotic to fans in a press conference today after agreeing to deals with both this past weekend, and there’s more from Chicago amid the latest Central Division rumors:

There appears to be mutual interest between the Bulls and point guard Aaron Brooks, as Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com details. Sam’s story reveals that Brooks is considering the team, while the headline and Sam’s tweet indicate that Chicago is eyeing the 29-year-old point guard.
The Lakers’ winning bid for Carlos Boozer was $3.251MM, not just $3.25MM as previously reported, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders, giving the Bulls slightly more savings than previously thought. The Bulls will be on the hook for $13.549MM of the $16.8MM remaining on Boozer’s contract, which expires next summer, but it won’t count against the salary cap for Chicago.
Ekpe Udoh has his sights set on joining a contender, and was close to a deal with the Clippers before they struck a deal with Glen Davis, USA Today’s Sam Amick reports (on Twitter). That wouldn’t appear to bode well for any chance the Bucks have of re-signing the big man, who became an unrestricted free agent when Milwaukee declined to make him a qualifying offer.
The Cavs have interest in Greg Oden, but it’s not clear if they’ve spoken with him or have any plans to do so, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. Still, it appears that either the Cavs, LeBron James, or both have been in touch with the free agent center this summer, Amico writes.
A lack of playing time with the Heat was one reason why James Jones decided to bolt for the Cavs, as Jones said in a radio appearance on The Ticket Morning Show in Miami, tweets Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald.

Southeast Notes: Jones, Seraphin, Boozer

July 16th, 2014 at 11:02pm CST by Charlie Adams

Despite expressing interest in a return to the Heat, James Jones just couldn’t pass up the chance to play with LeBron James again. Although it’s not clear whether or not Miami had intentions of bringing Jones back for the 2014/15 season, as Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald details, there’s no doubt LeBron’s return to the Cavs influenced Jones’ decision to hook up with Cleveland. Here’s the latest out of the Southeast..

The Wizards elected to let Kevin Seraphin hit restricted free agency this summer, but Washington wouldn’t be against bringing the big man back at a price lower than the $3.89MM his qualifying offer would have been worth, reports J. Michael of CSNWashington.com (on Twitter).
The salary in the first year of Trevor Ariza’s new contract is $8,579,089, according to Mark Deeks of ShamSports, so that’s the value of the trade exception the Wizards create from the sign-and-trade that sent Ariza to the Rockets. Washington is using part of that trade exception to accommodate this evening’s sign-and-trade acquisition of DeJuan Blair. The precise amount of the exception that the Blair trade uses won’t be known until Blair’s first-year salary figure is reported.
The Hornets aren’t interested in placing a bid on the recently amnestied Carlos Boozer, reveals Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter). Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors had predicted as much earlier today when the club agreed to terms with Lance Stephenson.
Andrew Perna of RealGM grades the Hornets‘ acquisition of Stephenson, praising Charlotte and criticizing the Pacers’ decision to let the shooting guard walk after the Heat seemingly lost a step this summer.

Chuck Myron and Cray Allred contributed to this post.

Eastern Rumors: Boozer, Blair, Durant

July 16th, 2014 at 5:46pm CST by Cray Allred

Ethan Skolnick of Bleacher Report details how the Heat’s maneuvers to accommodate the Big Three back in 2010 are now proving costly with the departure of LeBron James. The Heat’s 2015 first round pick–given to the Cavs as part of James’ sign-and-trade to Miami–is still owed to Cleveland, and Miami is still paying Mike Miller‘s amnestied contract while the sharpshooter is on the verge of re-teaming with LeBron in another city. Here’s more from the East:

The Hawks, reportedly one of the favorites to place a bid on Carlos Boozer, took a step in that direction, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders confirms the team has officially slipped beneath the cap (Twitter link).
The Mavs promised DeJuan Blair that they would try to sign-and-trade him to give him a financial boost, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, and indeed it appears Dallas is close to sending him to the Wizards via sign-and-trade,
The Wizards will bring University of Maryland women’s assistant coach David Atkins as an assistant coach for player development, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. A handful of rival executives see it as a sign that Washington has begun to position itself to make a run at Durant, a D.C. native, according to USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt (Twitter link), since Atkins was one of Kevin Durant‘s high school coaches, fellow ESPN scribe Mark Stein notes (on Twitter).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Contract Details: Wade, Deng, Diaw

July 16th, 2014 at 3:47pm CST by Chuck Myron

It took a while, but we finally found out the precise value of the discount that Carmelo Anthony gave the Knicks this afternoon. We’ll have to wait even longer to know whether the more than $5MM in savings that ‘Melo afforded his team will have a worthwhile effect on New York’s ability to squeeze more talent onto its roster, but he’s not the only name free agent taking a cut rate this summer.

Dwyane Wade gave up more than $41.8MM over two seasons when he opted out of his deal this June, and while he isn’t recouping all of that on his new two-year contract with Miami, he nonetheless received a rare no-trade clause for his trouble, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. He’ll make $15MM for this coming season and the salary in his player option year would be $16.125MM as part of his latest deal with the Heat, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Fellow Heat signee Luol Deng will make $9.71MM for this coming season, and his player option for 2015/16 will be worth $10.15MM, according to Windhorst (on Twitter).
Boris Diaw‘s contract with the Spurs is for four years and $28MM, with only $17.5MM of it guaranteed, Stein reveals (Twitter link). The original report indicated it was a three-year, $22.5MM deal.

Heat Sign James Ennis

July 15th, 2014 at 5:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

TUESDAY, 5:32pm: The Heat have officially announced the signing, according to a team press release.

“We were excited to draft James a year ago and have been impressed by the growth of his game in Summer League and Puerto Rico, as well as his terrific experience in Australia, leading Perth to a championship,” said team president Pat Riley in a statement. “We are looking forward to the infusion of energy he will bring to our roster.”

JUNE 13TH: With the Heat on the ropes to the Spurs in the NBA Finals, the need for the team to get younger and deeper is becoming apparent. The Heat are pleased enough with the development of 2013 second-round pick James Ennis that there is a “strong likelihood” the team will sign him this summer, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link).

After a strong season in Australia’s National Basketball League where he averaged 21.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 2.0 APG, Ennis spent the past week working out for the Heat front office in Miami, reports Charania (via RealGM). Ennis, 23, will headline the Heat’s Summer League rosters in Orlando and Las Vegas, according to the article.

The Heat acquired Ennis from the Hawks, who selected him with the 50th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. The potential signing of Ennis would likely be a multi-year deal, sources told Charania.

Heat Sign Luol Deng

July 15th, 2014 at 4:44pm CST by Zachary Links

TUESDAY, 4:44pm: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.

“Signing Luol Deng is one of the most important free agent signings that we have ever had in the history of the franchise,” team president Pat Riley said in the statement. “He is a proven All-Star and quintessential team player, both as a scorer, as well as an All-NBA defender. He brings the attitude of a warrior and competes every single night against the very, very best. We are thrilled to welcome him to the Heat family.”

SUNDAY, 1:36pm: The Heat are set to sign Luol Deng, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM. It’s a two-year, $20MM deal and includes a player option on year two, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).

Deng will now help the Heat kick off of a brand new era that they hoped they would never have to see. Fortunately for Miami, even though LeBron James is returning to Cleveland, Chris Bosh will be sticking around on a max deal and it sounds as though Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem will be re-signing as well. Miami may not be world beaters this season, but they at least have some continuity and a good chance at returning to the postseason.

This morning it was reported that Pat Riley & Co. were in the lead for the small forward with the Mavericks, Suns, and Hawks also in the mix. The Ron Shade client was said to have been turning down offers that had an average annual value of $10MM, but he either couldn’t drum up a better deal or took a little less to enjoy one of the NBA’s most beautiful cities. Regardless of how it came together, it’s a good value for the Heat when considering the contracts given to Gordon Hayward and Chandler Parsons this offseason.

For his career, Deng has averaged 16.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 2.5 APG over ten NBA seasons.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Heat Re-Sign Dwyane Wade

July 15th, 2014 at 3:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

3:39pm: The deal is official, the Heat announced via press release.

“Dwyane has been the franchise cornerstone for this team since the day he arrived 11 years ago,” team president Pat Riley said in the club’s statement. “He has shown his commitment to the Heat many times over the course of his career and has always been willing to sacrifice in order to help build this team into a champion. This time is no different. I am ecstatic to have him back in the fold and I am confident that Dwyane, as always, will be leading this team as we look to contend for NBA Championships.”

1:54pm: It’s a two-year deal with player option in the final season, sources tell Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, who expects Wade’s salary for this season to come in between $16-17MM (Twitter link).

1:08pm: Dwyane Wade is indeed set to re-sign with the Heat, reports Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (on Twitter), confiming Wade’s Instagram post suggesting that a deal is done. There was little doubt that Miami and the Henry Thomas client would strike an agreement, and the Heat made a strong push to retain its longtime star in the hours after LeBron James returned to Cleveland.

Wade opted out of the final two years and $41.819MM remaining on his deal last month in an apparent effort to squeeze more talent on the roster and convince James to re-sign, but it’s unclear just how much Wade will receive on his new contract. Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com estimated that he’d receive a salary of $15MM for the coming season.

Wade, 32, appeared in only 54 games during the regular season this year as knee injuries took a larger toll. He was still an all-around force when on the court, averaging 19.0 points, 4.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds and compiling a 22.0 PER. He was seventh in the latest edition of the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings.

The Bulls reportedly gauged Wade’s interest in a deal that would allow him to play in his native Chicago, but he rebuffed them. Miami has become in many ways a second home for the perennial All-Star who’s played only for the Heat during his 11-year NBA career.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Heat Notes: LeBron, Bosh, Chalmers, Wade

July 15th, 2014 at 12:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Bulls were among the teams with which agent Rich Paul took meetings to discuss LeBron James during the first week of free agency, as Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reveal in a behind-the-scenes look at LeBron’s choice. Regardless, James was no longer willing to accept being underpaid, as Windhorst examines in a separate piece. James decided before free agency began that he’d take a max contract, and no matter where he would end up, he would demand a deal with a player option after year one, Windhorst writes. James wants to continue to sign short-term deals for the foreseeable future to maintain flexibility in case the maximum salary jumps or is eliminated in the next collective bargaining agreement, as Windhorst explains. He also wants to keep the pressure on Cavs brass to improve the team around him, the ESPN scribe adds. Here’s more on the Heat as they pick up the pieces after LeBron’s departure:

It wasn’t merely a two-team race between the Rockets and Heat for Chris Bosh, as the Nuggets, Suns and Lakers all made offers to the No. 3 player in the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings, reports Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com.
The Heat’s contract with Mario Chalmers calls for him to make $4MM for this coming season and $4.3MM in 2015/16, Windhorst tweets. The ESPN scribe pegs the likely salary for Dwyane Wade at $15MM based on the Heat’s other moves this summer and the cap space the team still has available (Twitter link).
Miami renounced its rights to Ray Allen, Udonis Haslem Michael Beasley, Toney Douglas, James Jones, Rashard Lewis, Greg Oden and the retired Shane Battier and Juwan Howard, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. That’ll make it difficult to re-sign Allen, but the team continues moving toward a new deal with Haslem, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. The Heat would likely use either cap space or the $2.732MM room exception on Haslem.

Western Notes: Miller, Bosh, Tucker, Mavs

July 14th, 2014 at 9:07pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Rockets and the Mavericks are interested in Mike Miller, reports Mark Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Nuggets have the best financial offer on the table for Miller, but Dallas, Houston, and the Cavaliers offer him a better chance to play for a winner, tweets Stein.