Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat Sign Garrett Temple

September 13th, 2012 at 3:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

THURSDAY, 3:40pm: The Heat have officially signed Temple, according to a team release.

TUESDAY, 5:55pm: The Heat have an agreement in principle to sign guard Garrett Temple, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The 6'6" Temple has played for the Rockets, Kings, Spurs, Bucks and Bobcats all in the course of two NBA seasons, the last of which was 2010/11. He also has 54 games of D-League experience and spent last year with Novipiu Casale Monferrato in Italy.

The deal is likely for the minimum, and probably is without a guarantee, meaning Temple will have to beat out another guard in training camp for a roster spot. He'll become the 19th player on the Heat's preseason roster.

Latest On LeBron’s Agency Change

September 13th, 2012 at 8:35am CST by Luke Adams

As we passed along last night, LeBron James has decided to leave the Creative Artists Agency and join a newly-formed agency led by childhood friend Rich Paul. Eric Freeman of Yahoo! Sports' Ball Don't Lie blog rightly points out that the move won't have a huge effect on LeBron's next contract — he'll get maximum-salary offers no matter who is representing him. However, as Freeman notes, James had been CAA's most prominent NBA client, and if other players follow him away from the agency, the agency's considerable power in the Association could begin to dwindle.

A handful of reporters have added a few more details to the story, so let's round up a few notes from Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com….

Paul's new agency will be called the Klutch Sports Group, and he is expected to take some of his clients with him to the new Cleveland-based firm. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Tristan Thompson, Eric Bledsoe, and Cory Joseph are among Paul's clients.
LeBron leaves CAA on good terms, with no hard feelings — the move isn't seen as a breakup, but more as a partnership with Paul, who is already involved in LeBron's marketing through the LRMR marketing group.
Chris Paul is a CAA client, but is good friends with LeBron and Rich Paul. It's not clear whether he'll consider joining the Klutch group with his free agency a year away.
LeBron's change of agents wasn't influenced by his 2014 opt-out clause, and shouldn't be interpreted as an indication that he plans to opt out.

Amick On Martin, Fisher, Fesenko, Williams

September 12th, 2012 at 4:44pm CST by Luke Adams

In addition to reporting that Matt Barnes is closing in on a deal with the Clippers, SI.com's Sam Amick shared updates on a handful of other free agents in his latest piece. Let's dive in and round up a few highlights from the SI.com scribe:

Most, if not all, of the teams interested in Kenyon Martin only have interest at the veteran's minimum. The Lakers and Celtics were among the teams in play earlier in the offseason, but now Amick wonders if Martin will wait until midseason or even retire if he doesn't find a situation he likes.
Derek Fisher may be in the same boat as Martin, with retirement or signing halfway through the season both potentially in play. Fisher turned down an offer from the Bulls before Chicago signed Nate Robinson, and the chances of the veteran point guard returning to the Thunder are "remote."
Kyrylo Fesenko is scheduled to work out with the Spurs next week, and may work out for the Cavaliers after that. The Hawks and Heat have also been in touch with the big man.
The Pistons will work out Terrence Williams this week. The Mavericks and Celtics are also believed to have interest in Williams.

Matt Barnes Leaning Toward Joining Clippers

September 12th, 2012 at 4:32pm CST by Luke Adams

After two seasons with the Lakers, Matt Barnes may continue playing his home games in the Staples Center while wearing a different uniform. According to Sam Amick of SI.com, Barnes is close to signing with the Clippers, and could formalize a deal later this week.

Amick indicates that Chris Paul would play a role in luring Barnes back to Los Angeles, as the point guard "would love to make Barnes the latest addition" to a Clippers team that has involved Paul in its decision-making process. Barnes has also drawn interest from the Lakers, Nets, and Heat, according to Amick.

If Barnes were to sign with the Clippers, it would have to be for the minimum salary, since the club used its full mid-level exception to sign Jamal Crawford and its bi-annual exception to add Grant Hill. The Clippers currently have 14 contracts (13 guaranteed) on their books, so Barnes would almost certainly be assured of a roster spot for the regular season.

Nets Sign Andray Blatche

September 12th, 2012 at 3:19pm CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 3:19pm: The Nets have officially announced the signing in a press release.

TUESDAY, 10:30pm: The Nets and Blatche have finalized the deal, Josh Newman of SNY.tv reports.

SUNDAY, 12:18pm: Fred Kerber of the New York Post reports that Blatche "has other business that needs to be addressed first" before he finalizes his deal with the Nets, according to Miller. While it appears there are other options for Blatche, he's still likely to sign with the Nets this week, Kerber says. Rumors have linked him to the Heat and the Spurs since the Wizards used the amnesty clause to waive him in July.

FRIDAY, 1:40pm: Agent Andy Miller confirmed to Michael Lee of the Washington Post that Blatche has agreed to sign with the Nets and will finalize the deal sometime next week.

THURSDAY, 5:55pm: For most of the offseason, Blatche has been working out in Houston, Texas under the guidance of former NBA player John Lucas in hopes of landing an NBA deal for the upcoming season. According to Lucas, via Twitter, the forward has signed a contract with the Nets.

8:02am: Two sources close to Blatche tell Michael Lee of the Washington Post that the former Wizard has yet to make a decision, and that he's still considering an offer from the Heat. It's clear that Blatche hasn't signed anything yet, but based on the number of reports suggesting that at least a verbal agreement with the Nets is in place, I'd be surprised if he didn't end up with Brooklyn within the next few days.

WEDNESDAY, 8:51pm: Blatche's deal will be non-guaranteed, according to Howard Beck of the New York Times (via Twitter).

7:52pm: The Nets have agreed to terms with Andray Blatche on a contract, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). The deal is for one year and is worth the minimum salary, according to Spears, who adds that Blatche and the Nets are expected to finalize the agreement early next week (Twitter link).

Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com reported last week that if the Nets signed Blatche, it was unlikely to be a guaranteed deal. ESPN.com's Marc Stein echoed that sentiment today, indicating that the Nets, who have 13 players on guaranteed contracts, prefer to fill their last two roster spots with non-guaranteed deals. So we'll have to wait and see how much, if any, of Blatche's deal includes guaranteed money.

Blatche is coming off a tremendously disappointing season in Washington, but has the upside to make the deal a worthwhile investment for the Nets. In the two seasons prior to 2011/12, Blatche averaged a very solid 15.3 points and 7.1 rebounds with a 17.2 PER in 30.5 minutes per game. However, those averages fell off to 8.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 10.6 PER, and 24.1 MPG in a '11/12 season plagued by conditioning issues.

Because the Wizards amnestied Blatche this summer, he'll continue to receive a salary well above the veteran's minimum from Washington for the next three years. For the Nets, assuming he earns a place on the regular-season roster, he'll come off the bench as a power forward and perhaps earn some minutes backing up Brook Lopez at center.

Odds & Ends: Anderson, Mbenga, Heat, Harden

September 11th, 2012 at 10:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

It's been a busier day than we've had for a while around the NBA, and with training camps opening as soon as September 29th, expect the faster pace of news to continue. Let's dive right into some of the latest from around the league:

James Anderson's deal with the Hawks is a one-year, non-guaranteed pact, Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
D.J. Mbenga, who agreed to terms with the Mavericks earlier today, has already agreed to join the team's D-League affiliate if he doesn't make the NBA club out of training camp, reports Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
An agent tells Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that the Heat are only offering contracts without a guarantee, which makes sense, since they already have agreements with 18 players. Winderman also speculates that Raja Bell could be a fit for the Heat whenever he finalizes the buyout he continues to negotiate with the Jazz (Sulia link).
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com delves deep into Thunder GM Sam Presti's comments about a possible extension for James Harden, and says that while Isiah Thomas is unlikely to return in a formal capacity to the Knicks soon, he looms as a potential candidate to join an NBA team as a coach or executive down the road.
Zach Lowe of SI.com runs down several players for whom 2012/13 will be an especially important season.
After looking at 10 overpaid players earlier today, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News also shares his list of the 10 most underpaid players in the league.

Odds & Ends: Harris, Aguilar, 2014 Draft, Bynum

September 11th, 2012 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's round up a few Tuesday afternoon odds and ends from around the Association….

Before he re-signed with the Heat, Terrel Harris turned down contract offers from the Cavaliers and teams in Spain and Russia, says Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (Sulia link).
Former Philippine Basketball Association first overall pick Japeth Aguilar is trying to earn an invite to an NBA training camp, writes Joseph Pimentel of ABS-CBN News. According to his agent, Aguilar has a workout scheduled with the Spurs and is trying to line one up with the Magic as well.
Sean Deveney of the Sporting News lists his choices for the top ten most toxic contracts in the NBA.
For the draft buffs who are already looking ahead to 2013 and beyond, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com has published his mock draft for 2014.
Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic wonders if any of the Suns' new acquisitions will fill the leadership void left by Steve Nash's and Grant Hill's departures.
Will Bynum should have a clearer path to playing time this season with Ben Gordon out of the picture for the Pistons, writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.
Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside makes the case for why Marvin Phillips deserves an opportunity to earn an NBA roster spot.

Hassan Whiteside Working Out For Heat

September 11th, 2012 at 1:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Hassan Whiteside, who worked out for the Timberwolves last week, is in Miami today to audition for the Heat, tweets Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500. Whiteside's agent tells Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune that the Miami workout may not be his client's last, as there are a handful of other teams interested in having the former King work out for them (Twitter link).

The Timberwolves and Heat are among the teams still looking to add at least one more big man to their respective rosters. The T-Wolves are said to have interest in Mehmet Okur, but Okur is seeking more than a minimum-salary deal, which is all Minnesota can offer. The Wolves are still "very much in the mix" for Whiteside, according to his agent (Twitter link via Zgoda).

The Heat, meanwhile, have been frequently linked to former Knick Josh Harrellson, but he remains unsigned. Over the weekend, we heard that the Heat are considering bringing Harrellson on board, but Whiteside's workout suggests the team is still exploring its options.

In two seasons with the Kings, Whiteside recorded only 111 total minutes, but his height (7'0") and age (23) make him a potentially intriguing prospect for teams looking to add another frontcourt player.

Heat Re-Sign Terrel Harris

September 10th, 2012 at 5:34pm CST by Zachary Links

SEPTEMBER 10TH: The Heat confirmed the signing via press release.

SEPTEMBER 8TH: The Heat have agreed to re-sign guard Terrel Harris, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Terms of the deal are not yet known but yesterday we learned that the Heat were planning to offer him a non-guaranteed contract.

Miami now has 13 guaranteed contracts heading into 2012/13, leaving them with two vacant roster spots. One spot will likely go to a big man such as Mickell Gladness or Jarvis Varnado, who each signed make-good contracts with the team yesterday. The remaining spot will likely go to a wing player such as Harris. The 25-year-old averaged 3.6 PPG, 2.3 RPG, and 1.2 APG in 14.5 minutes per contest last season.

Odds & Ends: Fegan, Childress, Anthony, Gee

September 10th, 2012 at 3:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Prominent NBA agent Dan Fegan has confirmed that he's no longer with Lagardère Unlimited, according to Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal (via Twitter). Fegan, who had been serving as the president of basketball at the agency, represents a number of NBA players, including big names like Dwight Howard and Nene. It will be interesting to see how many of those clients he takes with him.

Here are a few more Monday odds and ends from around the NBA:

Josh Childress will meet with Nets GM Billy King and coach Avery Johnson and work out for the team on Tuesday, according to Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com. We heard last week that Childress and Dominic McGuire would work out for the Nets, but McGuire has since reached an agreement with the Raptors.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel thinks the Heat could be angling to find a way to move Joel Anthony's contract. Anthony has three years remaining on his deal (including a third-year player option) for about $3.8MM annually.
Sean Williams remains on the Timberwolves' radar, tweets Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500. Wolfson had reported late last month that the T-Wolves were eyeing the big man.
Alonzo Gee's new deal with the Cavaliers, which was finally completed earlier today, was held up because Gee switched agents during the negotiations, says Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (Sulia link). The Cavs wing is now represented by Happy Walters.
After the Kings, Cavaliers, Wizards, Bobcats, and Hornets drafted in the top five in June, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld examines whether any of last year's NBA bottom-dwellers are ready to contend for the postseason in 2012/13.