Chris Bosh Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat Big Three Will Give Riley Time To Upgrade

July 1st, 2014 at 12:48am CST by Zachary Links

12:48am: In an update to his story, Wojnarowski writes that Bosh, Wade, and Udonis Haslem have the framework of deals in place to remain with Miami, arming Riley with his limitations within the salary cap to sign talent, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

“Everybody has their [contract] number and has left a little bit of room to let [Riley] maneuver,” one source briefed on the contract discussions said.

With that bit of space, Riley plans to look into free agents including Marcin Gortat and Marvin Williams.

8:16pm: As free agency starts, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade plan to give Pat Riley a window to enact his plan for upgrading the team’s supporting cast, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).

Of course, much of what Riley can do will depend on how much breathing room he has to operate with. There was some hope that James would take less than the max deal to help the Heat reload, but earlier today we learned that’s not in the cards. LeBron met with Wade and Bosh to discuss salaries over the weekend, so it will be up to Wade and Bosh to take discounts if the Heat are going to add a free agent of note this summer. Both Bosh and Wade, along with LeBron, took less than the max to sign with Miami in 2010, so it remains to be seen if they’ll take another pay cut.

Teams will be blowing up all three of their phones when the clock strikes midnight tonight, but LeBron, Wade, and Bosh will give Miami an opportunity to prepare a battle plan before they consider going elsewhere.

Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh Opt Out

June 29th, 2014 at 4:05pm CST by Charlie Adams

SUNDAY, 4:05pm: Pat Riley was informed today by agent Henry Thomas that Bosh is exercising his early termination option and will become an unrestricted free agent, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports (Twitter link).

5:28pm: Bosh is “on the verge” of opting out, and will do so before the deadline on Monday, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel.

3:18pm: Bosh has not yet decided whether he’ll opt out or not, his agent tells David Aldridge of TNT (Twitter link).

SATURDAY, 2:37pm: Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh will opt out of their current deals and enter free agency this summer, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press and Chris Broussard of ESPN (Twitter links). Wade and Bosh become the latest members of Miami to opt out of their deals, following news that LeBron James and Udonis Haslem had done the same.

Wade’s decision to exercise his early termination option and pass on the final two years of his deal means that he’ll forfeit over $41.8MM in guaranteed salary. He’s unlikely to garner an offer worth a higher annual value in free agency, given his age and concerns about his health.

Bosh, who’s sacrificing a guaranteed $42.6MM, will likely be able to fetch a higher salary than Wade, and Broussard hears the big man is seeking a five-year pact worth $15-$16MM per year. Such a deal would be worth less than what Bosh would have made had he chosen not to opt out.

The duo’s motivation to sacrifice so much money is a result of their desire to make a future work with LeBron, who’s seeking a max contract, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Although LeBron’s priority remains to find a way to make a future work with Miami, a failure by the organization toward improving their roster to his satisfaction could mean the four-time MVP leaves Miami, says Wojnarowski.

If the Heat renounce the Bird Rights of their free agents, they will have a record $55MM in cap room this summer, with only Norris Cole‘s contract guaranteed on the books next season. To no surprise, Pat Riley has already confirmed to reporters, including Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post, that he hopes to bring back Wade and Haslem for the 2014/15 campaign (Twitter link).

Haslem Opts Out, Wade And Bosh To Follow?

June 28th, 2014 at 10:13am CST by Cray Allred

Udonis Haslem has opted out of the the final year of his contract, tweets Ethan J. Skolnick of Bleacher Report. Skolnick suggests that the move is a part of a concerted strategy by the Heat’s Big Three to provide cap flexibility in Miami, and that Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh will exercise their early termination clauses for the same purpose. Haslem will forgo $4.6MM in salary for 2014/15 in hopes of re-signing a multi-year deal that rewards him financially while giving the Heat some much needed breathing room as it seeks to retain and build around its championship core (all Twitter links).

As soon as LeBron James terminated his contract with Miami for this season, the onus shifted to the Heat management and players to find a way to convince the league’s best player of their viability as a long-term contender. Haslem shares representation with Wade and Bosh, and had the trio opted to remain on their original contracts, there would have been virtually no room for team president Pat Riley to significantly improve the roster outside of re-signing aging veterans.

While Bosh has maintained his willingness to accept a reduced deal in order to keep the team in tact, Wade has been mum on his decision. Wade stands to sacrifice the most by terminating his deal, as he would give up over $41.8MM over the next two years in salary. That’s a number he is very unlikely to fetch on the open market, especially after a poor showing in the Finals despite regimented rest to keep him fresh throughout the year.

Raptors Have No Interest In Lowry, Heat Deal

June 27th, 2014 at 7:10pm CST by Chuck Myron

7:10pm: Bucher has retracted the story via his Twitter feed, saying the information he obtained from sources was incorrect (All Twitter links).

FRIDAY, 6:02pm: An agreement in principle on the trade is “imminent,” reports Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report. Bucher also backs off the assertion that a Bosh return to Toronto was a definite part of the deal, now saying that Bosh and the Raptors intend to meet to “gauge his interest” in returning.

9:55pm: Norris Cole would head to the Raptors in this scenario, too, Bucher hears (Twitter link).

THURSDAY, 9:42pm: The Raptors are seeking to send Kyle Lowry to the Heat in a sign-and-trade that would also involve Chris Bosh opting out and heading back to Toronto, Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher tweets. The soon-to-be free agent Lowry and the Heat reportedly have mutual interest, even though Lowry has expressed a strong affection for Toronto.

The notion that Bosh, who would be a free agent should he opt out of his deal, would head back to the team where he began his career, seems an odd one, especially given Bosh’s strong desire to remain in Miami. Still, it’s apparently questionable whether he’d want to remain with the Heat if LeBron James left.

It’s not truly surprising that the Raptors would envision trading Lowry for Bosh, given that Bosh is a perennial All-Star and Lowry has never been selected for the game. Still, the notion that the Raptors are attempting to make the move, even as they’ve professed allegiance to Lowry time and again, indicates that they’re willing to be bold and leave no option unexplored this summer.

Lakers Rumors: Bosh, Gasol, Hill

June 27th, 2014 at 3:32am CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers drafted Kentucky power forward Julius Randle seventh overall Thursday and traded $1.8MM in cash to the Wizards for Missouri guard Jordan Clarkson, the No. 46 pick. That’s just the start of what promises to be a busy offseason for the purple-and-gold, who have plenty of cap flexibility and no head coach. Here’s the latest on the Lakers:

The Lakers dream of signing both LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, but if they can’t attract James, they’d next try to go for a pairing of Anthony and Chris Bosh, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com.
The presence of Randle doesn’t diminish the strong interest the Lakers have in re-signing Pau Gasol, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter links).
Randle similarly won’t affect how fellow power forward Jordan Hill will view the Lakers in free agency this summer, tweets Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Whom the team hires as coach will have much greater influence on whether Hill re-signs, Deveney hears.

Broussard’s Latest: LeBron, Griffin, Harden

June 25th, 2014 at 2:55pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Clippers aren’t among the top choices for LeBron James, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com, who nonetheless wouldn’t rule them out completely. Broussard doubts that James would head there until Donald Sterling is formally ousted as owner of the club, and there’s also concern about how well James would fit on the court with friend Chris Paul, though Broussard doesn’t specify if that’s a concern of James’. Still, Heat president Pat Riley believes acquiring Blake Griffin via sign-and-trade would be the best outcome if James decides to leave Miami, Broussard reports. The ESPN scribe identifies the Heat, Cavs, Rockets, Knicks and Nets as having better chances than the Clippers do of landing James, given the four-time MVP’s preferences, and he has a few bombshells in his report, as we detail.

If the Rockets clear enough cap room to sign one of LeBron and Carmelo Anthony, their next step would be to dangle James Harden to acquire the other via sign-and-trade. The Knicks and the Heat would be receptive to trading for Harden in that scenario, Broussard adds.
Chris Bosh appears sold on Miami, but it’s questionable whether he’d want to stay if James leaves, Broussard writes.
Riley is planning a run at Thunder center Kendrick Perkins, according to Broussard. I’d assume it would involve pursuing him via free agency in the event that Oklahoma City amnesties him, rather than pursuing him via trade, though that’s just my speculation.
Broussard hears there’s a decent chance that the Warriors would be willing to acquire Jeremy Lin if he’s part of a package with Chandler Parsons.
The Nets would prefer trading Deron Williams rather than Joe Johnson in an effort to clear room for James, Broussard says.

Western Notes: LeBron, Gentry, Honeycutt

June 20th, 2014 at 10:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

If LeBron James opts out of his contract with the Heat, the Rockets will have as an enticing a situation to offer him as any team in the league, writes Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. Beck lays out what options Houston has to fit James’ salary in, plus notes the team views Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh as secondary options if they fail to land James, provided Bosh and Anthony also exercise their ETO’s.

Eastern Notes: Sixers, Draft, Heat, Hairston

June 20th, 2014 at 8:12pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link) that the Lakers and the Sixers are discussing a deal that would send the seventh-overall pick to Philly, but it wasn’t known what the Lakers would receive in return. The Sixers most desirable player assets are Thaddeus Young and Michael Carter-Williams. Trading Carter-Williams would open the door for Philadelphia to grab Dante Exum with the third pick, but that’s pure speculation on my part.

Pat Riley On LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Tax

June 19th, 2014 at 4:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Heat president Pat Riley today characterized last year’s amnesty waiver of Mike Miller and the January trade that offloaded Joel Anthony to the Celtics as moves that were about creating cap flexibility for this summer and not about sparing the team luxury tax penalties. James doesn’t see it that way, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who reported yesterday that James feels some bitterness about the maneuvers. Riley pointed to the contracts for Miller and Anthony, which run through next season, as the motivationm and the architect of the past four Eastern Conference champions had plenty more to say in his press conference, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel details. We’ll hit the highlights here:

On the notion that owner Micky Arison wants to curb spending:

“He will do anything to get those guys to come back. There has been a perception he doesn’t want to pay the tax. That’s B.S. He isn’t asking anyone to take a cut to pay the tax. That’s a voluntary thing from the player. We are not asking them to do that. Micky will do whatever he has to do to keep this team together.”

On whether he’d ask James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to take discounts:

“I’m not going to get down on my knees. I wouldn’t do that to a player.”

On the prospect of adding a fourth star:

“That’s a pipe dream. But everybody thought 2010 was a pipe dream, too. I don’t harbor that thought. That’s not where we are headed. That’s not what we’re thinking about.”

On how the team can return to championship form:

“All of a sudden, people say we need to improve at every position. We need to get our core back, OK? We need to organically grow from within. The Spurs, after they lost last year, went home, licked their wounds, went off into the summer and they made one move. They got [Marco] Belinelli, who had a great year for them, didn’t have much impact in the Finals except for one three[-pointer] that he hit against us that was big. But it was Patty Mills from within the organization. It was Boris Diaw from within the organization. It was [Manu] Ginobili being better at [36] years old this year than he was last year. It was Kawhi Leonard all of a sudden, the bloom was off the rose for him from that standpoint. He was given the green light and he showed what he could do. I think first and foremost, we want to try and do that. And whatever and what’s available out there that will complement our players and our style is who we’re going to go after. You can always upgrade your talent. You can never have enough.”

Heat Rumors: LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Allen

June 17th, 2014 at 5:46pm CST by Cray Allred

LeBron James can have as much say in the Heat’s roster construction as he wants to, as Erik Spoelstra told reporters at Miami’s press conference today, including Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post (Twitter link). Here’s more on the dethroned champs:

Spoelstra expressed support for potential free agent Dwyane Wade, saying, “I’ll go in that foxhole with Dwyane, any day. It’s funny how the narrative changes in a matter of days,” as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel quotes the coach.
Winderman notes that Wade skipped the press conference altogether.
Chris Bosh maintained what he has been saying in recent weeks, that he wants to return to the Heat along with the other two thirds of the Big Three.
LeBron was less committal, saying that he hasn’t begun to think ahead to the prospect of opting in or out, or luring other free agents to bolster the Miami lineup. “Being able to have flexibility as a professional, that’s what we all would like,” he said. “I understand what this team, this franchise, brings to the table.”
LeBron said he wasn’t sure where Wade’s thought process is at the moment, but that the Big Three will gather to get on the same page as planned. “It’s only right. We’ve earned that from each other to have a conversation and see what could happen,” Lieser quotes James as saying (via Twitter).
All indications are that Ray Allen would put off retirement another season for the chance to play with James again in 2014/15, Bleacher Report’s Ethan Skolnick tweets.
Earlier, we passed on word of Kyle Lowry‘s interest in Miami and the Mavs’ interest in Chris Andersen.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.