Chris Bosh Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Serge Ibaka On Heat’s Radar

February 9th, 2017 at 10:57am CST by Luke Adams

Potential trade candidate Serge Ibaka is on the Heat’s radar, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. It’s not clear how seriously Miami would consider pursuing Ibaka, or whether the Heat would have the assets to tempt their division rivals in Orlando. Nonetheless, Ibaka “intrigues” the Heat, per Jackson.

A longtime member of the Thunder, Ibaka was sent to Orlando this past summer after spending his first seven NBA seasons in Oklahoma City. Currently, Ibaka is averaging a career-high 15.2 PPG for the Magic, though he’s playing a different style of game than he did earlier in his career.

Ibaka’s 1.5 three-pointers per game and 38.5% conversion rate on long-distance attempts are career bests. Those numbers reflect the fact that he has developed an outside shot in recent years after barely attempting any three-pointers during his first few seasons. However, Ibaka’s rim-protection numbers have taken a hit as of late — he’s averaging fewer than two blocks per 36 minutes this season for the first time in his career.

Still, while he may not be the shot-blocker he was earlier in his career, Ibaka can provide solid defense and rebounding in addition to his expanded offensive game. The 27-year-old is on track for unrestricted free agency this summer, which will make him an interesting trade chip. Suitors may be reluctant to give up much for a player that could be a rental, but the Magic will likely be seeking a significant return after surrendering Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis, and Ersan Ilyasova for Ibaka last summer.

While it remains to be seen whether the Heat could offer the Magic a package that would pique their interest, acquiring Ibaka would give the team a leg up on re-signing him this summer, since they’d hold his Bird rights. Even if Miami doesn’t make a move for Ibaka this month, he’ll likely remain a potential target for the franchise in free agency this offseason.

It’s also worth noting that today is the first day the Heat are eligible to pursue medical retirement for Chris Bosh, who has been out of action for a full year. Miami would have the opportunity to clear Bosh’s cap hits from the team’s salary cap, though reports have indicated that the club won’t necessarily move forward with that process right away.

Latest On Chris Bosh

February 4th, 2017 at 12:08pm CST by Milo Taibi

Having carried him on their 15-man roster all season long, the Heat have had a clear financial incentive to wait on waiving Chris Bosh. By postponing their decision until February 9, the team will be able to remove his current and future cap hits from their books (despite still being on the hook for his full salary).

While Miami is eligible to remove Bosh from their payroll as of next Thursday, the organization is believed to be leaning toward further delaying the process, according to a report from Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

Per Jackson’s report, the team doesn’t want to risk Bosh signing elsewhere and appearing in 25 games, at which point his salary would go back on Miami’s cap. By waiting until March 1 to waive Bosh, the team would eliminate the possibility of him making 25 appearances in 2016/17, since players signed after March 1 aren’t eligible to participate in playoff games.

Of course, there appears to be little risk of Bosh attempting a comeback this season. Back in the fall, the 11-time All-Star vowed to continue his efforts to return to the court, but he currently has no plans to play this season, and isn’t sure if he wants to attempt a comeback down the road, a Bosh associate tells Jackson. It’s also not certain whether he’ll ever be medically cleared to play, due to his blood-clot issues.

Bosh currently isn’t in basketball shape, and suggested in a January interview with The Associated Press that he’s “getting the taste of retirement.” The veteran big man did hire a new agent – Rob Pelinka – in 2016. However, Jackson notes that Bosh chose Pelinka because he’s also capable of finding the 32-year-old opportunities outside of basketball, in the event that he doesn’t play again.

Now in the third year of a five-year, $118.7MM contract, Bosh has played in a combined 97 games over the past two seasons.

Heat Notes: Waiters, Bosh, Gay

January 25th, 2017 at 6:23pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Heat are open to keeping Dion Waiters long-term and the shooting guard, who holds a player option worth $3MM for next season, feels like he’s finally found a home in the league, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes.

“Everything, the organization, my teammates, my coach, of course [Pat Riley],” he said. “I feel right at home. Like I said before, when I signed, it wasn’t ever about the money. It was about the opportunity and just having a place you could call home, the enjoyment, and having fun. It’s been good. It’s just been consistent love. I’m happy for the opportunity and I’m just happy to be here.”

Here’s more from Miami:

Chris Bosh hasn’t definitively decided to resume his basketball career, but the idea of playing alongside Dwyane Wade or LeBron James appeals to him, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. Jackson hears that Bosh, who suffers from blood clotting, has not been working toward a comeback this season. Bosh reached out to the Players Association last season in an attempt to force the Heat to allow him to play, but he has not reached out to the union for that kind of help this season, a source tells Jackson. Jackson also hears that the big man isn’t responding to some of the union’s calls.
The Heat remain interested in Rudy Gay as a second-tier free agent should the team not be able to sign a star, Jackson writes in the same piece. Jackson notes that Gay, who ruptured his Achilles earlier this month, “loves the idea” of playing for Miami.
Udonis Haslem will make $4MM in the final year of his contract, but he wants to sign a new deal with the Heat during the offseason, as he tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. “My body still feels good,” Haslem said. “I plan on being around at least another year after this year.”
The MRI on Tyler Johnson‘s shoulder came back negative and the Heat are not expected to request a roster exception from the league, Winderman relays in a separate piece. Johnson has missed the team’s last two games because of the sprained shoulder.

Bulls Interested In Chris Bosh

January 20th, 2017 at 9:39am CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls will be “at the front of the line” to sign Chris Bosh if the veteran forward can play next season, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Chicago is already making plans to recruit Bosh, who will turn 33 in March, Stein adds.

Bosh hasn’t played since last season’s All-Star break after doctors discovered blood clots for a second time. He failed a physical right before training camp and his NBA future remains in limbo.

Miami is expected to petition the league to get the final two seasons of Bosh’s contract removed from its salary cap, but sources are telling Stein they don’t expect that to happen before March 1st to make sure he’s not playoff-eligible for another team. The Heat can make the move any time after February 9th, which is the one-year anniversary of his last game for Miami.

Heat Notes: 16th Man, Injuries, Richardson, Dragic

January 16th, 2017 at 12:29pm CST by Luke Adams

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra confirmed today that the NBA has granted the team a harship exception, allowing for a 16th player to be added to the roster (Twitter link). According to Spoelstra, Miami has not yet determined which player will be added to the roster using that exemption (Twitter link). However, the Heat coach may simply be waiting until the move is official to formally discuss the team’s newest player — according to reports on Sunday, Miami is prepared to call up Okaro White from its D-League affiliate to take that 16th roster spot.

Here’s more on the Heat:

Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel explains why the Heat qualify for a hardship exception that allows them to add a 16th player, providing updates on where things stand on sidelined players like Chris Bosh, Josh McRoberts, and Justise Winslow.
Meanwhile, Josh Richardson will be sidelined for at least the next two weeks of action, Spoelstra confirmed today (Twitter link). When Richardson is ready to return, the Heat will have to part ways with someone to get back down to 15 players.
In a mailbag for The Sun Sentinel, Winderman discusses the possibility of the Heat matching up with the Magic for a Goran Dragic trade. In Winderman’s view, it makes sense for Miami to be patient if any such deal would involve a 2017 first-round pick, since the Heat would want to be sure that pick lands as high as possible in the draft. Of course, the further Orlando is from the playoff race in the East, the less likely the team is to part with a 2017 pick.
Within the same mailbag, Winderman also suggests that James Johnson and Wayne Ellington are more likely than someone like Derrick Williams to generate interest as trade chips.

Heat Apply For Disabled Player Exception

January 6th, 2017 at 4:14pm CST by Austin Kent

The Heat have applied for a disabled player exception in light of the recent injury to forward Justise Winslow, tweets Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald. The news comes on the heels of Winslow’s successful but presumably season-ending procedure to repair a torn labrum that he suffered last week.

Although the surgery went well according to a release published on the team’s website, the club will look to add an extra body heading into the second half of the season. Teams have until January 15 to apply for one of the disabled player exceptions and if approved are free to sign a replacement player making up to either 50% of the injured player’s salary or the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, whichever is lower.

In Miami’s case, should the application be granted, they’ll be free to sign somebody worth up to approximately $1.3MM due to Winslow’s $2.6MM deal without it using up cap space. Though not applicable in this scenario, the non-taxpayer mid-level exception for 2016-17 is $5.6MM.

The Heat are currently down a roster spot already considering that Chris Bosh has yet to be medically cleared to play for the team. In Bosh’s case, the Heat retain the option to apply for a disabled player exception worth the full non-taxpayer MLE, but appear instead to be holding onto Bosh with the intent of waiving him and potentially clearing his contract from their books altogether. More on Bosh’s contract situation in this October feature by USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt.

With Winslow out, one potential replacement that has been mentioned by The Palm Beach Post’s Anthony Chiang is Briante Weber. Weber has thrived this season with Miami’s D-League affiliate and was one of the last cut from the team after training camp. As of Thursday, Chiang notes, teams have been eligible to sign players to 10-day contracts.

Salary information from HoopsHype was used in this report.

Heat Notes: Dragic, Bosh, Roster, Waiters

January 5th, 2017 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat already owned the NBA’s third-worst record, and announced on Wednesday that they will likely be without forward Justise Winslow for the rest of the season. While the team looks like a prime tanking candidate, don’t tell that to Erik Spoelstra, who tells Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel that Miami remains focused on winning games.

“We’re always going to play our games to win,” said the Heat head coach. “It’s been tough to be in this situation right now. But we’re developing. Guys are getting better. The team is progressing and that’s all we’re focusing on right now. The mentality won’t change.”

With so many young players on their roster, the Heat could engage in a sort of “natural” tank this season, leaning heavily on those young players who might not be ready to lead the club to many victories. However, Spoelstra added that he doesn’t intend to play anyone based on anything “other than merit, and earning it.”

Here’s more from out of Miami:

Heat sources have suggested to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders that the idea of rebuilding around Goran Dragic has some appeal. However, Kyler adds that there’s a “growing sense” that Miami will seriously explore the idea of moving Dragic and other veteran players on expiring deals prior to the trade deadline.
Appearing on a panel at a conference in Las Vegas, Chris Bosh admitted that he’d getting a “taste of retirement” this year, though he didn’t suggest he has given up on the idea of making a comeback. Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (via NBA.com) has the details and the quotes from Bosh.
Although the Heat have three players on their roster – Winslow, Bosh, and Josh McRoberts – who might be out for the rest of the 2016/17 season, the team isn’t eligible for the hardship exception to add a 16th player, as Winderman explains in a Sun Sentinel story.
With Dion Waiters back in action for the Heat after missing 20 games with a groin injury, the team will have to determine how he fits in the rotation, Winderman writes in another Sun Sentinel piece. Waiters is eligible to opt out of his contract and return to the free agent market in 2017, so it’s possible Miami will look to move him prior to February’s trade deadline.

NBA Sets Up Panel For Life-And-Death Cases

December 21st, 2016 at 8:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement will include an independent medical panel to handle potential life-and-death cases like the one involving Chris Bosh, writes Howard Beck of Bleacher Report.

Bosh’s dispute with the Heat is problematic because the league has no uniform policy regarding blood clots and no process to adjudicate medical disputes where a player’s life may be in jeopardy.

According to Beck, when a player is declared medically unfit, his case can be brought before the panel by his team, the league or the players association. The panel will have the power to prevent him from playing in the NBA if it decides his condition is life-threatening.

However, if the panel sides with the player, it could give his team a deadline to either play him, trade him or waive him. All decisions of the panel will be considered final, with no appeal process set up.

The panel was established to prevent other players from falling into a situation like Bosh, whose career has been in limbo since failing a physical before training camp. Bosh hasn’t played since the All-Star break last season, when doctors discovered blood clots in his calf. It was the second straight season for Bosh that was cut short by blood clots.

Bosh had hoped to resume his career this season, and posted a series of videos on his website during the summer to demonstrate his health. However, “evidence of continued clotting” was found during the September physical and Bosh was not cleared to participate in camp. He remains under contract, but the Heat are expected to petition the league for a medical exclusion, which they can do beginning Feburary 9th, one year since his last game. If it is granted, the Heat can waive Bosh and wipe his final two years of salary –worth more than $52MM — off their cap.

Latest On Chris Bosh

December 6th, 2016 at 8:48pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Chris Bosh is more likely to attempt a comeback next season than he is this year, a source tells Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Bosh has not played at all this season because of blood clot issues and the Heat are apparently not expecting him to play for the team again.

“We are not working toward his return. We feel that, based on the last exam, that his Heat career is probably over, ” team president Pat Riley said back in September.

The Heat are expected to petition for a medical exclusion once they are eligible to do so on February 9, the one-year anniversary of Bosh’s last game. If granted, the team would waive Bosh and the exclusion would wipe the final two seasons of his contract off the team’s salary cap. However, if Bosh makes a comeback and plays more than 24 games over the course of his career, his salary would go back onto Miami’s books.

If Bosh intends to make a comeback next season rather than this year, Miami could ostensibly waive him, receive the exclusion and use the cap space to absorb salary in a trade before the February 23 deadline. Trading for a high priced star would be feasible in this scenario, though Jackson doubts that Miami could make a substantial move, as there is no available perimeter player whom would be considered an ideal fit.

Heat Notes: Bosh, Cap, Lineup, Wade

November 25th, 2016 at 11:48am CST by Luke Adams

If Chris Bosh doesn’t appear in a game by February 9 and an independent doctor selected by the NBA and NBPA declares him medically unfit to continue his career, the Heat could remove his current and future cap hits from their books. That much has been well documented. However, as Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald details, in that scenario, the Heat would unfortunately have some motivation to root against Bosh making a comeback for another team.

According to Jackson, if Bosh were to play in 25 games for another team starting in 2017/18, his cap charges would return to Miami’s books. The Heat wouldn’t be required to remove salary to get back under the cap, but they could be subject to a very expensive luxury tax bill with Bosh’s $25MM+ salary back on the payroll, and his $26MM cap hit for 2018/19 could prevent the team from having any cap room during the 2018 offseason. In that scenario, the Heat might be stuck in a position where they have to shed significant salary via trade in order to avoid a mammoth tax bill, so the team might be inclined to take a cautious approach to spending in 2017 even if Bosh’s cap hits are removed.

Here’s more on the Heat:

As Jackson observes, if Bosh’s 2016/17 cap charge is removed from the Heat’s payroll between February 9 and February 23, the team could be in a position to take on salary at this season’s trade deadline. It’s not clear how quickly cap relief would be granted to Miami, but Jackson suggests there’s a “good chance” of it happening before the deadline.
In a separate article for the Herald, Jackson notes that Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra is considering possible lineup and rotation changes in order to kick-start the club’s struggling offense. “I’ll look at everything right now to get us more organized, get guys comfortable and get them to their strengths,” Spoesltra said. “Everything is on the table.”
Count Stan Van Gundy among those who thought it was “sad” to see Dwyane Wade leave the Heat this summer instead of finishing his career with the franchise, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “It’s the way it is now,” Van Gundy said. “Very few guys, very, very, very few guys are going to finish where they start. But it certainly looked for a long time like he would have been one of the guys who would have finished there.”