Chris Bosh Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Latest On Chris Bosh

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

Heat forward Chris Bosh missed his 41st consecutive game over the weekend, triggering an insurance policy that now covers more than half of his salary, reports Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel.

Bosh has been sidelined since the 2016 All-Star Break with blood clot concerns. He had hoped to rejoin the team in training camp, but a failed physical left his career in limbo.

Under Bosh’s contract, the Heat paid $9.5MM of his nearly $24MM salary for this season up front. The organization will continue to issue paychecks, but it can recoup the money from the insurance company. Cap experts Bobby Marks of The Vertical and Albert Nahmad of the HeatHoops blog have determined that Miami can get back about $41MM of the $76MM left on Bosh’s contract through insurance.

“It doesn’t take over,” explained GM Andy Elisburg. “You’re allowed to then file for insurance. You’re still responsible for paying the salary. It isn’t something that’s the assumption of the salary. But you now have the opportunity to make an insurance claim, and it’s a per-game basis.”

The Heat are expected to eventually petition the league for a medical exclusion, which they are eligible to do on February 9th, the one-year anniversary of Bosh’s last game. That would wipe the final two seasons of Bosh’s contract — totaling more than $52MM — off the team’s cap.

Bosh, who is currently vacationing in Southeast Asia, is hoping to catch on with another team once his situation with the Heat is resolved. He continues to occupy a roster spot and is being listed as inactive for each game.

Chris Bosh, Josh Huestis Hire New Agents

November 7th, 2016 at 3:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Heat big man Chris Bosh and Thunder forward Josh Huestis each have new representation, according to various reports. Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal reports (via Twitter) that Bosh has signed with Rob Pelinka of Landmark Sports Agency, while Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune tweets that Huestis has hired Andy Miller of ASM Sports.

Bosh, who was previously represented by CAA Sports, parted ways with his previous agent earlier this year. The change for Bosh came around the same time that he and the Heat were at odds over his situation in Miami, with the veteran power forward still eager to continue his playing career while the team ruled him out due to blood-clotting concerns that arose during his preseason physical.

Bosh and the Heat reportedly haven’t had much – if any – contact over the last few months, so Pelinka will be tasked with handling that situation as it develops. The Heat are widely expected to waive Bosh later in the 2016/17 league year, assuming the team can get cap relief from the move.

As for Huestis, he was previously represented by Toby Bailey and Mitchell Butler, who played a part in the decision to have their client play a year in the D-League after he was selected in the first round of the 2014 draft by the Thunder. While that was an unprecedented move, there’s no indication that it’s the reason for Huestis’ change in representation.

The Thunder recently exercised their third-year option on Huestis for the 2017/18 season, so he has a guaranteed salary for the next two seasons, and remains under contract for one more team option in 2018/19. If that option is exercised, he’ll be eligible for restricted free agency in 2019.

Amnesty Clause Unlikely To Remain In Next CBA

October 20th, 2016 at 8:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There isn’t enough support among NBA owners to retain the amnesty clause in the new CBA, which could impact the Heat’s long-term decision on Chris Bosh, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reports.

The amnesty clause was included in the past two CBAs, which allowed each team to waive one of its player contracts and have 100% of the player’s salary removed from the team’s salary for cap and tax purposes. The team still had to pay that player.

Without an amnesty clause included in the next agreement, the Heat would lose one of their best options regarding Bosh. They refuse to medically clear Bosh, whose last two seasons have been cut short by blood clots, leaving Bosh in limbo. Bosh has three years and approximately $76MM remaining on his contract.

The two sides are close to finalizing the new CBA, as Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported earlier. Windhorst offers a few more tidbits on the negotiations:

Players are expected to have the ability to sign an extension two years after the date they signed their current contract, rather than three seasons.
Restricted free agents will be able to agree to offer sheets on the first day of free agency — July 1 — instead of waiting to July 7. The window for teams to decide to match offer sheets would be reduced from 72 hours to 48 hours. That would make it more appealing for suitors to make those offers, since they are often hamstrung financially until a final decision is made.
Teams would no longer be able to pull qualifying offers from RFAs, which is currently allowed prior to July 31.

NBPA Monitoring Chris Bosh Situation

October 14th, 2016 at 2:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The National Basketball Players Association is monitoring the Chris Bosh situation in Miami, reports Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. At this point, there’s no need for the NBPA to step in, but the union is examining the situation and would take a more “proactive” approach if there’s an eventual belief that Bosh could continue his playing career.

While Bosh has vowed to make his way back to the court, there appears to be no disagreement that such a return is not possible for the time being, after blood-clotting issues resurfaced during a September physical. For now, the two sides are in something of a holding pattern — if the Heat want to eventually gain cap relief by removing Bosh’s contract from their books, the team would have to keep the big man on the 15-man roster until at least February 9 before waiving him.

A report from ESPN’s Zach Lowe this week indicated that the Heat may ultimately decide to hang onto Bosh until after March 1. Waiving him after that date would prevent Bosh from being playoff-eligible for another team, and it wouldn’t allow him to play 25 games for a club during the 2016/17 season — if Bosh plays 25 regular-season or playoff games in a season after he’s cut by the Heat, his cap hit would revert to the club’s books, so the NBPA will keep a close eye on the situation to prevent any attempts by Miami to game the system.

While Bosh remains on the Heat’s roster, and may continue to do so for several months, he hasn’t reported to the team, and there has been no indication that he’ll be on the bench or in the locker room once the season begins.

President Pat Riley has suggested that the team doesn’t expect Bosh to be in attendance for practices and games, but the relationship between the two sides still appears icy — the players’ union could become involved in that situation if necessary, especially considering Bosh parted ways with his previous representation and has yet to inform the team of his new agent, per Winderman.

Lowe’s Latest: CBA, Heat, Kings, Hayward, Bosh

October 12th, 2016 at 11:30am CST by Luke Adams

Despite having long been optimistic about the NBA’s chances of avoiding a lockout, even Zach Lowe of ESPN.com is surprised at how positive the talks between the NBA and NBPA appear to be progressing. As Lowe notes, with so much money at stake, neither the players nor the owners have “the stomach for a work stoppage.”

Having spoken to sources “across the spectrum,” Lowe believes there’s about a 50/50 chance that the two sides will strike a deal before the December 15 opt-out date, adding that there’s even a slim possibility that an agreement is announced before the start of the regular season. If December 15 arrives without a new CBA in place, and either the league or the players’ union opts out, the two sides would still have several months until the July 1 “doomsday date” to work something out.

Within his latest ESPN.com piece, Lowe provides several other interesting tidbits scattered throughout his 30 bold predictions for the coming season, so let’s dive in and round up some of the highlights…

The Heat and Kings have had some “vague” trade discussions since July, sources tell Lowe. It’s not clear which players’ names came up in those talks, but both teams have veterans who have been the subject of trade speculation, including Goran Dragic (Heat) and Rudy Gay (Kings).
While GM Vlade Divac has said he doesn’t plan to move Gay and Ben McLemore, Lowe believes there’s a decent chance the Kings make a deal, adding that the Thunder are one team to watch for Gay.
The Celtics continue to have “real interest” in Gordon Hayward, multiple league sources tell Lowe. However, the ESPN scribe thinks Hayward will ultimately decided to re-sign with the Jazz next summer.
According to sources near the Chris Bosh situation in Miami, the most likely scenario is the Heat waiting until after March 1 to waive the veteran big man, so that he wouldn’t be eligible to appear in the postseason for another team. Lowe believes another team would take a minimum-salary flier on Bosh in that scenario though, which could complicate the Heat’s ability to clear his cap hit from their books.

Latest On Chris Bosh

October 11th, 2016 at 5:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Chris Bosh situation remains in something of a holding pattern, with no roster move expected from the Heat in the near future. The team has indicated it doesn’t expect Bosh to play for them again due to blood-clotting issues, while the veteran big man has said he doesn’t intend to retire. In the latest video in his Uninterrupted.com series, Bosh doubled down on his vow to return to the court, suggesting he’ll “do everything it takes to get back out there” and adding that he wants to “defy the odds.”

“I’m not really thinking about money. I’m just thinking about where my heart is,” Bosh said. “I love the NBA. I love playing basketball every day for a living. … I just would feel like I’m giving up if I just walked away easily, like that.”

As Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports writes, even though the Heat insist their decision is based on Bosh’s health and well-being, there are financial aspects that must be considered. Since the team could potentially recoup a huge chunk of cap room if Bosh is ruled medically unfit to return to action, Miami will likely exercise patience and avoid making a move anytime soon — the team couldn’t apply for that cap relief until February at the earliest.

Meanwhile, one of Bosh’s former teammates, current Cavs forward James Jones, is confident that the All-Star big man will make it back, telling Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders that Bosh “will play again.”

“From a health perspective, I know [Chris] will do everything in his power and medicine these days is amazing,” Jones said. “He’ll find a way to get back. No way will he allow the game to be taken away from him for a medical reason. But like always, he’s methodical, he’s very very patient and he’ll figure it out. We’re all pulling for him because this is a brotherhood. Not only because this is the NBA but by playing on a team like that, it’s a brotherhood, and you always want to see your brother’s dreams and legacies fulfilled.”

Southeast Notes: Spoelstra, Bosh, Beal, Batum

October 1st, 2016 at 8:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Coach Erik Spoelstra continues to support Chris Bosh despite his ongoing feud with the organization, writes Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald. After failing his training camp physical over a blood clot issue and hearing from team president Pat Riley that his days with the Heat were likely over, Bosh responded with a video Friday in which he claims that he can still play and accuses Riley of not reaching out to him before announcing the news to reporters. The Heat denied Bosh’s charges, saying that Riley had called, texted and emailed Bosh and his agent in an attempt to set up a meeting. Regardless of the dispute and the pessimistic view of Bosh’s future in Miami, Spoelstra refused to criticize his former star. “I love Chris Bosh, his family. I said this so many times, Chris was very important to me as a head coach,” Spoelstra said. “With those teams, he was somebody I really leaned on. That extended outside the lines. It’s something I really have enjoyed and my hope is that relationship can continue.” Those comments were echoed by many of Bosh’s teammates, including Udonis Haslem, who said, “It’s not easy just to walk away.”

There’s more tonight from the Southeast Division:

The Wizards‘ Bradley Beal returned to practice today after clearing the concussion protocol, writes J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic. Beal had been sidelined since Wednesday after taking an inadvertent elbow to the head from Ian Mahinmi. After enjoying what Michael called his best shooting day since camp began, Beal lashed out at critics who say he is hurt too often. “People make it seem like I’m trying to get hurt,” he said. “I’m not, ‘Hit me on the head this play.’ It just happens. It could be anybody in that position. That’s not going to stop me from being aggressive and continuing to play hard.”
With five free agents in the starting lineup last season, Nicolas Batum believes the Hornets were able to be successful because no one was focused on their contracts, relays Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Batum and Marvin Williams both got big money to stay in Charlotte, while Jeremy Lin, Al Jefferson and Courtney Lee all went elsewhere. “[Fans] talked a lot about contracts, because of [so many] free agents. But we forgot about that and played for the team and for the city,” Batum said. “Contracts work themselves out. We lost Jeremy and Big Al and C-Lee, but we’ve got [Michael Kidd-Gilchrist] back. We’re getting Marco [Belinelli] and Big Roy [Hibbert]. I think we got better.”

Latest On Chris Bosh

September 30th, 2016 at 4:52pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Despite failing his most recent physical and not being cleared to participate in training camp, Chris Bosh still wants and intends to continue his NBA career, though, it appears he’s resigned to the fact that it won’t be in Miami, Kurt Helin of NBC Sports.com relays. Team president Pat Riley told reporters during Miami’s media day, “I think Chris is still open-minded. But we are not working toward his return We feel that, based on the last exam, that his Heat career is probably over.” In response to that, Bosh addressed the matter in a video post today:

“Got the news. I was in disbelief for a couple seconds, then I threw my phone down and I stormed out the room… But I’m glad I didn’t break my phone. I wanted to break it, but I didn’t….I guess my career in Miami is done. My career is not done. I did not expect that at all…. That does not mean my NBA career is over. There are 29 other teams, it’s a whole league. One team does not make up the opinion of everything.”

Bosh also took a shot at Riley and the team, saying, “I want to tell everyone in Miami this is not how I planned it to be. They don’t want to hear Dwyane Wade is gone. They don’t want to hear, ‘oh yea, Chris is never going to play for the Miami Heat again.’ People don’t want to hear that. I just feel for the fans. I wanted to give them more, I wanted to give them something better. Because they deserve better than what they’re getting right now.”

The forward also penned a letter to Heat fans on his personal blog, writing:

“It’s funny how things change. All I have right now associated with basketball are my friends and memories. And I’m so thankful for those things. I remember just a few years ago when the Big 3 were together and we were having a ball playing the game we love with some of the most professional, talented guys the NBA has ever seen. I remember the fans of Miami coming out to see the show every night. The love, the compassion and the energy we felt was second to none. I want to thank the city of Miami from the bottom of my heart because things may change but the good times will last forever in my memories. Thank you!

Things are different now and Miami has incredible young talent with a tremendous upside. These are not only talented ball players but great people and friends. I enjoyed playing with those guys and doing my best to mentor them by being an upstanding role model and veteran player. It’s their time to go through the ups and downs of the game with this great city. I want to thank not only the fans of Miami but everyone around the world who has supported our team and who has supported me through this time. I see you posting with #BoshRebuilt on social media every day and I receive the love that you give me. Thank you so much. I couldn’t make it without your support.“

Heat Notes: Riley, Bosh, Whiteside, Waiters

September 27th, 2016 at 6:41pm CST by Luke Adams

While some teams won’t admit they’re in rebuilding mode, Heat president Pat Riley didn’t mind using the R-word on Monday, as Ethan Skolnick of The Miami Herald tweets. Comparing the current roster to recent Heat teams, Riley noted that the franchise was “tweaking” the roster during the Big Three era, “retooling” it after LeBron James returned to Cleveland, and is “rebuilding” now. With Dwyane Wade gone and Chris Bosh unlikely to suit up for the Heat again, it will be interesting to see if the team goes into full-fledged rebuilding mode this year, perhaps shopping veteran point guard Goran Dragic.

Here’s more on the Heat:

Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald passes along a couple more comments from Riley, who said he has yet to “hit send” on an email he wrote to Wade, and added that he’s had thoughts about “moving on” from his role with the Heat but still gets excited by the prospect of a new season.
Asked about losing Bosh, Dragic admitted that it helps to have some certainty about what the roster and lineup will look like, but said he’d prefer to have the “small chance [Bosh] could be back,” per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. “It’s not the prettiest situation right now.” Dragic said. “But we need to clear our heads and have one focus, one goal to get better as a team, get to know each other and try to build that chemistry we are going to need this season.”
Tom Ziller of SBNation.com makes a case for why the Heat should waive Bosh, rather than keeping him on the roster.
After being one of the league’s most underpaid players in recent years, Hassan Whiteside now has a maximum-salary contract, but he won’t let the new deal make him complacent, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Winderman and Jackson have each published pieces on Dion Waiters, with Winderman writing that the Heat’s new shooting guard won’t be thinking about filling Wade’s shoes, while Jackson notes that Waiters opted for happiness over money when he chose to sign with Miami.

Pat Riley: Chris Bosh’s Career With Heat Likely Over

September 26th, 2016 at 9:11am CST by Luke Adams

Although Chris Bosh pledged this weekend to continue working toward a comeback after his latest health setback, it doesn’t appear as though he’ll return to the Heat. Team president Pat Riley said today that the Heat are no longer anticipating Bosh to get back on the court for the franchise, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.

“I think Chris is still open-minded. But we are not working toward his return,” Riley said. “We feel that, based on the last exam, that his Heat career is probably over.”

Asked whether or not he feels that Bosh’s NBA career is also over, Riley suggested “that’s up to him,” according to Winderman. The veteran big man has had to deal with blood-clotting issues and failed a recent physical with the Heat, whose doctors weren’t comfortable clearing him to play.

Riley and Bosh’s camp have disagreed on how much support the team has provided the 11-time All-Star as he has dealt with his health issues. While Riley says the Heat have worked hard to help Bosh get back on the court, Bosh’s camp says he received little help from the team, and had to find his own doctor to get a program that would allow him to play, per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter links). Riley and Bosh reportedly haven’t spoken in months — Riley said today that he has reached out to Bosh, but didn’t receive a reply, tweets Ethan J. Skolnick of The Miami Herald.

“His health, playing and economics — it’s been health, health, health,” Riley said today. “Whatever the cap ramifications are, they are there, but we never ever thought about that. … Contrary to how this thing has been perpetuated in the media, we have worked very, very hard with Chris. We headed down the road very excited to a point where we thought it would work. And then the physical couldn’t clear him to the next step.”

The Heat would have multiple options to increase their cap flexibility if Bosh is unable to return to the court this year. Miami could apply for a disabled player exception worth about $5.6MM that would allow the team to sign or trade a player for no more than that amount. Alternately, as of February 9, the club could potentially remove Bosh’s remaining cap hits from its books if a doctor jointly approved by the NBA and the NBPA rules him medically unable to return.