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23 posts from July 2016

Thursday, July 07, 2016

Yes, Dwyane Wade has said something nice about Rajon Rondo

Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo haven't always seemed the best of friends.

After all, Celtics fans still think Wade broke Rondo's elbow intentionally in the 2011 playoffs.

And they don't see like the best of fits. 

Neither is an accurate long-range shooter, and both like the ball in their hands. 

But Wade has said something -- unsolicited -- about Rondo that was actually very complimentary.

It happened late last season when I asked him about what he learned playing with LeBron James. 

Here was his answer, first published on this blog:

"The biggest thing is, he's one of the smartest basketball players I've ever been around. I mean, I look at myself as a pretty intelligent basketball player. But I'm not as smart as him, from the standpoint as far as his ability to put guys in certain situations. To be able to read every guy's position. It was pretty impressive, how he was able to -- no pun intended -- be a coach on the floor." 

Wade laughed as he said that, because he'd been asked the question on the day that the Cavaliers fired David Blatt. 

"Like (Rajon) Rondo," Wade continued. "That kind of talent. You know what I mean? You see that play the other night where Rondo put DeMarcus Cousins over there (in a spot). Not too many guys can do that. And LeBron was one of those kind of guys. I was always more impressed with that than I was with anything else." 

How impressive will Wade and Rondo be, as a tandem?

We'll see. 

Wednesday, July 06, 2016

Dwyane Wade meeting with Nuggets, Bulls, Bucks, possibly Heat today

Dwyane Wade is set for a busy day in New York. 

The Heat guard will meet with the Nuggets first, the Bucks and Bulls today to discuss a new contract.

The Bucks were added back this morning, after they had been taken off the schedule. 

And yes, Wade will "possibly" meet with the Heat, according to multiple sources. 

Wade and Pat Riley are not on the same page, and the situation continues to get more acrimonious, but perhaps these meetings with others will push the sides back together. Micky Arison is expected to take the lead role in re-recruiting Wade, as he did last year, when Riley and Wade's representatives (specifically Henry Thomas) stepped aside. 

Cleveland is currently out of the mix, because the Cavaliers do not have the financial resources without gutting much of their team. The Cavs, according to sources, are not inclined to do so.

Wade is seeking at least a three-year deal, with the Heat so far offering two years (the second being a player option) for $40 million.

Miami is reluctant to tie up cap space for three seasons.

It could create up to $13 million for the two-year deal by trading Josh McRoberts without taking money back.

 

 

Tuesday, July 05, 2016

Source denies that LeBron James is swaying Dwyane Wade to Cleveland

 

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Dwyane Wade are on each other's radar.

But as been noted in several places, including our blog, the Cavaliers don't currently have the resources to give Wade anything close to a competitive offer. Just the $3.5 taxpayers midlevel exception. And while they could trade pieces like Iman Shumpert and Channing Frye, they would need to gut even more of the team to get remotely close to what the Heat is currently offering. 

An NBA source said late Tuesday that the Cavaliers are not inclined to go through these machinations at the moment.  

But there's still one way Wade-to-Cleveland could happen:

If LeBron James, who has opted out, took the minimum for his friend. 

That notion was always a little nuts, considering that the players' union would have a conniption about the precedent it sets, and that James has been setting himself up, with one-year-plus-option deals, to make his major payday. Endorsement money aside -- James will be making a reported $1 billion from Nike -- he's going to take every last dollar, as he should. 

Now a source close to James has shot it down completely, saying he will not take a minimum under any circumstances. That source also responded to a column in the Miami Herald by insisting that James is not actively recruiting Wade, instead just wanting the best situation for his former teammate. 

Many won't believe that; there's been a tendency to blame James for everything that has happened in Miami since he left, and James and Wade recently vacationed in Spain. 

But the source was adamant. 

Also, the Herald has confirmed that Wade has scheduled a meeting in New York on Wednesday with the Denver Nuggets, who have roughly $22 million in available cap space for the first season.

So what's the deal with Dwyane Wade, the Heat and the Cavs?

The Internet exploded Monday with rumors that Dwyane Wade was on a plane with LeBron James and Dan Gilbert, possibly to consummate a deal. 

The Herald has researched this, however, and can confidently shoot that down. 

Wade has been in Spain, and was scheduled to fly back early this (Tuesday) afternoon, East 

Now, that doesn't mean everything is great with the Heat. 

Wade and the Heat are still at an impasse, and have not agreed to the deal the Heat has offered.

That deal (2 years, $40 million with a second-year option) is the same that the Mavericks have agreed upon with franchise cornerstone Dirk Nowitzki.

Wade, however, is nearly three years younger. 

So what's happening and what's next?

Here's what the Herald has learned, from speaking to a variety of sources over the past 24 hours:

-- Wade and the Heat are not on great terms. That is coming from both sides. "Ugly" has been the common descriptor. Wade did not feel like the Heat prioritized him.... again. The Heat wanted Wade to be patient, while it was securing Hassan Whiteside and trying to land Kevin Durant. 

-- Wade will take his time to make a decision. It may not be in next day or so. It is fully expected that he will take meetings once back in the United States. 

-- The Bucks' meeting, set for Wednesday, is currently off. But everything is subject to change. 

-- Wade wants more than two seasons. It is possible, but certainly not definite, that the Heat and Wade could compromise on a two-year deal for more than $40 million, though that would require clearing Josh McRoberts' salary off the cap. 

-- And yes, joining LeBron James in Cleveland is an option. Among a few still, and "a long shot" due to the economics, according to a source, but definitely an option, one that Wade is likely to investigate. The Cavaliers have been coveting Wade ever since James returned to them. They don't currently have anything other than the taxpayer mid-level to offer ($3.48 million), which would be a huge reduction in pay. So they would need to make multiple deals to accommodate more salary, including finding takers for Iman Shumpert and likely Channing Frye. Or James would need to take a historically large cut, which wouldn't sit well with the players' union, but maybe he doesn't care about that. He repeatedly told me, when I was covering the Cavaliers during the 2014-15 season, how much he missed Wade. That may be priceless.

But Heat fans should be concerned.

This is officially more dangerous than last season. It's two offseasons of bad feelings.

And for Wade, my perception -- based on knowledge of him and my recent reporting -- is that it will come down to whether he puts the biggest premium on winning and friendship (and can also stick it to the Heat in the process) by choosing Cleveland, or whether he wants to take the most money from a place like Denver.

The Heat appear to be somewhere in the middle. 

Miami, which has lost two starters already, may not be a championship contender even with Wade. 

And Wade may still be able to get more money, or years, elsewhere. 

So yes, the fans may be the ones squashed. 

Monday, July 04, 2016

Luol Deng thanks Miami Heat, fans with Instagram post

In case you don't live on social media and missed it, former Heat forward Luol Deng, who agreed to a four-year, $72 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, thanked the Miami Heat and their fans late Sunday night for their support during his two seasons here.

Here's what he posted:

Sunday, July 03, 2016

Heat wrap up meeting with Kevin Durant and now the wait begins

The Miami Heat wrapped up its meeting with Kevin Durant Sunday in the Hamptons in roughly two hours according to a source. Now, the waiting game begins.

Durant, a four-time scoring champion and former league MVP, was set to meet for a second time with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday before taking some time to make a final decision on his future in the next 24 hours. The Celtics, Clippers, Spurs, Warriors, Heat and Thunder are the six teams Durant has met with. 

The Heat sent in team president Pat Riley, owner Micky Arison, coach Erik Spoelstra and the rest of its main front office personnel (Andy Elisburg, Nick Arison and Alonzo Mourning) to meet with Durant. A source confirmed no players for the Heat were present during the meeting with Durant.

Miami has roughly $20 million left in cap space and still has yet to re-sign Dwyane Wade for next season. The Heat's roster has just seven players in the plans for next season: Chris Bosh, Hassan Whiteside, Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson, Goran Dragic, Briante Weber, and Josh McRoberts.

If Durant chooses the Heat, Miami would likely have to trade McRoberts and Dragic to create the cap space to offer Wade a contract in the range of $14-$16 million.

If Durant decides to head elsewhere, the Heat is expected to give most of its remaining cap space to Wade and use it's $2.9 room exception as well as league minimum contract offers to fill out the rest of its roster. 

No signings will be made official until Thursday when the league's moratorium comes to an end. 

Why keeping Tyler Johnson will be tough for the Miami Heat

While the Miami Heat continue to pursue Kevin Durant and find a way to keep 12-time All-Star Dwyane Wade from fleeing elsewhere, the team’s own free agents continue to get plucked by rival suitors.

Sunday morning, Tyler Johnson agreed to a four-year, $50 million offer sheet with the Brooklyn Nets, according to Yahoo!’s The Vertical. Our Barry Jackson later confirmed the agreement through a source with direct knowledge of the deal. Jackson said the Nets are anticipating Johnson will sign with them because of the structure of the contract.

One Heat teammate, Josh Richardson, has already congratulated and said good-bye to Johnson.

Once Johnson, 24, signs the offer sheet at the end of the free agent signing period moratorium on Thursday, the Heat will have three days to match the offer to retain the former undrafted NBA Development League combo guard or let him walk.

Johnson, who played 36 games last season and started five, would remain affordable for the Heat this coming season if Miami were to match the offer sheet because his salary cap hit would only be the team’s qualifying offer $1.2 million (even though Johnson would actually get paid $5.6 million his first year). But after that, Johnson’s salary cap hit for Miami would skyrocket to as much as $18.8 million and $19.6 million in the third and fourth years of his contract.

With the Heat already locked into deals worth $70.3 million for the 2018-19 season with Chris Bosh ($26.8 million), Hassan Whiteside ($25.4 million) and Goran Dragic ($18.1 million), it puts the Heat in the precarious position to make that kind of a commitment to Johnson, who only played in 36 regular season games last season and is coming off rotator cuff surgery in February.

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The last two seasons of Johnson’s contract would also be around the time the Heat would be looking for cap space to resign Richardson and Justise Winslow.

Still, Johnson, who made $845,000 last season with the Heat, clearly has value. He’s a 37.8 percent career three-point shooter, a player the Heat has invested time in developing, and a talent other teams clearly see potential in as well.  The Nets want to pair him up with new free agent acquisition Jeremy Lin in their starting back court.

Johnson was a rotation player last season for Miami before he went down with a shoulder injury in January. He returned in time for the playoffs and appeared in five games. He averaged 8.7 points, three rebounds and 2.2 assists in the regular seasn.

With the salary cap jumping from $70 million last season to $94.143 million this summer a long list of free agents are scoring big contracts. It’s also leaving the Heat, with only $20 million in cap space left after Whiteside agreed to a four-year, $98 million contract on Friday, in a tough spot to add quality depth to its roster.

If Durant were agree to sign with Miami, the Heat would have to trade Dragic and Josh McRoberts to create additional cap space to then offer Wade a respectable offer in the range of $14-$16 million. If Durant heads elsewhere, the Heat would have about $19 million it can offer Wade for next season and then would have to fill the rest of its roster using a $2.9 million room exception and free agents willing to sign for the league minimum.

For some perspective, former Heat reserves James Ennis and Justin Hamilton recently agreed to two-year deals with the Grizzlies and Nets paying them $3 million per season.

Saturday, July 02, 2016

What is the price for loyalty? Miami Heat may need to pay it

Dwyane Wade isn't the only so-called #HeatLifer who may be exploring NBA life somewhere else after 13 seasons.

Udonis Haslem is a free agent also.

And while Haslem naturally falls behind Wade in the Heat's pecking order, his contract situation is hardly absent importance. 

The Heat's handling of it speaks to the premium it does -- or doesn't -- put on "family" and "culture," two principles that Pat Riley, Micky Arison,  Nick Arison and Alonzo Mourning are certain to tout in their meeting with Kevin Durant on Sunday.

As has been well-documented, Haslem has left millions on the table over the years to accommodate the Heat's other desires, most notably in 2010 when the Nuggets came calling, but also in 2014, when he opted out of the $4.6 million remaining on the last season of his deal and then had to opt back in to two years at $5.4 million. 

Now he's a free agent again, after playing a total of 99 games and 1255 minutes over the past two seasons. And other teams, including Minnesota and Denver, have expressed at least preliminary interest, looking for a professional who can help mentor their young players on and off the court. 

The Heat is limited in its salary cap space -- it has approximately $20 million left after agreeing to terms with Hassan Whiteside and prior to moving Josh McRoberts. It has no agreement with Wade yet, and that keeps getting more complicated as lesser players (Evan Fournier, Evan Turner) are getting long-term deals averaging $17 million or more. 

Oh, and if the team lands Durant, it will need some of that cap space if it makes the two mandatory moves -- dealing McRoberts and Goran Dragic.

So if using cap space isn't an option, the only way to repay Haslem for all he's done for the organization, time after time, is give him the $2.9 salary cap exception rather than hold it for some outside veteran. That's roughly in line what Haslem is believed to be seeking -- close to what he got last season, and a modest raise over the veteran minimum for a player of his tenure, expected to be $1.55 million.

This is where many will point out that Haslem played only 37 games and 260 minutes last season, averaging 1.6 points and 2.0 rebounds. And, of course, at 36 years old and after a foot surgery from which he probably returned too soon to help the team in 2010, he's not what he was in his 20s. And sure, Miami is likely to need more outside shooting, with limited vehicles to acquire it, making the $2.9 million more valuable. (Though it's hard to imagine that a wing of any quality will take that, in light of the incredible salary inflation so far.)

But here are some counter arguments to consider:

-- Haslem did average 8.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per 36 minutes last season, even though his usage was sporadic and often with the Heat otherwise undermanned. Those numbers are actually right in line with his career averages per 36 minutes (10.9 and 9.6, respectively), suggesting that his game hasn't slipped as much as his playing time has. In games that he played at least 10 minutes, the Heat went 6-2. And when the Heat needed him in the playoffs, particularly against the Hornets, he gave them good stints; he was part of the group that, with Wade, helped save Game 6 in Charlotte. 

-- Teammates and team officials consistently identify Haslem as the primary locker room adviser for (and at times, taskmaster towards) Hassan Whiteside, who may require even more mentoring now that he is receiving a massive (2000 percent) salary spike. Without Haslem, more of this burden would fall on Wade (provided he's around) and Chris Bosh (provided he's available to play), not to mention Erik Spoelstra, who has enough on his plate. That's not ideal. Wade and Bosh seemed weary of the Whiteside questions last season. At least Haslem can do it in private, without reporters pestering him. 

-- The team will need a new motto if Haslem goes. You can't continue to push #HeatLifer and "family first" when everyone in the family is pushed out the door soon as you're a little low on turkey and stuffing. Mario Chalmers wasn't feeling so familial prior to being traded last season, complaining about the lack of communication. After Miami dealt Chris Andersen to escape luxury tax penalties, Wade and Haslem are the last two standing from the Big Three era of 2010 through 2014, let alone from 2003 forward. If Haslem, of all people -- with his strong ties to South Florida and his legendary unselfishness -- leaves feeling slighted, the Heat will need a new narrative. Certainly, #HeatLifer won't be something they can sell to future free agents. 

-- Wade wants him back. Badly. The star shooting guard has made it clear repeatedly that he wants to finish his career with Haslem, with whom he considers a co-caretaker of the culture, and he wants Haslem to feel some reward for all he's done for the team and his teammates. Would this be a deciding factor for Wade as he weighs his own situation? That's hard to say. The Heat need to pay Wade either way. But it's a factor. And right now, every factor matters. 

Luol Deng goes to Lakers, which means Justise Winslow goes to lineup

The Miami Heat always viewed Luol Deng as a bridge.

Declared by Pat Riley -- in a fit of passive-aggressive bluster -- "one of the most important signings in Miami Heat history" in the wake of LeBron James' departure, Deng was intended to get the Heat through a rough patch and to the next generation at small forward.

That was especially true when Miami missed the playoffs in 2014-15 and lucked into Justise Winslow in the lottery.

And through the first season-and-a-half of Deng's tenure, as he struggled to adapt to the Heat's need for more of a spacer than a slasher at small forward, it didn't look like he'd be anything more than a two-year rental. Then, after Chris Bosh's blood clot recurrence at the 2016 All-Star break, the Heat had no choice but to unleash Deng on the move, at a new position, (speed) power forward.

Deng flourished, averaging 15.2 points and 8.1 rebounds while shooting 48.4 percent from the field the rest of the way. 

Then he was the Heat's best two-way player in the first round against Charlotte. 

Essentially, he was too good.

He priced himself out of the Heat's range. 

The Lakers, desperate for veteran leadership, have decided he's worth $72 million over the next four years, an enormous raise from the $20 million over two years that Deng made in Miami. The contract will take him up until he's 35 years old. 

So what does this mean for the Heat, in combination with the other playoff starting forward, taking $22 million over two years from Utah?

 

Well, two things:

  1. Chris Bosh is now being counted upon even more than before. If he can't play, the Heat don't have a power forward on the roster, other than Josh McRoberts, whom they're still trying to deal to clear cap space. Udonis Haslem and Amare Stoudemire are free agents, and the Heat hasn't shown all that much interest in either, just preliminary contact with Haslem's camp (he's attracting interest from the Wolves and Nuggets, among others, as a veteran mentor) and hasn't reached out to Stoudemire's at all yet.
  2. Winslow, barring a free agent surprise, will be a starter. He's spoken openly about welcoming more opportunity. It's coming his way. But if he's in the lineup with Dwyane Wade (provided Wade returns), spacing could be an issue. 

The Deng bridge served its purpose, and deserves credit for his professionalism and durability, even pushing himself to play with an injured wrist in the playoffs when he had a free agent payday on the line.

Now, though, the Heat is on the other side.

Winslow will need to take his game to another level.

Joe Johnson reportedly agrees to 2-year, $22 million deal with Utah Jazz

Thanks for the memories Joe Johnson.

According to TNT's David Aldridge, the 35-year-old swingman whom the Heat picked up late in the year after he was bought out by the Nets and then helped guide Miami to the second round of the playoffs, has agreed to a two-year, $22 million deal to join the Utah Jazz.

With Miami focused on trying to land Kevin Durant and only $20 million in cap space it seemed near impossible Johnson would return to the Heat next season anyway.

He averaged 13.4 points and shot 41 percent from three-point range in 24 regular season games with the Heat and then struggled some in the playoffs, averaging 12.1 points and shooting just 28 percent from beyond the arc.

The Heat has only six players under contract for next season not including center Hassan Whiteside, who agreed to a four-year, $98 million max contract offer on Friday.

Until the team figures out where it stands with Durant and 12-time All-Star Dwyane Wade, who is now fielding offers from other teams, the Heat won't begin focusing on filling out the rest of its roster.

The Heat is scheduled to meet with Durant on Sunday in New York and then is expected to meet with Wade shortly after that.


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