The Miami Heat have guaranteed the contract of Hassan Whiteside in an expected move and now the team heads into the month before camp with Mario Chalmers and Chris Andersen as trade targets for Pat Riley. Miami has signed Briante Weber to join Keith Benson and Corey Hawkins as training camp invites.
Miami is coming into the month with 13 fully guaranteed players on the roster now that Whiteside has had his contract set. According to Eric Pincus at the Los Angeles Times, Miami could have waited until December, but the team "amended" the deal to "lock it in now" and Whiteside now has his contract fully guaranteed for the season. The move is not surprising, as Miami obviously wants to keep Whiteside long term and they are going to have to sign him next summer.
Whiteside is making six figures this season and he is going to get a major raise next summer and this could be a good faith move by the Heat to move up the guarantee. Whiteside can be an unrestricted free agent next summer and Miami likely is kicking themselves for not signing Whiteside for longer when they first had the chance. Whiteside could get around $15 million per season next summer and Miami realizes they likely will have to cut some payroll to keep him, Dwyane Wade and possibly chase Kevin Durant.
Miami has been shopping deals for Chris Andersen and Mario Chalmers this offseason, but so far they have not been able to find a deal they like. Miami is trying to cut down on its luxury tax bill for this year and moving those two players would help out quite a bit. The team also may consider a deal with Josh McRoberts, but that is not as pressing as Chalmers/Andersen. Pro Basketball Talk writes that the team likely will move on from McRoberts at some point, as he could be used to clear cap space to sign Whiteside next summer.
According to RealGM, Miami has added undrafted guard Briante Weber from VCU on a training camp contract. The team now has 19 players under contract coming into camp and they have room for one more addition. The team has two roster spots that are up for grabs and players like Tyler Johnson, James Ennis, Weber, Keith Benson and Corey Hawkins could be competing for those spots. If Miami moves Mario Chalmers, as player like Weber could be an option to make it.
Miami has made some solid moves this summer and they have added depth with Amar'e Stoudemire, Gerald Green and Justise Winslow from the draft. Chris Bosh is coming back healthy after dealing with clots last season, while Luol Deng is back for his second year with Miami. Goran Dragic signed a near max deal and he gives the team some strong stability at point guard.
Check here for more on the Miami Heat, Whiteside, Chalmers and camp roster options.
