The Miami Heat may still have some moves to make this summer with a Jamal Crawford trade a potential target, as the team has reportedly been shopping trades for Mario Chalmers, Chris Andersen and Shabazz Napier and this comes after the team has signed Amar'e Stoudemire and Gerald Green to free agent deals with Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic returning.
Miami signed back Goran Dragic on a five year deal after trading for the point guard earlier in the season and he took a near-max contract to help Dwyane Wade return. Wade is on a one year deal and will be a free agent again next season, but that helps Miami with some cap flexibility, as they have to sign Hassan Whiteside next summer and the team also wants to go after free agents like Kevin Durant and Joakim Noah. According to Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst of ESPN, Miami has been looking to off load salary and they have shopped both Chris Andersen and Mario Chalmers.
Zach Lowe at Grantland reported that Miami has also "put out feelers" on Napier and that the team would be willing to give up Chalmers/Andersen for "nothing." Lowe writes that the team likely wants to let go of the salaries of the two players, as they are both coming into the final years of their contracts. Andersen is making $5 million and Chalmers is in at over $4 million and with both Amar'e Stoudemire and Gerald Green getting signed, the team likely would be fine on the roster without those two players coming back.
Check here for more on the Miami Heat offseason moves, potential interest in a Jamal Crawford trade and more on the potential trades with Mario Chalmers, Chris Andersen and Shabazz Napier.
Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group reported last week that the Cavaliers and Heat were interested in a trade for Jamal Crawford and Miami could try and push Chalmers or Andersen in a deal. The Clippers just signed Josh Smith and they also brought in Paul Pierce on a deal this summer and that likely means that Crawford is expendable. Crawford is coming into the last year of his deal and he was a strong bench scoring option for Los Angeles, averaging 15 points in 26 minutes per game.
Miami is looking to get back to the playoffs this season and they have added some solid depth with Stoudemire and Green. The team got Luol Deng back when he opted into the second year of his deal, while Wade and Dragic also are returning. Whiteside should improve even more after his breakout season and the team is expecting Justise Winslow to make an impact as a rookie. Winslow has looked good in the Summer League and he could push for significant minutes this year.
Green signed a one year deal for $1.4 million and he could be a bargain for the team as a scorer off the bench and someone that can help Wade limit his minutes. Wade averaged over 20 points last season and he likely will need some restrictions to help keep his knees fresh. Green averaged 11 points per game last season and shot over 41 percent from the field. Stoudemire comes in after putting up solid numbers with the Mavs and Knicks last season and if he can stay healthy he could be another good bench option for Miami.
