The Miami Heat shopped trades for Mario Chalmers and Chris Andersen this summer and after not finding any deals they liked, the teams could take another look after training camp. Miami has high expectations for the season and Dwyane Wade spoke before camp about the strong depth the team has with Goran Dragic, Hassan Whiteside, Chris Bosh, Justise Winslow and Luol Deng.
Miami missed out on the playoffs last season, but the team is expecting to get back this year with some of the additions they have made. The team had Goran Dragic for only part of the season after acquiring him in a trade and now he will have a full year to build chemistry with his teammates. Dragic signed a near max deal this summer and Wade stayed on a one year deal worth $20 million and now Miami is hoping to make another run in the playoffs.
Whether Mario Chalmers and Chris Andersen are around for that run remains to be seen, as both players reportedly have been shopped this summer in deals for the Heat. Earlier in the summer Miami was "aggressively" shopping Chalmers, but there was not much of a market and the same stood for Andersen. The Miami Herald reports that Miami is planning to keep Chalmers for now, as they want to see how their other guards perform in training camp before making a move.
The month before training camp is usually slow for trades and other moves for most teams, as rosters are basically set and teams still are waiting to see what needs they may have leading into the season. If injuries or other issues arise, Chalmers could have more of a market heading out of camp and into the season. The main reason for shopping Chalmers and Andersen has been to lower the tax bill for Miami and the team has already moved Zoran Dragic and Shabazz Napier this summer to help that.
Chalmers is making over $4 million and Andersen is making $5 million and both players are in the final years of their deals. Miami has depth up front with Whiteside and Bosh along with Amar'e Stoudemire and Udonis Haslem, while players like Josh Richardson and Tyler Johnson are going to get the chance to backup Dragic in camp. Miami is fine with keeping Chalmers if a deal doesn't come, but the team also wants to get that tax bill down and moving Chalmers would help that.
According to Barry Jackson at the Miami Herald, Wade was inducted into the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce's Sports Hall of Champions and spoke about the upcoming season for the Heat. Wade spoke about the youth on the roster in Winslow and Richardson and he also praised the moves to bring in Stoudemire and Gerald Green to add depth. Wade said that he worked out with Chris Bosh this summer and that the team is excited about the potential of Whiteside, as he had a breakout year and will be a key part of the game plan this season.
Check here for more on the Miami Heat and the trade options with Andersen and Chalmers.
