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Coming up at about 5pm, Michael Beasley will make his Miami Heat debut as the Heat summer league squad takes on Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls’ summer league team.
You can follow all the action on the Orlando Magic’s website, which will be showing all summer league games all week. Join us at the Miami Heatwave forum as we discuss Summer League here.
I know it is a long shot, but I just can’t get my mind away from this option. If the Heat were to somehow trade for Elton Brand, that would be huge for Miami – it would vault them back among the to 4 or 5 teams in the East instantly and would make them the dark horse favorites to win the East.
As a trio, the Heat would have Dwyane Wade, the game’s most dynamic and dominant perimeter force when healthy and perhaps possessing one of the greatest wills in the game (along with Kobe), Michael Beasley a forward with tremendous scoring ability, athleticism and potential, and Brand – the low post presence that Riley feels necessary to build a championship contender.
It would only cost the Heat Shawn Marion, a fine all-around player who can help any team become playoff worthy, but would he or Brand fit better with the Heat? Since Beasley was the player drafted by Miami, he could be locked in at SF which mean Marion would have to play out of position at PF (or Beasley would be an undersized PF himself).
Is it possible? Yes.
The reports are that the Clippers offered Brand a 5 year deal worth $70 million. That is $14M per season. The Warriors, desperate after loosing Baron Davis (or an effort to somehow retain Davis) are offering Brand a 5 year deal worth $90 million – which equals $18M per season.
Miami can only currently offer the $5.8 mid level exception – which is not realistic for Brand (he would probably just rather sign with the Celtics at that figure). In Shawn Marion, however, Miami gains the ability to trade for Brand.
As we reported back in June, the Heat are in negotiations with Shawn Marion. The negotiations are 3 years for a contract worth between 13-15 million per season. If the Heat up the ante a bit and give Marion 3 years at $16M, the Clippers might do it because they could risk losing Brand to Golden State with no compensation. They also would get Marion for a shorter term than they would Brand and at about what they were looking to spend on Brand. Marion’s camp would be happy because they gain more money in the long run and they also get a chance to play on a playoff team in LA with Baron Davis. The Clippers could market themselves as a run and gun team, too.
And Brand lands in Miami with some big expectations – the kind of which he has wanted to live up to all along.
The Heat have been relatively quiet this offseason in acquiring players to round out their roster. There was the noise in the draft, and that was it. As if that wasn’t enough. Well, it isn’t if Riley is trying to launch this team back into contention.
So, you have an asset in Shawn Marion that you could potentially use in a deal to land pretty much any player you want. Sure, Elton Brand is out there, reportedly weighing offers from his current team, the Clippers, and an offer from another suitor the Golden State Warriors – who have apparently lost Baron Davis. How instantly would Elton Brand make the Heat a championship contender.
The problem? The Heat have very little financial flexibility for this season. They are staring at the $58M cap limit right now. Shawn Marion’s $17.8M has significant influence as well, but is only going to be locked in for this season. Then there is the horrible contract of Smush Parker, who is still on the books for $2.4M. Really, all Miami has to offer is the $5.8 mid-level exception (MLE), which was more attractive when Miami had Shaq and Wade and was contending.
Still there are several options that could help Miami this offseason. The first would be signing Keyon Dooling, who is seeking a substantial portion of the MLE. The Heat could offer that, but the problem is that Dooling wants a longer termed contract while Riley wants to stick to 2 years so that he can keep financially flexibile for the 2010 offseason.
Along with all this early bubbling of free agent movement, the Heat do seem to be inactive but we are assured elsewhere that the Heat are biding their time and trying to net the best value. What about Indiana’s Jamaal Tinsley? He is currently expected to be the odd man out as the Pacers just traded for TJ Ford and drafted Jerryd Bayless but then traded him to Portland for Jarret Jack.
How about the Knicks Stephon Marbury? This seems to be a real possibility to Frank Isola, and a necessary step for the Knicks in his opinion. I am sure he would be a good fit, but those draft pundits who were salivating over landing Derrick Rose to play with Dwyane Wade could find a similar scenario with Marbury – if he could reclaim his NBA stardom in a fresh start in Miami. That deal would require Miami to deal Shawn Marion, however, to make it happen. And don’t doubt that possibility as D’Antoni is quite familiar with what Marion can do.
Kirk Hinrich? It would probably take the perfect scenario to get the Bulls to trade him to the Heat and reports are he is going to Denver, which makes sense as that gets him out of the conference. This would be probably the best situation for the Heat as Hinrich could play both excellent defense and work as a shooting guard to play off of Wade when he does have the ball. Plus, you wouldn’t have to worry about Wade getting mauled when they play the Bulls anymore.
Memphis’ Kyle Lowry? Philadelphia’s Andre Miller?
There are also options on the free agent market beyond Keyon Dooling like Carlos Arroyo and Sebastian Telfair. I think Arroyo would offer a better backcourt partner to Wade than most think, as he would be playing in Miami and he would be freed up to shoot when he got the ball or create plays. Everyone remembers how tough Arroyo was when he played for Puerto Rico and something tells me that playing in Miami would give him that same energy.
Also, what about Jason Williams? Don’t expect the Heat to bring him back unless there is some really perceived value there. In other words, if he is the best option left and they can sign him to come off the bench for the veteran minimum.
So, don’t buy the Heat’s relative quietness at this point. They have a plethora of options out there, it is just a matter of working with the right scenario. That means the team has to keep its flexibility and it won’t look to get into a contract beyond 2010. They will also look for a clear upgrade over Marcus Banks and Mario Chalmers – who many are likening to Rajon Rondo, the flavor of the moment. Also, don’t overlook free agent invitee Jason Richards from Davidson. He missed the shot that could have spoiled Kansas’ run and lead the nation in assists and assist to turnover ratio.
The Heat are in the driver’s seat where point guard is concerned and an option like Jamaal Tinsley or Marbury could be had at a really, really cheap price.
Looks like Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley will start their pro careers on the same court after all: both players will face each other as the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls kick off the Summer League in Orlando.
The Summer League is a chance for teams to get an immediate look at their prospects and kind of get an idea of where they fit in. It also allows for other young players from the NBA to get a look as they continue developing their professional careers. And let’s not forget about the free agent rookies out there that went undrafted – this is an opportunity to show NBA franchises that they have tangible skills that can supplement a basketball team’s needs.
The Heat announced their 2008 Summer League roster – and here it is:
| Name | Pos. | School/Team |
| Michael Beasley | F | Kansas St. |
| Daequan Cook | G | Miami Heat |
| Mario Chalmers | G | Kansas |
| Jason Richards | G | Davidson |
| Antonio Graves | G | Pittsburgh |
| Anthony Morrow | G | Georgia Tech |
| Jonny Reibel | G | Rollins College |
| Stephane Lasme | F | Miami Heat |
| Kasib Powell | F | Miami Heat |
| Pat Calathes | F | St. Joseph’s |
| Dion Dowell | F | Houston |
| Josh Duncan | F | Xavier |
| Alejandro Flores | F | Dominican Republic |
| Marco Killingsworth | F | Indiana |
| David Padgett | C | Louisville |
| Marcus Campbell | C | Mississippi State |
| Anthony Washington | C | Portland State |
The team will play five games in five days, starting next Monday July 7th. Camp opens today in Miami at the American Airlines Arena and the summer league team will be coached by Heat assistant and ex-player, Keith Askins. In previous years, the Heat’s summer league teams were coached by Erik Spoelstra but since he is now the head coach, the duties will fall to Askins.
Free agency for the NBA officially began at 12:01am July 2nd. Yet, players cannot sign contracts until the moratorium is lifted on July 9th.
(By the way, ever wondered where the word moratorium comes from? Well, it’s from Latin. The Latin word for a delay is mora while someone who delays something is a morator. Hey, I teach Latin, so why not tie it in to basketball?)
Expect to hear a lot of rumors swirling as things begin to take shape. It seems that options are already being taken off the table:
Just remember, nothing you hear is official until July 9th.
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