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Brand, Maggette Not Likely; But What About Ron Artest?
It looks like Elton Brand’s opt out manuevre was an attempt for the Clippers and Brand to lure Baron Davis. That would mean all parties were in constant discussion about Davis’ plans and some recruiting would have had to have gone on behind the scenes. That smells like tampering.
Officially, that story will not surface which leads me to believe that a Brand deal with the Clippers, although imminent, is not in fact done or complete. That said, I think Miami will not be landing Elton Brand because with the prospect of playing with Baron Davis on the table, they could be a playoff team. Still, will they have enough to get by the Lakers? Will Maggette return to the Clippers or will they jettison his contract in favor of Davis?
If the latter, it seems like Maggette wouldn’t fit in here in Miami. With Shawn Marion, Dorrel Wright, Michael Beasley, Stephane Lasme and Kasib Powell all having the ability to play small forward there seems to be little incentive to acquire Maggette. And he would not sign here to backup Dwyane Wade – that makes no sense for the Heat. Most likely, Maggette will look for something with an already established, winning team like the Spurs, Celtics or even Lakers or he will look for more money elsewhere. That won’t be Miami.
Which brings us to another developing story – Ron Artest. He was quoted as saying his decision to not opt out was a big mistake on his part and that he doesn’t intend to be a King beyond this season. Smells like a trade demand to me – so why not Miami? This is the final year of his contract and Ron Ron is going to make $8.4M. Teams will probably be hesitant to offer him a deal that is beyond a few years because they don’t know where this guy is at mentally which means the market is going to be pretty well-defined and limited for his services. Still, the Heat have assets they could offer and Artest’s hard, physical style of play would work well in the East and would greatly benefit the Heat as they pursue a more open attack from the perimeter – which means Artest could thrive offensively and defensively.
Artest’s contract is manageable enough to trade for and stays within Riley’s parameters of keeping financial flexibility for 2010. A contract like Udonis Haslem, who is making $6.5M, could be a starting point. Mark Blount may be another target, financially, but the Kings would not find that to be a suitable option as Blount has one more year on his contract ($7.3M then $7.9M in 2009-10). The Heat could counter by asking to include Brad Miller, at $11M this year and $12M next year, along with Artest and deal Marion. This would give them a F and a C for Marion and buy the Heat some short term success in terms of personnel.
So, California may provide an option for the Heat to shore up their roster. It just might not come from LA or Oakland. It might come from a little further upstate in Sacramento.
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