The Miami Heat have an interesting offseason ahead of them as they try to keep their core group together while improving enough to improve upon their second round exit in the playoffs. While their first priorities are to re-sign Hassan Whiteside and Dwyane Wade, they are expected to be a player on the open market as well despite limited cap space. Here are all the latest Heat news and rumors you need to know:
Miami a legitimate threat to land Durant?
The Heat are one of the six teams that will have a meeting with Kevin Durant once free agency begins on July 1, and while Durant is widely expected to either re-sign with the Thunder or to join the Warriors, The Ringer's Bill Simmons explains why the Heat may actually have a chance to steal him:
Miami lurks as the darkest of horses, mainly because of [Pat] Riley’s storied history of pulling off talent coups. He stole Tim Hardaway, Goran Dragic, and Shaquille O’Neal in separate deals for 50 cents on the dollar. He nearly stole Juwan Howard from Washington before David Stern vetoed Riley’s overly creative offer sheet. In the summer of 2010, he somehow convinced LeBron James, the league’s best player since Michael Jordan, to align with Dwyane Wade AND fellow free agent Chris Bosh.
This echoes the sentiments of CBS Sports' Zach Harper, who reported that the Heat and Warriors were the only two teams that have a legitimate chance to sign Durant if he leaves OKC.
Heat to lose Whiteside to Mavs?
Whiteside is considered to be the best big man on the open market this summer, and several teams are pursuing him. However, he is favoring a return to the Miami Heat, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.
Want to be clear on Hassan Whiteside, he'd like to stay in Miami - they can offer biggest deal, but he's not romantic about it. Its business
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) June 28, 2016
Whiteside is expected to receive a max contract this offseason, yet the Heat appear to be reluctant to give him that much money - especially given their limited cap space and pursuit of Durant.
That pleases the Dallas Mavericks, who are known to be "aggressively pursuing" Whiteside and "feel pretty good" about their chances to land him, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
After hearing what Hassan Whiteside said when he met the Miami media over the weekend, the Dallas Mavericks probably feel pretty good about their chances of signing the Heat’s free agent center.
On his Snapchat last Friday, Whiteside wrote: "I’m a businessman that plays basketball.’’
And when he talked to the Miami-area media over the weekend, Whiteside didn’t exactly sound like he owed the Heat anything.
"I really don’t think it’s about loyalty,’’ he said of his free agent destination. "I think it’s about the best situation for myself.’’
Dallas has a few factors going for them which has made them the frontrunners to land Whiteside. First off, they plan to offer him a max contract as soon as possible, pleasing Whiteside's "businessman" side. They're also hoping to sign Mike Conley to a max contract, creating a Big 3 with Conley, Whiteside and Dirk Nowitzki.
Third, and perhaps most importantly, the Mavericks plan to make Whiteside the focal point of their offense, something he openly desires. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram says the Mavs "will tailor their offense around him and make sure he gets between 15-20 field goal attempts per game."
Whiteside plans to make his decision on July 1, and the Lakers and Trail Blazers are also pursuing him. He averaged 14.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game last season.
Heat interested in Jamal Crawford
Crawford has been a crucial player for the Clippers over the past four seasons, but several teams are interested in signing the 36 year old this summer, reports the Orange County Register:
Crawford, who does have a meeting scheduled with the Clippers, is also drawing interest from a number of teams in search of a scoring guard. Crawford is expected to receive interest from the New York Knicks, the Miami Heat, the Toronto Raptors, the Dallas Mavericks, the Orlando Magic and the Brooklyn Nets in addition to the Clippers.
“I definitely have to keep an open mind and see what’s out there,” Crawford said. “That’s why you’re in this position. My preference, like I’ve said from the get go, is to go back to the Clippers. But, I’m definitely very, very open-minded about the whole free-agency process.
It doesn’t have to be a team that’s a contender. I don’t want to go to a team that’s only won a few amount of games, but it doesn’t have to be a contender. At the end of the day, only one team wins. You want to put yourself in the best position to try and win.”
Crawford averaged 14.2 points and 2.3 assists per game last season.
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