Free Agent Watch: Rumblings

The Miami Heat are digging in and working behind the scenes - at least that is what all the signs are pointing towards.

Riley should face criticism for his handling of the Mo Williams situation. That was not a college recruiting trip, but instead a real-live free agent patdown which resulted in the Heat panting too heavily and the Bucks, only trying to cheap their way out of retaining Williams, were forced into upping the deal.

It was never a realistic possibility, once the texting with Riley started, and it was a waste of time. Yet, you can't really blame anyone in trying to explore options. What's left?

Plenty, despite what the finicky media says.

Mark Bartelstein, the agent for James Posey, has stated that several teams are interested in acquiring his services. The team on top of the radar is the Golden State Warriors. In this case, competition is good as it will force a team into working with the Heat on a sign-and-trade to guarantee Posey's services. Look for Golden State to possibly counter with Matt Barnes or Mickeal Pietrus. They are over the cap and only have the MLE and a bi-annual exception (1.83M) to use and both players are seeking money that could total out those sums. The Warriors, reportedly, are hesitant to offer that money to Barnes and Pietrus. Instead, they are letting the market dry up and force these players to realize what their worth is.





The fact of the matter is, there are few teams with money to spend and the market is drying up quickly for these free agents. Golden State could be a player for Posey, and at the same time Pietrus would go a long way towards improving the Heat as would Matt Barnes. Thanks to Kelenna Azubuike, who just signed a two year deal with the Warriors at 1.5M, the two FAs are looking to slash their initial demands.


Then there is Jannero Pargo, another client of the ever-busy Mark Bartelstein (who is also the agent for Mo Williams). The Heat are interested and have inquired about his availability. This would be a great fit for Miami - Pargo can stick the three (38%) and he can defend the point guard position as well as handle the rock and break down his man with his dribble. This is all the Heat really need from a PG candidate to play alongside Wade - defense, stick his jumpers.

These are just a couple of examples that could become real possibilities in the coming days. Juan Carlos Navarro is a possibility, but the Heat are currently weighing whether or not the cost would be worth it - JCN's buyout is around 2.5M.

Another possibility is Dahntay Jones, the ex-Duke guard. Both he and Alexander Johnson were let go by the Grizzlies and both played some significant minutes for their former club last season. Jones shot 47% from the field and 41% from behind three point range; he can also play some nice D and could be a solid alternative to thicken up the talent pool at the guard spot.

Alexander Johnson is very young still, leaving early from FSU for the NBA, and is still a project. However, he has a long wingspan and is a very strong physical player with a solid postgame. He could be an upgrade over the oft-injured Wayne Simien and could even press Udonis Haslem for minutes down the road. He would add youth and depth to the Heat's front line and could be had for a very low cost.

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In the meantime, two summer league prospects that look like good bets to make the team are Trey Johnson and Jeremy Richardson. Obvious, Daequan Cook is going to make the team, but these two candidates have demonstrated consistent offensive production as well as excellent intangibles and defense. Johnson is an intense competitor and Richardson has shown flashes of excellence in his recent NBA/NBDL stints.