Amar’e Stoudemire announces NBA retirement after one season with Heat

Amar’e Stoudemire’s last NBA season was spent with the Heat.
The 33-year-old Stoudemire announced his retirement from the NBA on Tuesday. Stoudemire signed a ceremonial contract with the Knicks to retire with the franchise he spent four-plus seasons with.

Tyler Johnson on $50M Heat deal, 'I threw up a couple of times when I heard the number'

So what was Tyler Johnson's reaction when he heard he was going to receive a four-year, $50 million contract?

"I threw up a couple of times when I heard the number go out there. I was in shock. I even lost a little bit of weight, because just the anxiety of going through that whole process and not knowing where I was going to be," the Miami Heat guard said Monday during a team-sponsored water-safety event at Bucky Dent Water Park.

Why didn’t Miami Heat take advantage of Bird rights to sign Dwyane Wade?

What was Pat Riley thinking during contract negotiations with Dwyane Wade?

The Heat’s final offer of a two-year contract worth $41.5 million is well-known at this point. Wade, 34, turned that offer down, leaving Miami after 13 seasons to sign with the Bulls on a two-year, $47 million contract.

But it sounds like Riley would have preferred to take advantage of Wade’s “Larry Bird rights,” working with the 12-time All-Star on a season-by-season basis.

Does Justise Winslow have a 'franchise-player' ceiling?

How important is it now for Justise Winslow to become a franchise player for the Heat? -- Ken, Hollywood.

There is a lot more to the equation than simply telling a player, "OK ,Dwyane Wade is gone. You're next up. You're now our franchise player." And I'm also not sure there is such a thing as a 20-year-old franchise player, no matter if it is Kobe Bryant, LeBron James or anyone else that age. Being a franchise player means being a player who leads on the court, in the box score and in the locker room. Justise remains an unfinished product. And while Pat Riley says that it's important to look past the blemishes, I'm not sure you can be a franchise player without a reliable outside shot, something even Magic Johnson recognized during his climb to such status. Now, if you're asking whether Justise has the potential to become a franchise player, I think the Celtics answered that question at the 2015 NBA draft, when they were willing to shower picks on the Heat for Winslow. For now, I believe that is why the Heat need the likes of Goran Dragic and other veterans alongside, to help Justise appreciate what he can become and how much still needs to be accomplished to get there. The shame is that players such as Wade and Luol Deng would have been the perfect tutors.

Should Heat priority be newcomers or continued development?

Unlike past additions of declining veterans over 30 (Amar'e Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, Luol Deng, Shawne Williams, Danny Granger, Rashard Lewis, Shannon Brown), this year's pickups are in mid-20s or younger, suited for upbeat pace and intense defenders. If just two or three pan out and our best prospects from last year continue to improve, we have, with great coaching, every chance to build back.  -- Jack, Fort Myers.

A: First, don't understate the contributions the past two years from Deng, who served as the type of veteran glue often needed to hold together young teams, such as the one the Heat are about to offer. And Amar'e Stoudemire and Rashard Lewis also offered quality depth when called upon. But, yes, there have been some missteps along the way. What the Heat's latest signings offer is the opportunity for a player to finally get it right. But the reality is that Wayne Ellington, James Johnson, Derrick Williams and Luke Babbitt all have had their opportunities elsewhere, so I'm not sure this is about them "panning out." In fact, what I believe this season should be about is Hassan Whiteside, Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson, Tyler Johnson, and perhaps even the likes of Briante Weber, Rodney McGruder and some of the talent from the summer roster. Those are the players positioned to make breakthroughs. If, anything, the danger would be counting too much on journeyman veterans (even if they're younger than 30) at the cost of minutes for the Heat's true prospects.

Q: Hi, Ira. I'm from the Philippines and I'm a Heat fan since 1997. LeBron James stated that he wants Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony on one team. Is Miami targeting those four players next season? -- Joseph, Philippines.

A: I can't fathom that happening with the Heat after the bitter breakups with James and Wade. But based on their banana-boat exploits and their compelling presence at the open of last week's ESPYs, it is clear that the four have a bond that has endured even as opponents. So, yes, I could see the four of them together at some point, but most likely only as visitors to South Florida.

The Summer of Johnson

Tyler Johnson Speaks On His Free 

Agency Process

Two years ago Tyler Johnson was an undrafted free agent with no guarantees. He could have easily been another Summer League prospect who came and went before finding his way overseas. But that wasn’t the Tyler Johnson way.

First he played his way into Summer League minutes. Then he earned a spot on Miami’s D-League team the Sioux Falls Skyforce. By the midway point of his first season, he was up in the big leagues on a 10-day contract. Then another. Finally he was signed for the rest of the season.

As Erik Spoelstra often said of Johnson, “He just makes you play him.”

A little over a year later Johnson found himself in restricted free-agency, where he could sign with another team but the HEAT would retain the right to bring him back into the fold. So, during the first week of July he took meetings with potential suitors.

“You go through that similar in college but this is a whole ‘nother level of it,” Johnson said.

“I was trying to do what was best for my family, but at the same time you have to consider the relationships that you’ve built, what it’s taken for me to get here, and people I’ve gotten here with. So it was a lot of mixed emotions.”

Will this be a season Spoelstra puts his stamp on Heat?

Is this Erik Spoelstra’s year? The year he really has to prove himself? The year he doesn’t have to placate a superstar? The year he runs his offense the way he wants, up and down the court, with speed and ball movement? No more iso-ball? -- Yunasi, Miami Beach.

First, Erik Spoelstra doesn't have to prove himself to anyone. He has coached championship rosters to championships, developmental rosters to the playoffs, and last season's mixed bag to a No. 4 playoff seed and within one game of the Eastern Conference finals. But I do believe this could be the first time that Spoelstra will have the opportunity to truly put his stamp on a team. When he arrived, he still was working in the shadows of Pat Riley. After those two seasons, it was about setting up what essentially stood as LeBron James' team. From there it was two seasons of being unable to finish what he had started with Chris Bosh. This season, you could see something close to what Brad Stevens has produced with the Celtics, or even what Terry Stotts produced last season with the Trail Blazers. In both of those situations, the pressure was down but the possibilities were pronounced. I do agreed that we might get a truer read on Erik Spoelstra this season than we have previously.

Are we to sit back and wait for 2017 like we did waiting on 2016? There is no guarantee that Pat Riley will get his proverbial whale. -- Prince, Byram, Miss.

But that's who he is and what he does. The question this time is whether he will have a harpoon, and that harpoon would be Chris Bosh's cap space, if Chris is unable or prevented from a return from his blood clots. There will be far less drama next summer when Pat Riley enters to negotiate with free agents. I don't think you change who you are because one free agent decided to move to the team that just set the all-time record for regular-season victories.

2016 NBA free agents: Should Heat invite Caron Butler to training camp?

Here’s a familiar name the Heat might want to consider as they fill out their roster: Caron Butler.
Butler began his career with Miami as the No. 10 pick of the 2002 draft. He averaged 12.5 points and five assists per game before Pat Riley packaged him in a trade for Shaquille O’Neal in 2004.

Butler remains available and could be had on a minimum contract, though it’s unclear how much he has left  at 36 years old. He was a quality contributor off the bench for Oklahoma City in 2014, but hasn’t done much since. He played 17 games for the Kings last year.

Which Heat players have All-Star potential?

Will Hassan Whiteside be the only Miami Heat player to take Dwyane Wade's place in the All-Star game? Which other guys could have a breakout season, with All-Star-level performances, to join him?

Chris Bosh would be a sentimental favorite if cleared to compete. His status is too life-threatening to be determined by polls, opinions, or feelings. Heat Nation will know when the doctors tell us he is not at risk and can compete safely. #AllStarBosh

Miami Heat did not pursue Al Horford in free agency

It says a lot about what the Heat think of Hassan Whiteside that they basically chose him over Al Horford.

Horford, a four-time All-Star who just turned 30, was believed to be interested in coming to Miami, but the team never engaged him. Pat Riley said once the Heat had a deal with Whiteside, they eliminated Horford as an option. He agreed to a contract with the Celtics before the end of the weekend.

“It’s not out of a lack of respect for him, it’s that at 12:01 a.m. I came to an agreement with Hassan,” Riley said. “I don’t care if Dallas came in after us, we had Hassan. Once we got Hassan, I didn’t want to string along anybody else.

“We like Al, we love Joakim Noah. Everybody that was at the top – the (DeMar DeRozans, the (Bradley) Beals, the (Nic) Batums, (Dwight) Howard, Horford – all those guys, their deals were done. Horford is going to really help Boston, I think. But we didn’t really push on that one.”

Pat Riley Comments on Chris Bosh's Status for 2016-17 Season

Miami Heat president Pat Riley held a press conference Saturday in which he touched on the precarious future of star forward Chris Bosh's career.

A recurring blood clot, which prevented Bosh from appearing in the second half of the season and the playoffs, has cast doubt as to whether he can play basketball anymore. Riley addressed Bosh's outlook regarding the 2016-17 season, per the Palm Beach Post's Jason Lieser:

It’s a positive environment right now with Chris, and I think his doctors and our doctors are constantly communicating. I know what Chris wants. I know he wants to play. Obviously, we would be open to that.

Dwyane Wade the Victim of Salary Cap Maximization Issues By His Agent and Team

Miami Heat general manager Pat Riley and salary cap expert Andy Elisburg have been widely praised not only for their ability to recruit LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Mike Miller to join Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem in South Florida but also for their ability to structure their contracts to fit within the confines of a $58.044 million salary cap.

Wade, however, has reason to be less than thrilled.

Wade, James and Bosh were all eligible to receive maximum contracts with a starting salary of $16,568,908. However, in order to accommodate the contracts of Miller and Haslem, each took less. The first year salaries in the contracts of James and Bosh have been finalized at $14,500,000, while the first year salary for Wade has been finalized at $14,200,000.

Miami Heat summer league: Briante Weber’s defense puts him in mix

Briante Weber’s impatience is going to make him one of the Heat’s most aggravating defenders this season.

There is a nonstop urgency to attack, trying to stop a play before it ever begins, and it’s a quality he’s had since his childhood in Chesapeake, Va. He’s not going to wait for a pick-and-roll to develop or for his man to get rolling with crossovers and jukes. He wants to make them scramble.

Would Heat dealing for Westbrook make any sense?

Do you think there is any chance the Heat put together a package to try and land Russell Westbrook for this season? To me it would seem logical to bring him on early before next year so he can see what the Heat organization is like and vice versa. Or would they have to trade too many assists? Thanks and I look forward to your response. -- Jason, lkins, West Virginia.

Miami Heat sign center Willie Reed

Reed has appeared in 144 career NBA Development League games (101 starts) and averaged 15.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.78 blocks and 31.4 minutes while shooting 58.4 percent from the field. In his most recent NBA D-League stint during the 2014-15 season, he split the season between the Grand Rapids Drive and the Iowa Energy, appearing in 47 games (38 starts) and averaging 16.4 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.91 blocks, 1.1 assists and 33.7 minutes while shooting 60.1 percent from the field. He led the league in total rebounds (573) and offensive rebounds (216) and was named to the NBA D-League’s First Team, All-Defensive First Team and All-Star team.

Reed appeared in 39 games (two starts) with the Nets last season and averaged 4.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 10.9 minutes of action while shooting 57.1 percent from the field. He scored in double-figures six times and led the team in blocks on 13 occasions, second-most on the team. He spent the 2015 NBA Summer League with the HEAT appearing in four games (all starts) and averaged 13.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.75 blocks and 25.5 minutes while shooting 60 percent from the field. He helped Miami to a perfect 4-0 record over that span while leading the team in rebounds (31), blocks (7) and field goals made (21).

Could Westbrook succeed Wade? Heat may hit trade market for whale

Bryan Colangelo and Sam Presti both have motivations to make a trade, which may land Russell Westbrook in Miami as Dwyane Wade's heir.

Bryan Colangelo, the Philadelphia 76ers GM said of his young frontcourt, "But at the end of the day, the reality says probably one has to go at some point — but only when the deal is right."

The 76ers drafted forward Ben Simmons, who appears to be their franchise player for the future. He joins previous top picks Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, Joel Embiid, and about-to-be-signed Dari

Revamped Heat squad all of a sudden looks young, versatile

The departure of Dwyane Wade and other key pieces from last season has opened up opportunities for recent free agent newcomers.

Exit Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng and Joe Johnson.

Enter Derrick Williams, Wayne Ellington, and James Johnson?

These names are probably not going to excite you. However you better get familiar with them because there are some of the names that the Miami Heat have just added to their roster. After the shocking departure of the most important player in franchise history in Wade, coupled w

Miami Heat Offers Dragic, Richardson And Winslow For Oklahoma Thunder Russell Westbrook?

The Miami Heat is willing to offer three of its players and their first chance of draft pick next year just to get Russell Westbrook from the Oklahoma City Thunder team.

The three players Miami is willing to let go are Goran Dragic, Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow, according to Sports Rageous. The Heat is still reeling from the loss of its vaunted guard, Dwyane Wade to the Chicago Bulls. Team president Pat Riley lost no time in signing up new recruits like Derrick Williams from the New York Knicks, James Johnson fr

Summer League: HEAT 80 - Suns 71

The Miami HEAT defeated the Phoenix Suns 80-71 Tuesday afternoon at Thomas & Mack Center in the Samsung Las Vegas Summer League. Michael Carrera led the way for the HEAT with 16 points.

1. Carrera Closes Things Out

Something must’ve clicked for Carrera after hitting a three with 22.5 seconds left in the third quarter. Why you may ask?

Well, that started a run of 14 straight points for the Venezuelan. Whether it was inside, outside, off-the-dribble or off-the-ball, Carrera didn’t miss.

While he scored in a variety of different ways during the spurt, one of his better conversions came in transition.

It all started with 7:43 left in the fourth when Brianté Weber brought the ball up court and hit Askia Booker with the crossover and behind-the-back dribble. Once he saw Carrera cuttin

Udonis Haslem believes Dwyane Wade’s departure from Heat ‘could have been avoided’

Udonis Haslem always envisioned finishing his NBA career with the Heat. But the Miami native never envisioned finishing his NBA career without Dwyane Wade on his team.

“I never envisioned finishing it without my brother,” Haslem said to reporters Tuesday on a conference call. “But I think the 13 years that I spent with him, the 13 years that I’ve spent playing with some of the greatest players in the league, the 13 years that I’ve spent in this

Five new Miami Heat after the departure of Dwyane Wade

After the departure of Dwyane Wade to Chicago Bulls, Pat Riley, president of Miami Heat has decided to sign Luke Babbitt, who comes from New Orleans Pelicans, team receive in return a second pick in the 2018 and Jarnell Stokes, as he announced Marc Stein of ESPN and then confirmed by the team itself. During the last season he played 47 games for some injury problems, which averaged 7 points and 3.1 rebounds in 18 minutes on average, but expected that this new stage may have more continuity.

Also, Wayne Ellington reached an agreement with this computer for 'cover' the guard spot after playing last season with Brooklyn Nets, but last June 30 resigned his contract and went to free agency, where he joined the Heat, considering their numbers last season, where he played 76 games, 41 as a starter in which he averaged 7.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 23 minutes per game, turning Miami into the seventh team in seven-year career.

Miami Heat commitment to youth and experience to address changes

Another player who will also arrive for next season is James Johnson, who after a difficult period in the NBA, managed to regain its level in Toronto Raptors, where he averaged five points and 2.2 rebounds in 57 games, why he expected under the supervision of Erik Spoelstra can shine again as in the beginning.

A similar case happened with Udonis Haslem, who after wandering through free agency after three rings and 13 years with Miami Heat, will continue one more season with a salary of four million dollars, hoping that when the course arrives and 2017/18 meets 38, you can plan your retirement with numbers and impressive numbers. The veteran guard averaged 8.7 points, 3 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 24 minutes despite playing only 36 games due to a shoulder injury.

Finally, Miami decided to stay with Tyler Johnson then match the offer made by Brooklyn Nets and retain the player's rights, reaching an agreement after the departure of Wade to Chicago, understanding that with this new contract the player signed for four seasons where you will receive 5.6 million in 2016/17; 5.9 million in 2017/18; In 2018/19 18900000; and 19.6 million in 2019/20, a problem in the team salary cap for the signings future they intend to do.

Miami Heat roster up to 15 players for 2016-17 season

MIAMI — The rebuilding process has begun.

At the start of Sunday, the Heat had just nine players under contract. By Sunday night, Miami had reached the regular-season limit of 15 players.

The Heat’s busy day included acquiring free agents Wayne Ellington, James Johnson and Willie Reed. It included bringing back Miami native Udonis Haslem. It included a trade for 3-point specialist Luke Babbitt. If that wasn’t enough, it also included retaining Tyler Johnson.

Las Vegas Summer League Preview: Miami Heat

The Miami Heat had a pretty good showing in the Orlando Summer League, but now will be challenged even more in Las Vegas.

The Las Vegas Summer League began on Friday, and the Heat will begin on Saturday. It's yet to be determined if Justise Winslow will be playing, as his hope was not to considering he will begin playing with the USA Select team helping prepare Team USA for the Olympics.

Standing Pat: Heat fans must have faith in Riley after Wade's departure

BELIEVE

Even though that may be impossible right now. Dwyane Wade was a beloved sports figure. The reason that this city transformed from a football town to a basketball city. You saw glimpses of how special he would be when he hit the game winner over Baron Davis in the 2003 NBA Playoffs against the Charlotte Hornets. You realized his superstar status when the legendary Shaquille O'Neal decided to come to the Miami Heat to play alongside him. You saw dominance in the 2006 NBA Finals, followed up by MVP-like seasons in 2008 and 2009. You saw how he could recruit, becoming the vital piece in bringing in LeBron James and Chris Bosh. And when "The King" left, you saw him branding himself with the city as his home and his life.

Did Dwyane Wade Take a Private Jet With LeBron James and Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert Monday Night?

If NBA free agency wasn't crazy enough—with Kevin Durant signing with the 73-win Golden State Warriors—things really turned up on Monday night when rumors started flying that Miami Heat free agent Dwyane Wade was on a private jet with LeBron James and Cavs owner Dan Gilbert. These rumors first originated when Joe Lull, a Cleveland media member, tweeted out a link to a flight tracker page, which showed a private jet route from Fort Lauderdale to Cleveland. If you don't remember, Lull is the same man that first broke the news that Dan Gilbert had flown down to Miami to meet with LeBron in 2014, which brought Cavs Twitter to bring out the very same flight tracker.

Luol Deng thanks Heat for 'an amazing two years'

Luol Deng left the Miami Heat for better financial terms. He also left on the best of terms.

A day after agreeing to a four-year, $72 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, Deng made a point of making a point to the Heat and the team's fans.

Posting on Instagram along with a picture of himself in his former No. 9 Heat uniform, Deng wrote: