The Miami Heat have been an active team this offseason in free agency and now they are looking to add a big man and names like Andray Blatche, Emeka Okafor, Nazr Mohammed and Jermaine O'Neal could be in the mix in free agency to join Luol Deng, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, as the team has already added players like Shawne Williams and Shannon Brown to the bench.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, Miami has been looking to add a big man and a guard this summer and after already bringing in Shannon Brown, the team is turning to the bigs. Blatche has had some interest from teams and he could be an option as a shot blocker and rebounder, while Okafor has been getting a look from the team as well. Okafor missed last season after being traded to the Suns in the Marcin Gortat deal and now he could be an option for Miami.
The Heat also held a workout for Mohammed and while he is 36 years old, he has been productive for a player his age. Mohammed would be a bench player but that is all Miami is looking for and he comes in healthy after playing in 80 games last season. The report from the Miami Herald says that the Heat are interested in Okafor the most, but he is expected to miss at least half the season. That is an issue for Miami and while they could sign him later, they are looking for someone to make an impact all year.
Blatche is the player with the best skills of the group right now and while that is not saying much, he had some solid performances with Brooklyn last season and could be a nice fit. Blatche had interest from the Raptors earlier in the season, but that's over with now. Jordan Crawford, Leandro Barbosa and Chris Douglas-Roberts were previous targets for the team, but Barbosa signed with the Warriors and now CDR appears to be going to the Clippers.
Mohammed had a workout and a meeting with the team this week and he comes in after averaging 5.9 points and 4.8 rebounds in his career this far. The team signed Brown over Crawford and they also want Ray Allen, but right now he is getting wooed by other teams for the time being. Miami comes in after winning 54 games last season, but they will need to be better overall with LeBron James leaving, as he was the leader in points, rebounding and assists last season per game for the Heat.
Miami has made a number of free agent moves this offseason to help with the loss of James, including signing Deng, as he has the chance to make up some of that production. The team also added Josh McRoberts as well as Danny Granger to the mix with Williams and Shabazz Napier. The Heat also signed their own players back with Mario Chalmers, Udonis Haslem and Chris Andersen and they are expected to be a factor in the east this year despite losing James.