The Miami Heat are coming off of their second straight championship win and their third straight finals appearance and after losing Mike Miller to the amnesty clause and signing back Chris Birdman Andersen, the team needs to retool the roster and so far the two biggest names to come up are Marcus Camby and Greg Oden.
The Heat like both players and have been going hard after Oden, the former number one pick in the draft from the Blazers who has played in just 82 games in his career due to knee problems. The star has been getting attention from a number of teams, including Miami, New Orleans, Sacramento as well as the Spurs and now they are waiting on a decision and more workouts. Camby was moved to the Raptors and bought out and now he is looking to join a contender in someone like the Heat, Bulls or Clippers.
If the Heat miss out on both players, there are still other options available to them in free agency, including Lamar Odom, Antawn Jamison and Timofey Mozgov, although depending on the price those players ask for, that could change. Jamison fits the bill as an aging veteran like Ray Allen and Mike Miller in the past and he averaged 9.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists last season for the Lakers and could offer solid minutes to the team. He is getting interest from the Wizards and Clippers, while the Heat also could jump in after LA signed Byron Mullens.
At 37, Jamison is getting up there in age, but he played very well in spots for the Lakers last season and that could be enough for the team. Oden last averaged 11.1 points and 8.5 rebounds the last time he played before getting hurt and if he is healthy, he could provide some very solid scoring and rebounding from down low to make good on the promise he had as a young rookie back when he was drafted. Odom could be back with the Heat as well after averaging 4.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists last season with the Clippers and he could be motivated again to try and win another championship.
When Camby came over in the Andrea Bargnani with the Knicks, he made it clear that he wanted to play elsewhere for a contender, and that could mean teams like the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Clippers or LA Lakers among others, according to ESPN.com and Pro Basketball Talk. Camby is a banger and while he is much older than back when he was drafted by the Raptors, he still can give solid and meaningful minutes to a contending team.
The Knicks can't sign back Camby after trading him due to the CBA trade rules and now he has narrowed his options to Miami, Houston, Chicago and the Clippers. The 39-year-old Camby could be a solid presence on the bench and will add veteran depth to any of those team and he is interested in trying to make a championship run with one of those contenders. Camby was not interested in rebuilding with the Raptors and general manager Masai Ujiri obliged and bought out his contract, which will become official soon.
Camby looks healthy now after dealing with injuries the past two seasons and playing in just 43 games and the main reason he was moved in the first place was money, as he was set to get $8.5 million for the next two seasons but only $1 million of that was guaranteed. The Rockets are also reportedly interested in adding Mike Miller, as they feel he could add some offensive firepower to the bench after signing Dwight Howard and along with James Harden he could play as big a part as he did with the Miami Heat as they made three finals appearances in three years.
Camby would likely be signed using the mid-level exception or to a minimum contract, but his main priority is winning anyway. The Clippers would love to add him to play behind both DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin, as they don't have too much depth after losing Ronny Turiaf. The teams that are going after Greg Oden in the Heat, Spurs and Pelicans could also go after Camby depending on what Oden does, as he could give some depth to the roster even though he is much older. Oden, the former number one pick, is just 25-years-old and despite playing in just 82 games in his career, he finally appears to be healthy.
The Raptors already signed Tyler Hansbrough as well as DJ Augustin and now Camby will be out as Ujiri tries to make more moves in the offseason. Camby would be a solid addition to all those contending teams and they all need someone who can eat some minutes and who can rebound and play solid defense. Camby was originally the number two pick for the Raptors and since he is up there in age, he did not want to stay around while the team was building up again and now he clearly will be on the move to one of those contending teams.
Hansbrough is a tough player and he can get under the skin of the opposition at time, much like he did with Chris Andersen in the NBA Eastern conference finals against the Heat. The former Pacers star has averaged 8.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 19.7 minutes in nearly 250 career games and he had his best season in 2010 and 2011 when he averaged 11.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 21.9 minutes in 70 games.
Hansbrough was a first round pick by the team and the Pacers let him go so that they could sign David West to a deal. The star had his best game of his career after dropping 30 against the Knicks in 2011 and grabbing 14 rebounds against the Magic in 2013 and now he will bring that intensity North of the border. Ujiri wanted the roster to be tougher for head coach Dwane Casey and now Hansbrough can provide that style of rebounding and defense to a team that needs it badly.
