The Miami Heat have been an active team this summer in free agency and names like Shawn Marion, Greg Monroe, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Greg Oden, Ray Allen or Ramon Sessions still could be in the mix to join Luol Deng and Dwyane Wade and this comes as Marion is getting heavy interest from the Pacers, while Monroe has been the subject of trade talks with the Pistons, although it's unlikely he ends up in South Beach with the money he is set to make.
According to ESPN.com, the Miami Heat checked in on both Eric Bledsoe and Greg Monroe this summer, but the team felt it was wiser to build their roster rather than get stuck with wasted offer sheets. Marc Stein writes that the Heat and other teams believed that the Suns and Pistons would match any offers for Bledsoe and Monroe, which is why most teams have stayed away. Pro Basketball Talk reports that the Pacers could be looking at a deal involving Roy Hibbert for Monroe, but nothing is close to happening yet.
The Heat have been an active team this summer and one of the main reasons is due to the fact that they were weak on the bench in the finals last season against the Spurs. The team has tackled that head on and while they have lost LeBron James, the team has added Danny Granger and Josh McRoberts along with a number of other players. The team kept most of their own free agents, including Mario Chalmers, Wade and Chris Bosh as well as Udonis Haslem and Chris Andersen and they also signed Shawne Williams to a deal.
According to the Miami Herald, Chris Douglas-Roberts is a target for the team and he comes in after having a solid season with the Charlotte Bobcats aka now the Hornets. Last season he averaged 6.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 49 games and he can play at both small forward and shooting guard and could be a nice backup for Dwyane Wade. Last season Wade missed 30 games and limiting his minutes could be big for keeping him healthy all season. Douglas-Roberts is also a strong three point shooter and that could be big for Miami once they lose Ray Allen officially, as it looks like he will be signing with the Cavs.
Greg Oden and Michael Beasley are still on the market, but it's likely those two are gone. Oden has his legal troubles now, while Beasley has been worked out by the Lakers. Oden averaged 2.9 points and 2.3 rebounds in 23 games last season and now he could be out for this year as teams see what happens with his legal issue. Miami feels that they have a strong team already and Williams is another player they like, as he is versatile and can defend and he comes in after averaging 5.6 points and 4.6 rebounds last season.
Miami feels like it still has a chance in the east, especially with the Paul George injury and now the team is looking to start strong this season. The Cavaliers will be the favorites in the east, but after adding Deng Miami thinks it can be in the mix as well.
