The Miami Heat have made a lot of critical moves to try and adjust their salary cap burden. The team is looking to gain as much financial flexibility in the coming year so they can hand Hassan Whiteside a big contract, chase Kevin Durant and give Dwyane Wade another contract. Handing Goran Dragic and max deal and having Luol Deng opt in hurt that effort, so the Heat continue to push trade deals as the offseason continues. Are more on the horizon?
In the past two days the Heat have traded away both Shabazz Napier and Zoran Dragic and dumping loads of pay roll burdens. According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Napier and Dragic trades certainly helped, but the Miami Heat are still shopping Mario Chalmers and Chris Andersen on the market. The question is should they really risk losing either player at this point as they continue to dump salaries?
The Heat want to trade Chalmers simply because of his $4.3 million salary in 2015. However, that is also the exact reason why they cannot trade him. Chalmers is not a starting point guard and no one will be willing to pay that much for roster depth. With additions like Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson, Chalmers is expendable, but that is easier said than done. With Matthew Dellavedova headed back to Cleveland, the Cavaliers are not interested. The Los Angeles Lakers cannot afford the contract. The New York Knicks have the same issue with Jose Calderon.
The best option for the Heat could be shopping Chalmers to the Philadelphia 76ers who are still $21 million below the cap. The team is not interested in winning next season and they are not interested in long-term contracts. Chalmers is the perfect fit. According to ESPN's Marc Stein, the Heat are simply looking to dump space and not get much in return. Chalmers would be an ideal fit to at least help on offense.
Chris Andersen is the next trade candidate for the Heat. According to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel, there is a market for Andersen considering several teams want size, but like with Chalmers, his contract is holding back interest. The Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers are all looking for depth in size, but might not be willing to take on the contract of Andersen. The center is a dynamic threat off the bench, one Miami has taken advantage of. It would not be the worst thing in the world to keep his talents on the roster, but for a team chasing the Durant dream, they might want the tax relief.
