The Miami Heat have shown interest in a Jamal Crawford trade this summer and with the team shopping Mario Chalmers, Chris Andersen and possibly Josh McRoberts in trades, a deal could be an option with the Clippers and this comes as Hassan Whiteside is set to start alongside Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic after his breakout season.
Miami has been looking to lower its luxury tax bill this summer and the team did some of that already by trading Shabazz Napier and Zoran Dragic. According to the Miami Herald, the team has been shopping Chalmers for most of the summer and would like to trade the point guard before the season starts. The team also has Chris Andersen as a trade target and there have been some reports that the team could consider moving McRoberts.
Chalmers said to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in mid-August that the trade speculation has been "tough" to deal with, but that he is focusing on getting ready for camp. If Chalmers ends up staying with the team, he likely will compete with Tyler Johnson to be the primary backup for Dragic. Chalmers is in the final year of his contract and so is Andersen, so they will be off the books eventually, but the team can save money if it's before the season.
Jamal Crawford has been mentioned as a potential trade target for Miami and according to Frank Isola at the New York Daily News, Crawford is also a target for the Knicks. Crawford is a trade target after all the moves the Clippers made this offseason, as his role could be diminished with Lance Stephenson, Josh Smith, Paul Pierce and Wesley Johnson coming in. Crawford averaged 15.8 points per game last season and could be a strong bench scoring option for a team if they acquire him.
Miami has other roster issues to deal with as well even without trades for Chalmers or Andersen, as the team will have to decide who makes it on the final 15-man list. Miami has signed Corey Hawkins and Keith Benson as camp options and the team also has James Ennis and could make a decision on him just before the season starts. Miami has Hassan Whiteside coming back after a strong season and he will be a free agent next summer and is someone the team wants to retain.
According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Whiteside could make over $16 million per year on his next contract and it comes after he averaged 13 points and nearly 12 rebounds last season with 2.5 blocks per game. All of that came in just 23 minutes per game and according to the Miami Herald, Heat assistant Dan Craig said that Whiteside likely would play around that much this season again.
Whiteside is signed to a cheap deal and at his age and skill level, he is set to cash in. Miami knows it has to sign Whiteside and that is one reason why they played some hard ball with Wade this offseason. The team wants to keep wade long term and while the salary cap is rising next year, the team may have to get creative to keep Whiteside, as he will be a main target for teams on the free agent market.
Check here for more on the Miami Heat roster options, trade options with Chalmers and Andersen and for more on Jamal Crawford's trade interest and Whiteside's future.
