The Miami Heat have been hinting trades would be a possibility this year after they failed to get anything done during the offseason. In order to try and relieve some of their luxury tax burdens, the Heat have been aiming to get trades done with some of their bench players and two weeks into the season they got the deal for Mario Chalmers. Could Chris Andersen be next?
According to ESPN's Marc Stein, the Heat have pulled off a trade sending Chalmers along with James Ennis to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Beno Udrih and Jarnell Stokes. The Heat have been shopping Chalmers since the offseason after re-signing Goran Dragic to a new extension, but had yet to find any real interest. The point guard had fallen out of favor with the Heat and was owed $4.3 million in the final year of his contract. With Chalmers gone, the Heat are not stopping the trade shopping.
According to Stein, Andersen is the next deal on the docket as they have also been shopping the forward since the summer. Trading Andersen would take a lot of luxury tax burden off the Heat and they have the depth to make him expendable. Andersen has been a quality player for the Heat, but his contract is simply too much to take on. After acquiring players like Amar'e Stoudemire, Andersen is not needed. The Heat also do not plan on keeping Udrih or Stokes for long. Stein writes they are expected to continue to be shopped as well.
The Heat have a lot of contract issues this year and coming up next offseason. Miami will again be tasked with re-signing Dwyane Wade to another deal. The two sides went back and forth for most of the offseason before the franchise star agreed to a one-year deal. Wade is looking for security and he will also not be aiming to take a pay cut with the Heat. That contract along with Hassan Whiteside's needed deal could put the Heat in a tough spot.
According to the Miami Herald, the Heat intend to take a look at Kevin Durant in the summer as well. The former MVP is going to be a free agent with everyone chasing him with a max contract. The Heat will have a hard time signing Durant along with Whiteside and Wade. According to the Thunder star, free agency is far from his mind right now.
"I just try to go about every day, just focus on one day," Durant said, via ESPN.com. "I don't think about the future too hard. I'll worry about that stuff when I get there. I've been saying 'I don't know' for a long, long time, but I'm really just focused on our team, happy I'm playing again, and that kind of takes over."
