Hayward visits Miami; Heat lay out their vision
Gordon Hayward was greeted on Saturday by an image of himself wearing a Miami Heat uniform.
Soon, the Heat will know if their vision becomes reality.
With coaches, staff and some current players helping to lay out the red carpet, the Heat made their pitch to the All- Star forward — who is also expected to speak with Boston and Utah in the coming days before announcing his decision.
A person with direct knowledge of the meeting told The Associated Press that Hayward was at the arena where the Heat play for several hours, getting a feel for many aspects of the team’s operation and emphasis on its culture. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because neither the Heat nor Hayward revealed any details publicly.
Among the players known to be part of the meeting were Heat center Hassan Whiteside and longtime captain Udonis Haslem — who returned from dropping his son off at college in time to greet Hayward. Haslem is also a free agent, though the Heat indicated to the Miami native again on Saturday that they want him to return next season for what would be his 15th year with his hometown team.
Also in the meeting were Heat President Pat Riley, coach Erik Spoelstra and several assistant coaches. Heat assistants Chris Quinn and Juwan Howard are part of Miami’s summerleague staff; neither was at the summer opener in Orlando on Saturday because they were engaged in what the team described only as “official Heat business.”
It didn’t take much to figure out what that meant.
Redick takes 1-year, $23M deal from 76ers
A person with knowledge of the negotiations says J. J. Redick has agreed to a $23 million, one-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers,
The person spoke with The Associated Press Saturday on condition of anonymity because the deal cannot become finalized until Wednesday at the earliest. Redick, however, tipped his hand with a tweet: “Trust the process,” a clear nod to Philadelphia’s mantra during its rebuilding cycle over the last several years.
Redick heads to Philadelphia from the Los Angeles Clippers, and gives the 76ers’ young core some experience the team desperately wanted.
Calderon, Cavs agree to one-year deal
The Cavaliers and veteran free-agent point guard Jose Calderon have agreed to a one-year contract for the veteran’s minimum, sources told cleveland. com.
Priority Sports, Calderon’s representatives, announced on Twitter that the 35-year old had reached agreement with the team. The contract is for one season and about $2.33 million, sources said.
Warriors to re-sign key reserve West
OAKLAND, Calif. — Fresh off his first career championship, David West is returning to the Golden State Warriors for what is expected to be his final NBA season, with the team saying it intends to sign him to a new deal next week upon the conclusion of the free agency moratorium period.