EX-MICHIGAN PLAYER TAKES UNUSUAL PATH TO HEAT
The Heat are expecting 1 0- t i me Al l - S t a r Carmelo Anthony, who is expected to be waived and become a free agent after being traded to the Atlanta Hawks last week, to sign with the Houston Rockets, a league source said Friday.
The Heat had some interest in Anthony, 34, and met with him in Las Vegas at Anthony’s request during the NBA summer league. But the source said the role and the kind of money Anthony was looking were sticking points with the Heat.
Miami already has 12 players on the roster, is roughly $4 million over the $123 million luxury tax line and intends to continue to develop some of its younger wing players in Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow.
T N T ’s D a v i d A l d r i d g e repor te d on Twitt er t hat Anthony has been telling people he’ll ultimately wind up with the Rockets.
Anthony, who is coming off his worst season in scoring (16.2 points per game) and shooting (40.4 percent), is expected to still receive the $27.9 million he’s owed for the upcoming season in the buyout with the Hawks.
I t ’s uncl e a r how much money Anthony will ask the Rockets for, but with their luxury tax concerns, the Heat are not looking to break the bank for a player who would be unlikely to make them a serious title contender.
Waiting on Wade: The Heat are hoping to get an answer soon from Dwyane Wade, who continues to tour China after signing a lifetime contract with the Chinese shoe and apparel company Li-Ning last week.
Wade, 36, told The Associated Press that he would focus on making a decision to either return for a 16th NBA season or potentially retire after he returns from China.
M o s t e x p e c t Wa d e t o request the Heat’s $5.3 million tax exception as a starting point in negotiations, should he decide to return. A league source said it would ultimately be up to Heat owner Micky Arison to decide how far he’s willing to go into the luxury tax to re-sign the 12-time All-Star.
Heat president Pat Riley said last month that the team would like Wade and veteran Udonis Haslem to return. Miami has left two of a possible three roster spots open for them, but also has looked into other options.
A league source said the Heat reached out to Wade multiple times before reaching a one-year, $6.27 million deal with Wayne Ellington in hopes of getting a better understanding of what Wade would want to return.
Okafor working out: Former Sixers and Nets center Jahlil Okafor, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 draft, worked out for four NBA teams in Las Vegas and has been working out in Miami for the past few months.
But a league source said the Heat, already with three centers on the roster and unable to move center Hassan Whiteside in part because of his contract, are not interested in Okafor.
Davis in town: Former Heat player Ricky Davis, in town for the Big3 half-court basketball league last week, spent the afternoon before Friday’s games at AmericanAirlines Arena feeding and handing out supplies to the homeless. More than 400 people were served, according to the Heat, who also lent a hand.
Papa John’s decision: Although the Miami Marlins severed ties with Papa John’s after it was learned that founder John Schnatter used a racial slur about African-Americans on a conference call in May, the Heat have not decided what to do about its partnership with the pizza chain.
“We do not want to penalize local ownership and the employees who live in our community,” a Heat spokesman said. “We don’t want to hurt businesses in town that had nothing to do with this controversy.”