- Kyle Lowry speaks out on trade rumors involving him and complaints from Miami Heat fans about his scoring
- Report: Heat began talking to Timberwolves about possible Kyle Lowry-D’Angelo Russell trade in December
- Shaquille O’Neal leaves Bam Adebayo off of his All-Star reserve ballot
- NBA executives believe the Miami Heat may not be willing to part with Caleb Martin for Cam Reddish
- Report: Miami Heat not willing to offer Caleb Martin to Phoenix Suns for Jae Crowder
- Report: Miami Heat interested in adding help at guard
- Report: Heat, Suns, Mavericks and Clippers interested in D’Angelo Russell
- Bam Adebayo slams All-Star voting: ‘There are guys that shouldn’t even be on that list’
- Pat Riley says he still roots for LeBron James
- Report: Miami Heat expected to show ‘some interest’ in Josh Hart
Miami Heat Rumors: Heat Interested in Point Guard J.J. Barea
- Updated: June 30, 2015
While the Miami Heat may be zoned in on re-signing Dwyane Wade, it appears their first target in free agency will be an old rival.
J.J. Barea, the point guard who was instrumental in the Dallas Mavericks’ 4-2 series defeat of the Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals, appears to be on Miami’s radar. According to ESPN Dallas reporter Tim MacMahon, the Heat are one of four teams that are showing an interest in signing the speedy guard:
Source says Heat, Bulls, Lakers and Mavs among teams with interest in JJ Barea. Hear he wants multiyear deal in $3M per range.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) June 29, 2015
Though Barea is 31 years of age, he still remains an effective scoring option in short spurts. He averaged 7.5 points per game in just 17.7 minutes per contest last season. However, he is most famously known for his role in slowing down LeBron James on defense during the 2011 Finals despite James’ eight-inch, 90-pound size advantage over the diminutive Barea. The Puerto Rican point guard is listed at just 6-feet and 175 pounds.
The pairing between the Heat and Barea would be an odd one considering Mario Chalmers and Shabazz Napier are under contract for next season. Goran Dragic will also likely be back in Miami next year despite becoming a free agent on July 1.
Having said that, the Heat are in desperate need of scoring off the bench. They were one of the worst teams in the league in offensive output from bench players. Barea would provide an offensive spark as a specialty bench player.
As the free agency period officially begins on Wednesday, we’ll see just how serious the Heat are in signing the nine-year guard.
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