For lack of a better term, the Miami Heat’s offseason can best be described as a train wreck. What was supposed to be all about rebooting for another run at multiple championships has now seemingly turned turning into a desperate scramble to add (and even retain) pieces.
Armed with almost the entire cap salary for the 2014-15 season (estimated to be around $63 million), Pat Riley hasn’t been able to bring in many big name free-agents. He has, however, been able to been able to shuffle and deal to bring on board the trio of Shabazz Napier, Josh McRoberts and former Indiana Pacer Danny Granger – hardly the “Big Three” to get players (or fans) excited about Miami.
Meanwhile it’s anyone’s guess what LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are going to do since nothing spectacular has really happened in South Beach. Though with that said, it’s really hard to imagine Wade in anything other than a Heat uniform, so smart money would suggest he comes back one way or another.
As for the other two though, that’s a whole different ball game.
James is being courted by numerous teams–which is to be expected, after all, it’s nothing less than you would anticipate for the best player in the world–but the lack of activity from the front office has led to some doubt, therefore reports suggest Miami is no longer the front runner for the King. According to Chris Sheridan, the odds are overwhelmingly stacked in favor of the Cleveland Cavaliers prodigal son coming home:
"“A plugged-in source tells me there is a 90 percent chance that LeBron James will return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and it will be announced on www.lebronjames.com if it happens.”"
And ESPN’s Chris Broussard agrees…
Cleveland has replaced Miami as my frontrunner to land LeBron James...
— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) July 7, 2014
I'm not saying LJ to Cavs is done deal or I know 4 a fact; just my gut feeling based on many conversations I've had around this story...
— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) July 7, 2014
These convos aren't sourced enough 4 me to report as fact. But I've heard enough to believe "the wind is blowing" LJ back home. We'll see...
— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) July 7, 2014
While all this is merely rumors right now, it certainly creates (if there isn’t any already) some doubt, especially if there isn’t a decision soon. But one thing is for sure, everything hinges what he chooses to do, including where Bosh ends up. The All-Star center has stated that he would “be in a second” should LeBron re-sign with the Heat, which is understandable and sounds simple enough … until you throw in the Houston Rockets’ max-contract offer worth $90 million. With James’ destination in doubt, the lack of game-changing moves from Riley and Houston offering the money he wants, there is a very real chance Chris Bosh doesn’t ends up in a Miami Heat uniform next season. So with that said, who should Miami look to replace him with?