The Miami Heat passed up on signing Andray Blatche this past offseason. However, with a struggling roster that just lost one big man to injury for the rest of the season (Josh McRoberts) and lost out on another in free agency (Josh Smith), the Heat have changed their mind on Blatche.
ESPN’s Marc Stein is reporting that Miami is expressing interest in adding the 28-year-old.
Heard while in Miami: Heat have Andray Blatche in their sights after Josh Smith wound up choosing Houston to team up with pal Dwight Howard
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) December 27, 2014
However, the Heat would be unable to sign Blatche until February. The big man decided to play in China this season after a lack of interest in his services from NBA teams in the offseason.
Trouble there, of course, is that Blatche will be with his team in China through at least February. Heat need a big sooner rather than later
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) December 27, 2014
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The Heat have obtained a $2.65 million disabled player exception due to McRoberts’ injury, giving them the financial flexibility to add a talent like Blatche, making this a very interesting situation.
This is a Heat team that desperately needs bigs; for all Blatche’s negative qualities (his effort and attitude have long been questioned), he’s a competent player and his talent would no doubt be of benefit to Miami.
Blatche played a key role in the Brooklyn Nets’ second-half turnaround last season and finished the season with respectable averages of 11.2 points on 47.6 percent shooting from the floor and 5.3 rebounds per game.
But, as Stein pointed out, the Heat need immediate frontcourt help. At 14-17, Miami is battling for a playoff berth and seeding. It’s certainly fair to suggest that it can’t afford to wait on signing Blatche in March.
Also, there’s a reason the Heat and every other team passed up on Blatche this past offseason: those negative qualities we discussed earlier. Blatche is a risk and while he’s a good player, he might not be good enough to where the risk outweighs the reward.
Still, the Heat don’t have a lot of great options right now. It’s not clear if the top two bigs on the free agent market, Jermaine O’Neal and Emeka Okafor, are even interested in making a return this season.
Plus, with NBA contenders expected to pursue either if they do want to come back, it’s far from a lock that Miami would be able to sign one.
On top of that, both haven’t played all season, so it’s not as if the Heat could count on immediate production from either if they were to sign with the team.
So, unless Pat Riley is interested in making a trade, Blatche might be Miami’s best option if the team wants to add a big capable of making a real impact.
This is certainly a situation to monitor and one that could have a big effect on the Heat’s season.