Although veteran wing Klay Thompson has been repeatedly cited as the Heat‘s top remaining target after LeBron James signed with Philadelphia, an anonymous scout from an opposing team isn’t particularly high on what the 36-year-old could bring to the table, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
It’s worth reiterating that Thompson is still under contract with the Mavericks — he’ll earn $17.5MM in the final season of his contract. Miami would have to trade for Thompson, which appears unlikely, or he’d have to agree to a buyout with Dallas.
That same scout also advised against pursuing Bradley Beal due to concerns over his hip injury and said he wouldn’t sign Russell Westbrook “in a million years” if he were Miami. However, the longtime scout Winderman spoke to was slightly more optimistic about a few other free agents, including DeMar DeRozan.
“Well, he’s got more left than Klay,” the scout said of DeRozan. “But stylistically is the problem. He’s got to come off the bench — and he’s never come off the bench in his entire career (12 total times, all as a rookie in 2009/10). With him, Bam (Adebayo) and Giannis (Antetokounmpo), there would be no spacing. And he’s ball dominant.
“But if he could accept the role as a six-man type, he would bolster their bench and maybe finish games, too, I guess. No doubt, he can do that, as a finisher. Yeah, you could go to him. I think he’s still got some go-to ability.
“I mean, he’s not going to defend,” the scout continued. “When he was with San Antonio, he did start to pass the ball a little. But that’s not why you have him. That’s not his strength. But as a sixth man, considering the other options, he’s a cut above Thompson, for sure.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- D’Angelo Russell is technically still a member of the Grizzlies, but there’s an expectation that he’ll either be traded, bought out or waived, Winderman notes. That same scout views the veteran guard as a better option for Miami than Beal or Westbrook. “He’s still good,” the scout said. “I mean, it’s an interesting one. He’s just worn out his welcome everywhere. He lures you with his talent, to a point. He’s got some point-guard ability. He can score and pass. He can dribble, pass and shoot. He can get his own shot. He’s always been a good passer. He’s not very good defensively. I would rather have him than Beal; I’d rather have him than Westbrook.” The scout also gave his take on free agent center Nick Richards, referring to him as a third-string center on a good team rather than a primary backup.
- Head coach Erik Spoelstra is bullish on the Heat’s new-look roster in the wake of trading for Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis and adding Tim Hardaway Jr. in free agency, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Spoelstra acknowledged there will likely be some uneven play along the way, but is “really confident” in the current group. “I think we do have the shooting. I think we have the play-making. I think we have the versatility to play unorthodox,” Spoelstra said. “The fact that Bam and Giannis can handle like guards, and you can invert a lot of your offense. You can play both those guys at the elbows. They both have done that over the course of their careers. You can play them at the top of the floor. You can play them in the post. You can play them as screeners. You can play them as handlers. So there are a lot of possibilities there.”
- In case you missed, longtime former Heat wing Josh Richardson announced his retirement on Thursday. You can find our story right here.