NBA Free Agency: Greg Oden and Miami Heat — A Good Match?

Recent rumors have confirmed that there is mutual interest between Greg Oden and the Miami Heat. But are the two parties a good match?

Miami’s lack of size and rebounding has been well-documented by now. In the first year of the Big Three, the Heat filled out the roster with a bunch of veteran big men, who didn’t really play a significant role down the stretch of the season. Eventually, the Heat abandoned that strategy, decided to commit to small-ball and moved Chris Bosh to the center position.

Despite Miami’s attachment to playing small, adding a decent defensive big man for cheap is definitely an option worth considering.

The former No. 1 overall pick, Greg Oden, has had his fair share of injuries and left the Portland Trail Blazers shaking their heads. With Miami, he would have no pressure on him, probably coming off the bench for somewhere around 15 to 20 minutes and slowly working his way back. If Oden does show signs of his true potential, he would obviously have the opportunity to play a significant role for the back-to-back champions.

Other teams would probably be willing to gamble on Oden as well and even give him more money, so Miami is by all means not his only option. Still, it would make sense for both parties to get together, assuming that Oden is willing to take a significant pay cut. For the Heat, it would be a low risk gamble that could very well pay off.