NBA Rumors: Heat interested in Vince Carter, Shawn Marion & Luol Deng?
The Miami Heat are not in nearly as bad of a situation as many believe.
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Although panic has seemingly set in since the San Antonio Spurs easily disposed of the Heat in five games in the NBA Finals, the Heat were still in the finals for the fourth straight season and could be just a piece away from claiming their third title in the big three era.
Nate Duncan of Basketball Insiders lists Cleveland Cavaliers’ forward Luol Deng, Dallas Mavericks’ forward Shawn Marion, Brooklyn Nets’ point guard Shaun Livingston and Dallas Mavericks’ guard Vince Carter as potential options for the Heat.
"So, perhaps going for Carmelo isn’t their best plan. They instead will need to try to get another big man who can defend the rim, and someone to play a Battier type role as a hybrid on the wing who can shoot 3s, plus either re-sign Chalmers or get another point guard. If the big 3 all re-sign for $15 million, that leaves about $17 million in cap space plus the room exception to get that done. Luol Deng actually could be a decent fit in Miami if he were willing to sign for a relative discount. Shawn Marion would also be decent defensively, although he could hurt their previous spacing. Livingston is another option as well. Vince Carter would fit the profile as a gunner off the bench who plays passable D."
Carter averaged 11.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game last season, Marion went 10.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game, Livingston put up 8.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game and Deng averaged 16.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.0 steals per game.