Andray Blatche remains one of the few rotation-quality players to remain on the free agent market this late in the offseason. Despite not being signed, Blatche has seen reported interest from multiple teams, including the Miami Heat.
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So it was certainly interesting to see the following tweet popup from sportscaster TJ Manotoc:
Caught @drayblatche at airport. he's still sad he couldn't bring Gilas further. he's off to Miami now to nego! pic.twitter.com/Yzu29KnNTI
— TJ Manotoc (@tjmanotoc) September 5, 2014
“Nego” would figure to be short for negotiate and it’s fair to speculate that the reason he’s going to Miami is to negotiate a contract with the Heat.
While Blatche has had an up-and-down career, he’s a very talented player and he’s worth the Heat taking a flier on.
Blatche played well last season as a member of the Brooklyn Nets’ small-ball system, finishing the year with 11.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
Blatche is a versatile talent that could play both the 4 and 5 for Miami. The Heat, who are reported by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald to be interested in adding a backup center, likely see Blatche as more of a small-ball 5.
Miami has made some depth-boosting moves lately, but this might qualify as the most noteworthy one of them all.
The 28-year-old Blatche was selected with the No. 49 pick by the Washington Wizards in the 2005 NBA Draft. He has career averages of 10.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and .8 blocks per game while playing for the Wizards and Nets throughout his nine-year career.