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Rich
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http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/basketball/12280885.htm
Walker might be on the way
The Heat is close to acquiring forward Antoine Walker, and the team remains interested in Memphis' Jason Williams.
BY ISRAEL GUTIERREZ
igutierrez@herald.com
The NBA moratorium on free agent signings ends today at noon, and the Heat could have the best remaining free agent wrapped up in a sign-and-trade deal soon after.
While details of the deal remained unclear, with the Heat and Celtics speaking late Monday figuring out the specifics, the teams are close to a deal that would send a newly signed forward Antoine Walker to Miami. With the Celtics not wanting to take on much salary in return, the Heat might not be giving up much more than its $1.9 million trade exception, a minimal-salary player and draft picks. A third team could be involved. Walker's deal is believed to begin at about $6 million to $7 million.
In his nine-year career, Walker has averaged 19.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists while playing for the Celtics, Mavericks and Hawks.
ANOTHER POSSIBLE DEAL
Meanwhile, Memphis point guard Jason Williams still looks like he's headed to Miami via trade, but just how the transaction will occur also remains cloudy.
There might be at least one other team involved and possibly more players, but sources maintain that Williams and his Grizzlies, swingman James Posey, will end up in Miami and Eddie Jones will leave the Heat.
Sources indicated that the particulars of the deal have been altered during the past few days, but Heat president Pat Riley was approaching matters as if the move, which was expected to occur within the next three or four days, was imminent.
The prospect of playing in Miami with center Shaquille O'Neal has intrigued Williams since last summer, and he didn't hide his displeasure with the Grizzlies during the course of the past year.
While Williams' numbers and his play have been erratic throughout his seven-year career, one encouraging sign for the Heat is that Williams' first year with each of his past two teams have been his most productive.
In his rookie season with the Sacramento Kings, Williams averaged 12.8 points and six assists. And in his first season with the Grizzlies, the 2001-02 season, Williams averaged a career-best 14.8 points and eight assists.
While Williams has had his differences with coaches, he has never played with a teammate who demands the respect that O'Neal does. Williams' desire to play alongside the franchise center could be enough to keep the occasionally troubled point guard from further problems.
While Williams is likely to join the Heat, the team is still in negotiations with point guard Damon Jones. The Cleveland Cavaliers, however, met with Jones on Monday and made him a significant contract offer. Jones is considering the offer but has not committed to Cleveland and is still mulling a return to Miami.
The Heat also is expected to announce the re-signing of O'Neal to a deal that one NBA source said is a five-year contract worth $25 million each year.
FINANCIAL FLEXIBILITY
With next year's luxury tax threshold set at $61.7 million for the upcoming season, the deal would give the Heat enough flexibility to operate below, or just slightly over, the tax number this year.
Had O'Neal insisted his salary start at $30 million (O'Neal opted out of his previous contract that would have paid him $30.6 million next season), the Heat would have been in a much tighter bind.
As it is, the Heat might still have room to add projected free agent Michael Finley, whom the Mavericks might release under the new ''amnesty'' clause.
Several teams reportedly have expressed interest in adding Finley, but the Heat might have one advantage. Finley and Heat guard Dwyane Wade share the same Chicago-based agent, Henry Thomas, who also represented former Heat point guard Tim Hardaway.
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8/1/2005 2:47 PM
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