Miami Heat NBA Trade Rumors: Heat Met Jared Sullinger, But No Offer Made
The Miami Heat are doing quite well with their current lineup after they stumbled out of the gates to an 11–30 start this season. The team is in the thick of the playoff race right now, but they will have to address their underwhelming power forward depth if they want to improve their chances of securing a postseason berth. Well, they may have found the person who can fill that need at the four spot.
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Heat president Pat Riley met with free agent forward Jared Sullinger recently. However, Sullinger's agent, David Falk, said talks were "exploratory at this point" and the team did not make an offer. "We're looking for a future home. A lot of things would have to happen. They have no roster spot," Falk told Jackson.
If the Heat really want to sign Sullinger, they can actually open up a spot on their roster by waiving Chris Bosh. They haven't done this yet, but it's definitely an option.
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"The most likely way for the Heat to clear a roster spot is by releasing forward Chris Bosh, which would begin the process of clearing his contract from Miami's salary cap, a process that requires a doctor to conclude that playing again, after multiple blood clot incidents, would put Bosh at risk," Jackson said in his report.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel also talked about the possibility of waiving Bosh to open a roster spot, but he doesn't think they would consider doing that to sign Sullinger.
Sullinger has been a productive player during his time with the Boston Celtics. He missed the first half of this season due to a foot injury and he hasn't played much since his return. The Toronto Raptors traded him to the Phoenix Suns last month and he was eventually released.
Sullinger is playoff eligible, so he should attract some interest from teams in need of a power forward.
