Amar’e Stoudemire Close To Signing With The Miami Heat

Free agent Amar’e Stoudemire is reportedly on the verge of signing a contract to play for the Miami Heat, according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.

Amar’e Stoudemire’s scheduled to meet w/MIA tomorrow. The belief currently is that Amar’e/MIA are “close” to completing a deal, per sources.

— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) July 9, 2015

The 32-year-old Stoudemire, as mentioned by Begley, will meet with the Heat on Friday morning. As noted by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, via an associate of Stoudemire’s, his client is interested in playing for the Heat, but a deal is far from guaranteed.

“Amar’e Stoudemire will meet with Pat Riley on Friday morning and the idea of playing for the Heat and living in South Florida (where he has a home) appeals to him. He wants to be with the Heat. We’ll see how the meeting goes. It’s not a money decision.”

As the associate states, money is not a deciding factor in Stoudemire’s decision. That can only mean good things for Miami, as they can only offer him their $3.376 million taxpayer’s mid-level exception. Additionally, under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Heat need to shed salary or they will be forced to pay a repeat-offender tax, as noted by Hoops Rumors.

Spending his first eight seasons with the Phoenix Suns, Stoudemire made five All-Star teams in a Suns uniform, routinely posting over 20 PPG and nearly 10 RPG during his stint in the desert. Stoudemire left Phoenix for the bright lights of New York City after the 2009-2010 season, signing a five-year contract worth nearly $100 million.

Although he got off to a fast start with the Knicks, a slew of injuries reduced both his ability and playing time. The list of injuries included bulging discs in his back, knee issues, and more. In his last full season with the Knicks, Stoudemire averaged just 11.9 PPG and 4.9 RPG.

With the team struggling last season, the Knicks bought out Stoudemire, allowing him to sign with the Dallas Mavericks and help them down the stretch. He was used off the bench and averaged 10.8 PPG and 3.7 RPG in Dallas, showing that he can still score the basketball in limited action.

Thus, if the Heat and Stoudemire reach an agreement, he would likely be one of the teams most relied upon bench players. With the ability to maintain a double-digit average in points and his size, Stoudemire would give the Heat front court depth. But if the Heat are not his eventual destination, there are still several interested parties. As noted by Chris Broussard of ESPN.com, there are at least four other teams with varying degrees of interest in Stoudemire.

Add Lakers to list of Houston, Dallas, Clippers, Phoenix being those who’ve registered interest in @Amareisreal as back-up big, sources say — Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) July 2, 2015

Whichever team does ink Stoudemire, they will be receiving an experienced 13-year veteran who can still contribute when needed.

[Image by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images]