Report: Heat could move Beno Udrih to get under the tax
Beno Udrih just arrived in Miami, but it's not like he was welcomed with open arms immediately upon arrival. Udrih has been solid ever since slipping on a Heat uniform, but when Pat Riley & Co. traded for the backup point guard, they weren't necessarily doing it for on-court reasons.
The Heat gave up Mario Chalmers and James Ennis to receive Udrih and Jarnell Stokes back from Memphis in a move that was more money-focused than anything else. Miami has made it somewhat of a priority to get under the tax; it's not dire, but it would be the preference if the Heat were able to do it while still remaining competitive.
During a mailbag, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel responded to a reader who mentioned he was encouraged with Udrih's recent play and wanted to know if his strong performances since coming to Miami would help him stay in South Florida. Here's how Winderman answered:
First let me put my socks back on. I agree that Beno has been somewhat of a revelation. And your point speaks exactly to what he is, a player who buys you time when others are injured, in foul trouble, or off their game. But he also is not essential. And if he can be excised as part of maneuvering to get below the tax, I still believe that is a direction the Heat would move. But I'm not sure what Beno is doing now exactly has outside teams knocking down the Heat's door. So you might get your wish of him sticking around, if only by default.
Udrih has averaged 3.5 points and 2.1 assists in 13.9 minutes per game since coming to the Heat. That's over 19 contests. More importantly, he makes $2.2 million and would hit free agency after this year. That's a contract which the Heat could find is easy to unload. However, Miami would have to part with more than just the money Udrih is owed in order to get below the tax line, which it is about $5.5 million over at the moment.