Heat going strong after free-agent C Camby
MIAMI — Has center Marcus Camby emerged as the free agent the Heat are going after the hardest?
Sources close to the situation said Friday the free agent will visit Miami on Saturday. One source said the Heat had reached out to Camby’s camp at 12:01 a.m. EDT last Sunday, the very first time teams could contact free agents.
It initially appeared Camby’s priority was to re-sign with Houston. But sources said Camby has changed his tune this week due to a belief the Rockets are rebuilding, and he would be very receptive to signing with Miami.
The Heat on Thursday entertained free-agent guard Ray Allen. On Sunday, they will play host to free-agent forward Rashard Lewis.
Using Miami’s $3.09 million exception, the Heat are willing to give Allen a three-year, $9.53 million contract. However, Allen could end up returning to Boston, which has offered him a two-year, $12 million deal. And one source wondered if, due to how thin Miami is at center and the difficulty it is to acquire big men without big bucks, Camby could emerge as a more preferred Heat free agent than Allen.
Is there a possibility the Heat could get both Allen and Camby? A source reiterated there’s no chance Camby would sign for the veteran’s minimum of $1.35 million but it’s possible a sign-and-trade deal could be arranged with Houston (it’s unclear if Lewis would accept the veteran’s minimum).
Camby, 38, split last season with Portland and Houston, averaging 4.9 points and 9.9 rebounds. In 19 late-season games with the Rockets, Camby averaged 7.1 and 9.3 rebounds.
Camby, who made $11.3 million last season, wants a multi-year deal and hopes to play about three more seasons. Due to his rebounding and shot-blocking ability and not caring about how many points he scores, he would fit in well with the Heat.
Sources had said early in the week Camby’s preference was to re-sign with Houston. But that has changed.
“He sees the moves they are making and it looks like they’re rebuilding,’’ one source said. “He wants to win a championship.’’
The Rockets last week traded center Samuel Dalembert to Milwaukee. This week, they’ve agreed to trade point guard Kyle Lowry to Toronto, and free-agent point guard Gorin Dragic has agreed to bolt Houston for Phoenix.
Houston this week agreed to sign Chicago restricted free-agent center Omer Asik and New York restricted free-agent point guard Jeremy Lin to offer sheets. But both could be matched.
Sources said Camby also plans to visit New York, and that Dallas and San Antonio remain in the mix as possibilities. For now, though, he will take a long look at Miami.
Miami won the championship with Chris Bosh having been moved from power forward to start in the Finals at center against Oklahoma City. But it remains to be seen if that could work over the long haul. Miami’s only true centers under contract for next season are Joel Anthony and Dexter Pittman.
The Heat entered free agency before last season hoping to get a big man but found the $3 million taxpayer exception didn’t go very far. They’ll now see if it can be used to land Camby or whether the Rockets might cooperate for a sign-and-trade.
The Heat don’t have a lot to offer for a possible sign-and-trade. There is young point guard Norris Cole and forward Udonis Haslem, but the Heat are very loyal to the Miami native. And there is the future first-round pick the Heat got last week from Philadelphia, which could be packaged in some manner.
Chris Tomasson can be reached at christomasson@hotmail.com or on Twitter @christomasson