Report: 1 of 6 projected luxury tax teams, Heat would give away Chalmers, Andersen
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Mario Chalmers may yet get freed from the constant yelling from Miami Heat teammates.
While his value isn't incredibly high and the list of suitors could be short, he seems a safe a bet as any to change teams before the 2015-16 season. He and Chris Andersen are so firmly on the trading block that the Heat aren't even looking for anything in return, according to Zach Lowe of Grantland.
Chalmers and Andersen were said to be available in the lead-up to free agency as the Heat looked to create the requisite financial flexibility to re-sign Goran Dragic and Dwyane Wade. Now that Miami's offseason spending is more or less complete, the pair of long-time Heat are "available for nothing," according to Lowe's sources.
Shabazz Napier, famously drafted because he was a favorite of the later-departed LeBron James, could also be available.
The impetus for the Heat dumping players is financial. Chalmers is set to earn $4.3 million this year, Andersen will make $5 million, and Napier is on the books with a cheap rookie deal but one that extends into the summer of 2016, when the Heat want as much cap space as possible.
As things stand now, the Heat are one of six teams projected to be in the luxury tax, along with the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, and Cleveland Cavaliers. They're also one of two projected "repeater" tax teams, along with the Nets, a status that threatens to increase the tax penalties and severely limit Miami's means of improving the roster.
The luxury tax for 2015-16 is projected to be $81.6 million, but if the reported jump in the salary cap occurs, the tax line would push higher, too. The Heat have an estimated $94.9 million committed to 15 players, more than $91 million of which is guaranteed, so getting under the tax line may require more than dumping Andersen and Chalmers, depending where the final figure lands.
Finding a home for Chalmers may be possible - he's a capable backup guard if his 3-point stroke rebounds, and he's averaged 8.9 points and 3.8 assists over seven seasons, earning plenty of playoff experience - but unloading the 37-year-old Andersen may require a sweetener. Short on draft picks, the Heat may consider floating Napier as an enticement for taking on Andersen or Chalmers.