The first shoe in the great free agency derby of 2010 may be dropping soon, because the Miami Heat may be on the verge of acquiring Chris Bosh in a sign-and-trade deal.
NBA Free Agents: Heat, Raptors Reportedly Working Out Sign And Trade Deal For Chris Bosh
Dan LeBatard is reporting that a deal that would send Bosh to Miami for Michael Beasley, Mario Chalmers and Joel Anthony is done.
I hear bosh-miami is done ..bosh-wade shared agent avoids tampering...its why beasley, chalmers, anthony still here...raptors get them
However, a source in Toronto denied the news to Michael Grange of the Globe and Mail, saying there is “no truth” to that rumor.
Chris Bosh may well end up in Miami, but with the NBA's free agent window not yet open, reports of a deal in place that would return Canadian national team member Joel Anthony, forward Michael
Beasley and guard Mario Chalmers are premature."There is no truth to that," said one source with knowledge of the situation.
A major issue is that Miami is loath to part with players as they try to bring LeBron James or Bosh or both to play with Dwyane Wade because they have so few as it is. Only Chalmers and Beasley are under contract for next season as the Heat have jettisoned most of their roster to make room for three ‘max'-type deals to keep Wade and team him with fellow Team USA members Bosh and James.
In other words, the specific sign-and-trade arrangement hasn’t been finalized. Still, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel strongly indicates that it’s only a matter of time until Bosh is in Miami.
A long-time NBA agent representing several players on the upcoming free-agent market told the Sun Sentinel on Wednesday that he expects the Miami Heat to land Toronto Raptors power forward Chris Bosh during the impending NBA free agency period.
Winderman also reports that teams can begin to discuss sign-and-trade possibilities with each other before the July 1 moratorium is lifted.
At this point, it’s becoming clear that Chris Bosh wants to play in Miami. Both the Raptors and Heat probably know this, so they’re trying to figure out if there’s a way they can come to a sign-and-trade agreement that allows Bosh to sign a six-year contract and also allows the Raptors to get something instead of losing Bosh for nothing. As we mentioned here, sign-and-trades take time to work out, because they require cooperation among all sides. The two teams are probably haggling now to find the right deal, but they should eventually reach an agreemnt.
See More:
