What's so wrong with keeping Marion?

[boyboy142]

I don't see why everyone wants to move Marion for such average players as if we're one move away from a title. It'd make more sense to play Marion at the 3 and try to move salary to make a run at Brand. I'm not an expert on our salary situation, but is it possible that we could maneuver and be able to keep Marion and sign Brand? If so we should go for a one year contract on a vet like Kurt Thomas over any kind of longer term commitment to a Diop or Kwame.

1 Chalmers
2 Wade
3 Marion
4 Beasley
5 Brand

That's a championship caliber team on both ends of the floor.

[unowen85]

Riley offered him an extension, and Marion's agent didn't even reply. So the Heat want to keep him, but doing so would cost too much money, and the Heat wouldn't be able to sign your boy Brand.

[HeatFanSince87]

For a number of reasons. While, Marion is obviously still a very good player, the bottom line is he makes too much money, and we have too many holes at other positions that need to be filled. By drafting Beasly, who will be a conerstone in Miami, we now have a log jam up front with Beasley, Haslem and Marion. While Chalmers was a steal where we got him, I'm not sure if he will be the answer right away at the point for us.

The only way we free up money to sign Brand, is letting Marions deal come off the books next summer, because there is no way I can see us getting rid of Blount and Banks contracts..

The good thing, is we have assets to help feel our pg spot..but we still need a servicable center, even with Zo coming back. That why Riley was dissapointed he didnt get the Gay/Connelly/5th pick deal for the number 2 pick, he pry would have taken Lopez. Not that Lopez is going to be a stud, but in a centerless NBA, he could and should become a top 7 center. And if you have a squad of Connelly Jr, Wade, Lopez, Gay, Marion, Haslem, Zo, Wright, Cook, Chalmers and free agent pickup, thats a damn solid team in the east. Thats the only trade I would have done that I heard for the number 2 pick, and I thank god Riley didnt settle for less and said no deal, cause anything less wouldnt be worth it, Beasley is going to be a franchise player, along with Wade.

I would love to see us use Haslem to net us say Kirk Hinrich, then next season use Marions caps space on Brand..

pg-Hinrich, Chalmers
sg-Wade, Cook
c-Brand, Zo?
sf-Wright
pf-Beasley

Obviously not counting other free agent pickups..

Not only would that sqaud be able to contend for the east, they all would be relativly young..

Hinrich would be 27, Wade 27, Brand 29, Beasley 21, Wright 23, Cook 22, Chalmers 23

Not too shabby..

[Heat11114]

A number of reasons

1) His age
2) His contract desires
3) The importance of having quality at C and PG over SF.
4) The ability to get a player better than Marion for the same cost
5) He'll be 31 next year
6) His game relies heavily on athleticism (see point 5)
7) How much more tread does he have on his tires, he's played a lot of minutes (see 5 and 6)
8) The ability to split his salary into two quality players through cap space in 09

[HeatInOhio]

Not to mention, he basically snubbed the team by not even responding to our extension offer. That's a nice way to keep your employers happy! Marion isn't in the future plans here, and Ira even went as far as saying "I really think Marion has played his last game in a Heat uniform."

[Iputsomepantson]

Nothing's wrong with Marion, he's just not in the long term interests of this team for reasons others have stated.

BTW HeatFanSince87, take Wright out of that starting SF spot. He has proven nothing to get the nod at SF.

[CB4MiamiHeat]

his agent is just doing his job...hes one of the better #3 guys in all of basketball. Obviously hes overpaid but i dont want to give him up for Mo Williams or Stephon Marbury like some people in here.

Beasley and Marion together puts us back at the top in rebounding. Beasley alone cant do that. If we trade him it better be for a very good Center , not a PG.

[Hoops23]

I absolutely like the Heat to keep Marion but the problem is, he is asking a lot of money from the Heat and Miami needs to address some other need positions. If Miami can get a good deal for him, then trade him.

I'm also thinking of keeping him for a season and let him go for nothing for this kind of habbit in NBA to stop. Let Marion and his agent know that the Heat are not the type to give in and they're not in command. By doing so, I doubt he will get the money he is asking to other teams or even close to it. Let it be then a warning to some players and agents, and learn from it. Don't know which team has the big cap space of $17m and if there is one, I doubt they will sign him for that kind of money.

[Mourning_Heat_33]

As far as the difficulty of trading Blount and Banks goes. Both are decent at their positions at the very least, and I'm sure there are teams out there who'd love to have them. Banks makes 4 mil a year for 3 more years, and Blount about 7 mil a year for 2 years. Those aren't exactly the biggest cap burdens, especially when you consider that Blount's contract expires in the prize summer of 2010. Brian Grant's untradeable contract was instrumental in getting us an MVP-caliber Shaq. Eddie Jones' untradeable contract netted us three starters who each played outstanding on our way to winning a title. Shaq's contract once he was officially deemed untradeable got us an All-Star with a short contract. We were even able to dump Antoine Walker's contract for an expiring deal and Blount. My point is I don't think it's fair to call either of them untradeable. It casts a sense of doom around the situation that just really doesn't exist.

Furthermore, I'd argue that Blount is one of the best centers in the league, which isn't saying much since the position is nearly extinct. Because, if you notice, the top centers now are all guys who came into the league as power forwards. As far as starting true centers go, I'd put him at no later than 15.

Anyways, it's not vital we trade Blount--his contract expires the 2010 summer when we are going to need all the cap space we can get. Banks is actually a very solid younger PG, I bet there are a few suitors out there for that.

[miamivice]

if cap space in 2010 is our goal so we can net lebron james, why would we agree to a legitimate long term deal with marion anyway?

[HIF]

Adding LBJ is a stupid pipedream which I wish everyone would just forget.

It's never going to happen.

Let's work with reality and get the best players that we can.

[vincent]

Riley offered him an extension, and Marion's agent didn't even reply. So the Heat want to keep him, but doing so would cost too much money, and the Heat wouldn't be able to sign your boy Brand.

Will i heard somewhere Riley offer 10 million a year
David Falk wants 15 million aa year ....like i say it's not going to happen
SM is still a productive player .. a ever better leader on the court
but at 30 of age 15 ppg don't get you 15m a year for any team

Adding LBJ is a stupid pipedream which I wish everyone would just forget.
It's never going to happen.
Let's work with reality and get the best players that we can.

2010 2010 2010 please neither will WADE or LEBO or Bosh leave 15-17 on the table
I bet all three opt in if there going to test the market then 2011 is the off-season to buy

Furthermore, I'd argue that Blount is one of the best centers in the league, which isn't saying much since the position is nearly extinct. Because, if you notice, the top centers now are all guys who came into the league as power forwards. As far as starting true centers go, I'd put him at no later than 15.

Mark has a lot more range then i would ever Imagine but top 15 in league NO way

[Immure]

Man i love marion's game but like most of these guys have said, he does get paid too much when considering the cap space is in the mid to high 50's. We can get a much younger player that does close to what he does in Igouidala, Josh Smith and now that we have drafted beasly, if indeed he is a PF who can score all we need is an inside defensive presence. So i wouldn't mind trading for dalembert or okafor to play our defensive big man in exchange to marion at SF.

Hopefully one of these guys doesn't resign and becomes unrestricted next year (okafor, iggy, or smith).

And the trade we should of made was for JO and Bayless. Marion plus filler would of got it done I can't believe what Toronto and Portland gave to receive such players.

[Hoops23]

Will i heard somewhere Riley offer 10 million a year
David Falk wants 15 million aa year ....like i say it's not going to happen
SM is still a productive player .. a ever better leader on the court
but at 30 of age 15 ppg don't get you 15m a year for any team

David Falk??? Isn't the hard to deal agent Dan Fegan is his agent?

Any link Marion wants $15m?
Because I read he refuse that kind of money from Phoenix last year and wants a salary starting at $17m, based from a report from the New York Post before.

[vincent]

Will i heard somewhere Riley offer 10 million a year
David Falk wants 15 million a year ....like i say it's not going to happen
SM is still a productive player .. a ever better leader on the court
but at 30 of age 15 ppg don't get you 15m a year for any team

David Falk??? Isn't the hard to deal agent Dan Fegan is his agent?

Any link Marion wants $15m?
Because I read he refuse that kind of money from Phoenix last year and wants a salary starting at $17m, based from a report from the New York Post before.

my bad twice article stated SM asking 13m not 15m

Here a article http://www.miamiherald.com/594/story/580845.html
Miami Heat forward Shawn Marion will not opt out of the final season and $17.8 million left on his contract, his agent said Monday night.

Agent Dan Fegan said he has reached an impasse with Heat president Pat Riley after a month of on-and-off negotiations on an extension. Fegan said he informed the Heat of Marion's decision.

Marion faced a deadline of 6 p.m. Tuesday to notify the Heat and league of his intensions. Fegan declined to discuss details of the negotiations. But Marion, 30, was believed to be seeking an extension of at least three seasons at an average salary of about $13 million a season.

Riley, whose priority has been to create maximum salary-cap space by the summer of 2010, is believed to have preferred an extension that averaged about $10 million a season.

[SA37]

Adding LBJ is a stupid pipedream which I wish everyone would just forget.

It's never going to happen.

Let's work with reality and get the best players that we can.

Never say never. Miami is one of the premier destinations in the entire league.

Conceivably, if Beasley comes even close to living up to the hype, Miami is going to have a very good team in 2010. So, you have all the perks living in South Florida brings, a very good team to come to, and DW and 'Bron are friends, so that certainly shouldn't be overlooked as a possible factor.

Anyway, the goal isn't specifically LeBron James, although I am sure he is a big reason that is the summer we're targeting. There are other good free agents that summer, plus Miami is protecting itself in a way in case Dwyane Wade decides to leave.