Let the Bidding Begin

Now that Baron Davis has verbally agreed to join the Clippers, the idea of Elton Brand in a Heat uniform is all but written off. Sure, Golden State has made him a max-level contract, but it appears as though Pat Riley has given up on Brand. Now, we move on to the second- and third-tier free agents. When the right deal presents itself, I'm sure that Shawn Marion will be traded. However, the Heat haven't been targeting too many big-name free agents.

The Heat have reportedly inquired about Keyon Dooling, Sebastian Telfair, Tyronn Lue, and Jannero Pargo. The problem I have is that all of the above names are backups. Marcus Banks, under contract for next season, is a backup. Mario Chalmers is a backup until he proves otherwise. The Heat have made clear that they are looking for stopgaps at the point guard, but that is also what Smush Parker was brought in for. And yes, he will take $2.4 million from Miami's payroll this year.

The one starter that Miami has been interested in is Monta Ellis, a young, explosive point guard. The Heat, along with Cleveland, are reportedly looking to sign-and-trade with the Warriors. Ellis may not be able to shoot long-distance too often, but he is a very creative scorer and rebounds well for a point guard. The problem with a Ellis-Wade back-court is that one of the two is going to really work on his threes this summer.

Ellis may not be the only player enticing from Golden State. Mickael Pietrus, an unrestricted free agent, has mentioned that he would love to play for Miami. Pietrus is an athletic small forward who can defend and shoot from downtown. Miami has been interested in another small forward, James Jones. But it is hard to see Jones inking a one- or two-year deal. I expect he'll take a Kapono-like four-year deal. That is something the Heat can simply not offer with the 2010 offseason just two years away.

Another area the Heat need is center. Pat Riley is reportedly interested in Kwame Brown, the first high-school player to be picked No. 1 overall. He was touted as the next KG, but ended up in being a bust of Sam Bowie-proportions. Brown has some size, and I guess that is why Riles is interested in him. He's never been the rebounding-machine or the shot-blocker he was expected to be. In my opinion, Brown would not do much for Miami.

Now going from free agency to Michael Beasley, the newest member to sign a contract with the Heat got injured in his first Heat practice. He took a shot to his chest in a "weird spot." On his blog, B'Easy said he has a slight fracture of his sternum, and will not participate in contact drills for three to five days. He still hopes to play in the summer league opener against Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls on Monday. Just after a day of the injury, Beasley returned to non-contact work and shooting drills.

General manager Randy Pfund said the Heat do not plan to be frugal during free agency. He said they could use the mid-level exception, worth slightly more than $5 million on one player, though splitting it between two players would be preferable. He also said his priorities, in order, are a point guard, a defensive-minded center, and a three-point shooter. Let's hope he gets those needs filled in.