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NBA Courtside: VJ Edgecombe on LeBron James joining the Sixers: “I don’t know LeBron. Like, I love LeBron, don’t get me wrong. I just never like I met him. Obviously, we played against each other. Obviously that’s who I, you know, looked up to when it comes to basketball and stuff like that. That’s one of the reasons why I started playing ball. When he was in Miami, but I ain’t know him. But I keep calling Tyrese and I was like, “Are we getting Bron? Are we getting Bron?” And Tyrese is like, “Bro, I don’t know.” Like, “I don’t think so.” But he knew the whole time. But he ain’t want to tell me. That’s what I feel. I might be wrong.”
Labaron Philon Jr. was visiting Miami when he woke up on July 24 to about five calls. And when the 76ers’ rookie actually looked at his phone, “it was, like, a big ‘Wow’” to learn that LeBron James had decided to sign with his team. “Who wouldn’t want to be around that?” Philon said Monday from an appearance at Sunrise Day Camp-Greater Philadelphia’s basketball clinic at Kaiserman JCC in Wynnewood. “I feel like we’ve got a lot of great guys, and [we are] just going to continue to do the right things and just make it happen.”
Are you surprised a reunion in Miami didn’t happen? Chris Bosh: I'm surprised, but I'm not surprised. You know, that was just my best pick. I was like, hey, if I'm doing something, I'm going to go to Miami, if it was me. But Philly was a pretty good choice, too. So a lot of people call it ring chasing. Everybody chases rings. If you didn't think Kobe and Jordan were ring chasers too, you're crazy. [Laughs] Everybody wants a ring. I'll chase a ring right now. [Laughs].
You’ve talked publicly about LeBron’s best fit being in Miami. What were your thoughts on LeBron choosing Philadelphia and not Miami? Chris Bosh: I mean, they have a good team. They have championship aspirations. You look on paper, they look pretty good. For them, the most important thing is figuring out how they're going to play, how they're going to play together, their defensive schemes and offensive schemes. But most importantly, the five that are out there on the court and then the team, how are they going to come together? How are they going to share the ball? How are they going to be solid as a unit moving forward? That's going to be the hard part. And, hell, like any other team, being healthy, fighting through the ups and downs, that's what it's about.
Among the free agents currently available who the Heat has already shown some level of interest in are veteran guard Bradley Beal and veteran forward DeMar DeRozan. The Heat has had discussions with the representatives for both players, according to league sources. But league sources say the Heat has prioritized three-point shooting guard Klay Thompson, who is still under contract with the Dallas Mavericks and is due $17.5 million this upcoming season in the final year of his contract. This means that Miami would need to either trade for Thompson or hope he shakes free through a buyout agreement.
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The BIG3 is valued at $290 million after becoming the first publicly traded professional sports league in American history last month by partnering with a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company (Graf Global Corp.). In 2024, the BIG3 sold four of its eight franchises in Miami, Los Angeles, Detroit and Houston to various ownership groups for $10 million each. BIG3 has also partnered with the Prostate Cancer Foundation this year, which has included facilitating testing signups outside of venues and league-endorsed PSAs.
Heat Central: Bobby Portis says he was in Miami when he found out he got traded to the Heat: “Some guys get drafted to their favorite team or guys sign with their favorite team. I haven’t played with my favorite team yet. So getting a chance to get traded to my favorite team was like surreal to me. I was in Miami too when I got traded to Miami. That was fire. — We was outside chillin for like 10-15 minutes. I walk into the house and the GM is calling me. Right when I picked the phone up the whole house start screaming. It was crazy. That whole day I had fans telling me it was going to happen”
"You can see from the end of the season ... the emotional attachments and how hard it is to go away from a Miami and go away from a Cleveland," Paul said on his "Game Over" podcast with Max Kellerman. "Who wouldn't want to play with Steph Curry and Draymond Green. I'm seeing the emotional roller coaster every single day. "... Home is home [in Cleveland]. Miami is Miami. It's Pat [Riley]. ... I think that everyone was at some point leading the race."
Heat Central: JUST IN: Ramona Shelburne says Rich Paul and LeBron James originally thought he would come back to the Miami Heat: “I spoke to Rich Paul about that about an hour ago, he said for a lot of the time he thought it was going to end up being Miami. That seemed to be a nice fit and story but he said ‘when you been to a place before, when you won at a place before, if you go back it may not be the same. You kind of want to leave those memories where they were, as they are. They had a great time together when they won two titles down in Miami”
Heat Central: Rich Paul says LeBron was on a emotional roller coaster making his decision: Rich: The emotional attachments to go away from a Miami, and go away from a Cleveland, who wouldn’t want to play with Steph Curry and Draymond Green? Max: That would’ve been fun but it’s not the choice of somebody who wants to win a championship
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If the Heat concludes that waiting on Thompson isn’t realistic, Miami could consider free agent Bradley Beal, who would welcome Heat interest after opting out of a Clippers contract that would have paid him $5.5 million. Beal’s camp and the Heat spoke earlier this offseason.
And while returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a third tour would seem like an ideal finish to his career, going back to Miami is simply the best fit. Both in terms of the basketball -- "He can go to the Finals with Miami," a former teammate of James told ESPN -- and the narrative.
SM Highlights: Klay Thompson could potentially have a buyout with the Mavs and join the Heat, per @anthonyVslater. “A name that has been floated around the circle has been Miami… they really need depth, and they really need shooting.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo: I was thinking that I would be in Milwaukee for my entire career. But then I saw that I'm in the confort zone. I was in my confort zone. I wanted something different. And I'm happy to be in Miami. In Miami now, I won't lie, I don't feel comfortable. I don't know the team, but I'm going over there and I will do my best. I've been doing this my whole life, and I hope it turns out well. I love the city of Milwaukee. I will love Milwaukee until I die. I bleed purple and green. It's very simple. They made me who I am today.