Getty Dewayne Dedmon #14 of the Atlanta Hawks reacts after hitting a three-point basket against the Toronto Raptors at State Farm Arena on February 07, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia.
After acquiring Victor Oladipo from the Houston Rockets and Nemanja Bjelica from the Sacramento Kings, the Miami Heat is not done shaking up their roster, and have their eyes on veteran NBA center Dewayne Dedmon.
Five Reasons Sports Network tweeted on March 29, “The Heat have continued to monitor the rehab status of center Dewayne Dedmon, who is available after an injury. For those who don’t recall, Dedmon was on the Heat’s 2013 summer league team and has since played for six other NBA teams, most recently Atlanta.”
The Heat is in desperate need of a center, as they no longer have a true backup to fill in if All-Star Bam Adebayo is out. Miami also needs a big man to help space the floor, and Dedmon, who’s a true 7-footer, could possibly fill that role.
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The 31-year-old has bounced around the NBA over the past six years. Most recently, the Atlanta Hawks traded Dedmon to the Pistons in November 2020, but Detroit waived him shortly afterward. While Detroit still owes the remaining $13.3 million on Dedmon’s contract, he’s free to sign with any team.
Following all of the Heat’s trade moves, Miami’s roster is down to 13 players (not counting their two two-way players), and as Sun Sentinel‘s Ira Winderman pointed out, “The Heat must, by league rule, add at least one additional player by April 8.”
The Heat Have Emerged as Favorites to Acquire Boogie Cousins
GettyDeMarcus Cousins #15 of the Houston Rockets controls the ball under pressure from Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat during the first quarter at the Toyota Center on February 11, 2021.
While the Heat are keeping one eye on Dedmon, there’s another available veteran that can help Miami become a real contender in the postseason: DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins. The former fifth-overall pick out of Kentucky, who stands at 6-foot-10, could be the perfect big man to complement Adebayo.
Thus far in the 2020-2021 NBA season, Boogie is averaging 9.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. While there were rumors that Cousins might want to take his talents back to the Los Angeles Lakers, from a financial standpoint, such a move seemed wildly unlikely to happen. And after the Lakers acquired Andre Drummond on Sunday, Los Angeles is now firmly out of the picture when it comes to Boogie.
It’s not false to say Miami is scraping at the barrel of what’s left in the buyout market, but the Heat and Boogie have been linked together in media reports since February.
South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman could absolutely see Miami bidding on Cousins after his buyout. He said:
Not going to deny the possibility immediately becoming intriguing. For years, the Heat have been linked to DeMarcus, and, like Bam Adebayo, he does have the ability to orchestrate the offense from the elbow. But he certainly is not a stretch big man, by any means, nor was/is much in the way of a defender. And there have been, and likely will continue to be, questions about the mobility.
“If this type of opportunity comes at minimal cost, you at least have to make a bid,” Winderman added. “Of course, the counter is that the Heat currently have a losing record and chasing playoff minutes could prove more attractive elsewhere.”
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Miami Heat Interested in 7-Foot NBA Veteran Center: Report