Longtime Miami Heat project Briante Weber gets picked up by the Golden State Warriors
By Frank Urbina
Miami Heat prospect Briante Weber signed a 10-day contract to join the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors made a somewhat surprising transaction early on Friday afternoon, and it directly affected the Miami Heat. The Western Conference favorite signed guard Briante Weber to a 10-day contract. Weber for the last two seasons had been a pet project of the Heat, and had been playing for the team’s D-League affiliate.
The news was first broken by Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical:
Sources on @TheVertical: Golden State is waiving Anderson Varejao, clearing way to sign D-League guard Briante Weber to a 10-day contract
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 3, 2017
Read More: Heat Still Under Pressure to Deliver in NBA Draft
Weber is a player who has become the object of lore over the past two seasons in Miami. He was signed by the team last April after playing most of the year with their D-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Sky Force. Weber played just over nine minutes in total for the Heat.
Regardless of his limited impact, he stuck with Miami during the 2016 Summer League and acquitted himself nicely. Some even expected him to fill the team’s 15th roster spot for 2017 coming out of training camp.
Unfortunately for Weber, that didn’t come to fruition. He’s a poor shooter and struggles with his decision-making. It’s tough to break through as an NBA point guard if you can’t do either of those things well. He is, however, an elite defender. He averages three steals per game for Sioux Falls, and fell one short of a quadruple double earlier this week.
Over the month of January, Weber performed well enough to earn D-League Player of the Month honors. During that span, he averaged 21.5 points, 8.3 boards, 6.6 assists, and 3.6 steals. With the rise in his play, more speculation grew that the Heat would try to find a way to add him to the roster. Sometimes where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
Source confirms to Sun Sentinel that Heat made offer to Briante Weber on Thursday. Also had offer from Hornets, but took Warriors.
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) February 3, 2017
(Considering that the Heat made him an offer, it’s safe to assume Derrick Williams’ days with the team are numbered.)
Weber now gets a chance to break through with the best team in basketball. He seems excited about the opportunity.
Best of luck to him. We’ll be sure to keep an eye on his development.