The Miami Heat are dead in the middle of the throws of the NBA Offseason. Not making many moves since the initial onslaught of free agency transactions, the Miami Heat did get a few things settled.
Holding out hope and movement in the wake of the Kevin Durant rumors, they have yet to make any more moves since those first aforementioned few.
No, they weren’t able to secure the services of P.J. Tucker again, with him moving on to Philadelphia or Houston 2.0. ,but they did bring back Victor Oladipo.
With Oladipo having the chance and seeming potential to, once again, return to his All-Star form, this was a great move for the Miami Heat and almost washes out the fact that you won’t have Tucker moving forward. Along with Oladipo though, the Miami Heat were able to bring back another member of their core from the last few years.
That would The Mechanic, Dewayne Dedmon.
Miami Heat: FA Market Says Dewayne Dedmon A Smart Retention
Re-upping Dedmon on a two year pact for $9 million dollars with all the money guaranteed may not seem like the best deal on the surface, but it was the right one and here’s why.
First off, Dewayne Dedmon is a legit 7-footer. He can hit the three ball and though he has a penchant to foul a bit, you won’t find a harder worker.
He’s nasty, physical, determined, and plays the game the right way.
He’s a Miami Heat guy, through and through.
When you look at a Miami Heat team that was on the smaller side in the last few seaosns, it’s pretty simple. When you have a guy that fits what you do, the way you do it, has chemistry with your team, maintains their trust, and has a direct impact on an area that’s still a weakness—you bring him back.
Next, when you look at the salary, it isn’t terrible. The Miami Heat brought Dedmon back early in the grand scheme of it all.
Miami Heat: Dedmon Probably Could Have Gotten More On Open Market
It’s not that his money was a ton or would have climbed much higher, but they didn’t allow the market to pin them in a corner either. Here’s are some examples.
JaVale McGee, after Dedmon re-signed, signed a deal with the Mavericks for a little under $7 million per year. Nic Claxton re-signed with the Nets on a deal that will pay him around $10 million dollars a year.
Mo Bamba signed a deal that will pay him about $10.5 million per year. Heck, Andre Drummond signed a deal that will only play him $3.3 million a year.
What’s this all mean? Well, based on the market, Dedmon could have gotten a little more on the open market than the $4.5 million per.
Now, it wouldn’t have been much more, but to see him have gotten $5-$6 million per year on the market wouldn’t have been surprising. Based on the numbers above, that’s where he would fall.
He isn’t as young as Claxton or Bamba, while he isn’t as proven or adept at rim protecting as McGhree. However, he is a better defender, more defensively disciplined, aware, and has a more complete game than a guy such as a Drummond.
At the end of the day, your value is determined by need and relative comparison. The Miami Heat needed him and they got the deal done earlier, because by relative comparision, they probaly saved a few bucks.