According to Yahoo! Sports, the Heat are close to a deal with the Orlando Magic that would send second-year guard Shabazz Napier a couple hundred miles north.
Miami would receive a protected second-round pick in return, according to the report.
Napier, 24, was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 24th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft and then immediately traded to Miami for the Heat’s 26th pick, 55th pick and an 2019 second-round pick.
At the time it was thought that the Heat went after Napier because LeBron James had stated that he would like to play with the college star, but James ended up signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers so the pair never got to play together.
Napier and fellow point guard Mario Chalmers have been reportedly on the trading block so the move isn’t a complete surprise.
While the Heat may have preferred to trade Chalmers and his $4.3 million cap hit, Napier’s age and lower salary made him a more attractive target to Orlando.
During his rookie year with Miami, Napier averaged 5.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists while playing 19.8 minutes per game but failed to gain a consistent role in the Heat’s rotation.
Earlier this month the Heat signed Goran Dragic, who they acquired in a trade deadline deal with the Phoenix Suns last season, to a five-year contract extension worth $85 million.
With Dragic and Chalmers both under contract as Miami’s top two point guards, team president Pat Riley pulled the trigger on dealing Napier.More Details!
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