SH Blog: Bulls to amnesty Boozer; Wade takes two-year deal with Miami; Cavs sign Mike Miller

As NBA free agency dominated the weekend with several big headlines — see LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh — and a avalanche of new signings, teams are now getting down to the nitty gritty of available players and are even looking at which players they can clear off the roster.

That brings us to the curious case of Carlos Boozer and the Chicago Bulls. 

The Bulls signed Boozer to a big contract in 2010 — he caught the leftovers, and a big payday after LeBron-Wade-Bosh-Amare fell into place — but has fallen out of favor with Chicago over the past two seasons.

Boozer’s production has noticeably dipped from 17.5 points and 9.6 rebounds in his first year in Chicago to 13.7 points and 8.3 rebounds. His shooting has also dropped from just over 51 percent (manageable) to 45 percent (below average).

Boozer’s days in Chicago have seemed numbered for some time now, but with the emergence of Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson, along with the signing of Pau Gasol and European sensation Nikola Mirotic, there just isn’t room on the roster for a player that cannot match the production his salary will require. Especially when he is a liability on defense in a defensive oriented system such as Tom Thibodeau’s.

Here’s more from Yahoo Sports Adrian Wojnarowski:

The Chicago Bulls informed Carlos Boozer they have used the amnesty clause on the final year of his contract, expunging his $16.8 million off the franchise’s salary cap, sources told Yahoo Sports.

The Bulls are using the salary-cap space to sign several free agents, including Pau Gasol.

Teams have until Thursday to make amnesty claims on Boozer, needing $1.448 million in cap space to enter a bid with the league office. The highest bid will get Boozer for the rest of the season and pay him a salary equal to the bid. The Bulls will be responsible for paying the balance of Boozer’s $16.8 million.

If Boozer goes unclaimed — the minimum bid is $1.448 million — he will become a free agent and able to sign with any team in the league.

As Wojnarowski mention’s, a potential landing spot for Boozer could be the Charlotte Bobcats who are in need of a scoring threat at the power forward position to go along with Al Jefferson. They have a void to fill after losing Josh McRoberts to the Miami Heat and have been searching for veteran’s to fill the roster.

Wade takes two-year deal to remain with Heat

The other big news from Tuesday is that Dwyane Wade will be back with the Miami Heat.

Now that isn’t the surprising part. It’s that he will be returning on just a two-year deal, not a four-year deal which was reported earlier in the week.

The deal Wade signed Tuesday will be a two-year deal at $16 million per year, and like LeBron James, Wade will have a player-option after the first year, although according to his Instagram, he plans to be with the Heat for life.

Here’s more from Kurt Helin of NBC Sports:

Is Dwyane Wade and his knees worth that kind of money now? In the strict “would I pay a free agent from another team that?” sense no. Wade still produces when on the court, scoring 19 points a game with a very good .588 true shooting percentage and a PER of 22. But he only played in 54 games last season as part of a “knee maintenance program” and he still was slowed by the Finals, his explosiveness gone.

But it’s not about on the court, it’s about him being the face of Heat basketball for more than a decade. It’s about loyalty. It’s about rewarding/thanking him for that service. It’s about taking care of family. For the Heat and Pat Riley, they believe that if you take care of players like this other players (and their agents) see that and want to be part of that kind of organization. It’s part of what is behindKobe Bryant’s contract with the Lakers (although the money he still draws in there impacts that decision as well).

Much like Bryant, Wade is the face of the Heat franchise and has been taken care of accordingly, albeit with a much cheaper price tag than Kobe.

Wade opted-out of a contract that would pay him over $40 million over the next two seasons to Pat Riley more flexibility to build around the Big Three. When LeBron went back to Cleveland, effectively throwing that plan out the window, it would have been easy for Wade to demand his quota and cash back in. His contract should allow Riley to field a competitive team in the Eastern Conference for the remainder of Wade’s career.

“Dwyane has been the franchise cornerstone for this team since the day he arrived 11 years ago,” said Heat President Pat Riley in a released statement. “He has shown his commitment to the Heat many times over the course of his career and has always been willing to sacrifice in order to help build this team into a champion. This time is no different. I am ecstatic to have him back in the fold and I am confident that Dwyane, as always, will be leading this team as we look to contend for NBA Championships.”

“I am proud to have spent every single day of my career as a member of the Miami Heat and to have brought three championship titles to this great city,” Wade said in his statement. “I’ve been here through the good times and the hard times. I have confidence in the Miami Heat organization and the team they are building. To all the Heat fans, in Miami and around the world, I know you will continue to show support for our team.”

It’s Miller Time in Cleveland, LeBron recruits former Heat teammate to the Wine & Gold

LeBron has accomplished something in a matter of days that he never did during his first stint with the Cavs: recruit an impact free agent.

The Cavs have inked LeBron’s former Heat teammate and good friend, Mike Miller, to a two-year $5.5 million contract.

Miller is the spot-up three-point shooter the Cavs are missing — and have been trying to attract for years. Here’s more from James Herbert of CBS Sports:

Mike Miller and the Cleveland Cavaliers have reached an agreement on a two-year, $5.5 million contract, a league source confirmed to CBSSports.com’s Ken Berger. He’ll have a player option on the second year. ESPN’s Chris Broussard first reported Miller was going to Cleveland.

Miller reportedly turned down more money from the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggetsin order to reunite with LeBron James and compete for a championship with the Cavaliers. The sharpshooter was amnestied by the Miami Heat last summer, then signed with theMemphis Grizzlies and made 46 percent of his three-pointers while missing zero games because of injury last season.

If he’s able to remain healthy in Cleveland, this will look like a steal of a contract. The Cavs are desperate for shooters, and he’s a James favorite.