The Miami Heat are expected to let Dorell Wright walk away from the franchise in free agency, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald:
Dorell Wright. The Heat is expected to move on because he’s very limited in other parts of his game besides shooting.
Dorell Wright, a 6’9 swingman that opted not to play College Basketball, was selected #19 overall by the Miami Heat in the 2004 NBA Draft. He was on the 2006 Heat roster that won its first ever NBA Championship. Wright, having played only 20 games that season, had averaged 2.9 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. He was a beloved member of the Heat family, admired by head coach Pat Riley, Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem, and many others.
When Wright split off from the Heat franchise in 2010, few expected him to have such a break-out year the following season with the Warriors. Posting a career-best 16.4 points per game and shooting a respectable 38% from deep, Dorell Wright emerged as one of the most promising scorers in the league. Teaming with Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis, and others, Dorell Wright’s three-point shooting in 2011 was special. He set a franchise record for most threes made in a single game (nine; later broken by Stephen Curry) and was selected to participate in the annual three-point contest over the 2011 All Star Weekend.
Wright later moved on to brief stints with Philadelphia and Portland before deciding to join the Chinese Basketball Association in 2015. Wright impressed, averaging 24.3 points per game.
When the CBA season ended, teams began lining up offers in hopes of landing Wright. However, sources remained adamant that Wright had eyed the Heat since December. The Heat organization had eyed him even longer.
When pen was put to paper and Wright finally joined the Heat on a deal for the rest of the season in April, he felt right at home.
“Just the energy I felt when walking in the building was great”, Wright said (via Barry Jackson). “It’s been a long time. Somewhere I grew, as a man, as a player, as a professional. I’m just happy to be back”.
The Heat had hopes of adding Dorell Wright’s veteran presence and shooting to an under-performing bench unit this year. When a series of cap complications delayed his signing until mid-April, the hope of giving him quality minutes began to fade. Wright appeared in just 19 minutes throughout the Heat’s 14-game Playoff tenure, scoring a total of 16 points off the bench in mostly garbage time.
The Heat are set to face major challenges this July. They hope to re-sign Hassan Whiteside, Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng, and others. Aside from the reasons Jackson listed, the Heat simply may not have the money available to re-sign Wright even if they truly wanted to.
When the CBA season ended, Dorell Wright had multiple suitors interested in him. Unless he decides to play overseas again, expect Dorell Wright to be back on an NBA team again next season.
