Amar’e Stoudemire joined the Dallas Mavericks in February with the desire to compete for a possible contender and help provide front court depth and stability. Stoudemire is on the market as an unrestricted free agent, and recently expressed his interest in signing with the Miami Heat before an initial meeting with Pat Riley.
ESPN New York’s Ian Begley reports that Stoudemire and the Heat are close to coming to terms:
Amar’e Stoudemire’s scheduled to meet w/MIA tomorrow. The belief currently is that Amar’e/MIA are “close” to completing a deal, per sources.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) July 9, 2015
Stoudemire is entering his 14th season and will be 33 years old at the start of next season. Even though the Mavericks just took a major hit to their front court, courtesy of DeAndre Jordan, they are clearly fine with letting Stoudemire walk. The Mavs will be bringing in Zaza Pachulia from Milwaukee.
Much like his intent was for Dallas, Miami could be a fitting opportunity for Stoudemire to add offensive depth in the front court. The Heat are obviously anchored by Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside, offering Stoudemire a minimal and reasonable role on a team that has tremendous potential in the Eastern Conference.
