MIAMI — Ray Allen seems to be taking a serious look at joining the NBA champion Miami Heat.
MIAMI — Ray Allen seems to be taking a serious look at joining the NBA champion Miami Heat.
A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that the free agent guard visited the Heat in Miami on Thursday. Allen was planning to remain in South Florida until Friday, according to the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because no details of the meeting were publicly revealed.
Miami’s desire to add Allen is no secret. League MVP LeBron James has tweeted about the notion, and posted a doctored-up image of Allen wearing a Heat jersey on his Facebook page earlier this week with the message, “This looks damn good to me.”
And Dwyane Wade posted a cryptic message on his Twitter account Wednesday night, saying Thursday would be “a big day” for the Heat.
No deal could be finalized until at least July 11 because of the NBA’s moratorium.
Allen has spent the last five seasons with the Boston Celtics, who have offered the NBA’s 3-point field goal leader a $12 million, two-year deal.
The Heat — who have ousted Boston from the past two NBA postseasons — can only offer Allen the mini mid-level exception, which would pay about $3 million this coming year.
Allen averaged 14.2 points for Boston this past season.
From an offensive standpoint, Allen would seem to be a perfect fit because the Heat have spent two years trying to surround James, Wade and Chris Bosh with shooters who extend defenses and create room around the basket. Miami was 9-1 in the playoffs when connecting on at least eight 3-pointers in a game, and just 7-6 when not.
Allen is coming off surgery to remove bone spurs from his right ankle. But he clearly can still shoot, and made a career-best 45 percent of his attempts from 3-point range for the Celtics this past season.
Also Thursday, NBA.com reported that the Heat would meet with another free-agent target, Rashard Lewis on Saturday.
Thabeet, Thunder ink two-year deal
OKLAHOMA CITY — Hasheem Thabeet is getting another chance to prove himself, this time with the Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Thabeet’s agent, Bill Duffy, confirmed Thursday that the 7-foot-3 center has agreed to a two-year guaranteed contract with the Thunder. The deal was first reported by The Oklahoman.
NBA teams aren’t allowed to announce new signings until next Wednesday.
Thabeet was the No. 2 pick in the 2009 draft by Memphis but has averaged only 2.2 points and 2.7 rebounds in limited playing time over the last three seasons with the Grizzlies, Houston and Portland. Duffy believes the Thunder could provide a better fit for the defensive-minded Tanzanian.
“They have so much offensive firepower that there is less reliance on scoring from the center position,” Duffy said.
With Nazr Mohammed becoming a free agent, Oklahoma City was seeking another center to back up Kendrick Perkins. Thabeet can compete with Cole Aldrich for that job.
Aldrich is also an unproven commodity, having played in only 44 games in his first two seasons since being taken with the No. 11 pick in the 2010 draft. Aldrich has averaged 2.2 points and 1.8 rebounds.
Thabeet has averaged only 10 minutes per game and started 16 times in his career. He played in 20 games last season for Houston and Portland, starting three times. Duffy said Thabeet understands he “was a high-profile draft pick” and still has to prove himself, but he appreciates Thunder general manager Sam Presti believing in him and giving him a chance.
Oklahoma City gets much of its offensive production from three-time scoring champion Kevin Durant, fellow All-star Russell Westbrook and Sixth Man of the Year James Harden. That allows other key components — including starters Thabo Sefolosha, Perkins and NBA blocks leader Serge Ibaka — to be more defense-oriented and contribute scoring to a more limited extent.
Cavs sign top draft picks Waiters, Zeller
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed first-round draft picks Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller to their rookie contracts.
Financial terms of the deals were not immediately known.
The Cavs selected Waiters, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard from Syracuse, with the No. 4 overall pick last week. The choice surprised many experts and disappointed some Cleveland fans who had hoped the team would take Harrison Barnes or Thomas Robinson. Waiters didn’t even work out for the Cavs, who did extensive background research on him before taking the Big East’s top sixth man. Waiters didn’t start a game in two seasons for the Orange.
Cleveland picked the 7-foot Zeller at No. 17 after trading three picks to the Dallas Mavericks. Zeller was the ACC’s player of the year last season at North Carolina.
Magic, Nelson agree to new contract
ORLANDO, Fla. —The Magic are making some progress on solidifying their roster for next season, agreeing in principle to a new deal with Jameer Nelson.
Orlando’s 30-year-old point guard announced the news on his Twitter account Thursday. The deal comes just a week after Nelson opted out of the final season and nearly $8 million of his contract to test free agency.
“Glad to say I’ve reached an agreement with the Magic… I’m blessed to have the best fans and a great organization supporting me!” Nelson posted on his Twitter feed.
He did not disclose the length of the new pact. A message left for Nelson seeking additional comment was not immediately returned.
Free agents can’t officially sign new deals until July 11 when the NBA’s moratorium ends.