The Miami Heat might have a new asset in the back court.
According to Allyoucanheat.com, the Miami Heat is looking at point guard, Leandro Barbosa, to add more firepower to their back court. The sharpshooter is currently training for the FIBA World Cup, representing his home country, Brazil. The Heat are observing how Leandro will play with the Brazilian team at the international tournament. The Heat hopes that Barbosa will remain healthy, considering how his health has fluctuated in the past few years.
Should a deal push through, the Heat will have a reliable three-point shooter, which will fill the gap left by Ray Allen and Mike Miller. Barbosa is also great at dribbling and creating plays, being a point guard. Miami has three point guards already in Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole and Shabazz Napier. His contract may, however, surface late in the offseason and only involve the minimum, in a report by Pro Basketball Talk.
Leandro Barbosa was expected to come off the Phoenix Suns bench in the 2014-2015 season but more opportunity waits for him in Miami. According to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders, Barbosa and the Miami Heat share a mutual interest which can ripen into a contract, depending on how the point guard performs at the international tournament.
A report by Sports Illustrated states that the 31-year-old last played for the Phoenix Suns after playing with the Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics. Despite a few injuries in the past, Barbosa is quick and can get close to the rim. He is also a good finisher, and can make shots from midrange and the three-point arc. In the past season, he averaged 7.5 points per game in 18.4 minutes of play.
In an article by Hothothoops.com, the Miami Heat needs more scorers to support Dwyane Wade. The addition of Barbosa can help the team because of his history to score. His experience can also be used to mentor young players like Tyler Johnson, Reggie Williams and James Ennis. Getting Barbosa will grow the current Miami roster to 17. The team is allowed to bring 20 players into training camp but there is an allowed maximum of 15 players only at the start of the NBA season.
The FIBA World Cup will commence on August 30, 2014 and end on September 14. A day later, NBA training camp will begin and hopefully Barbosa will be part of the retooling Miami Heat. Experts expect an invitation to be handed to Barbosa after the FIBA World Cup.