Big man free agent Udonis Haslemwho spent his entire 19-year NBA career with the Heatwill officially announce his future NBA plans at his youth camp in Miami on Sunday, reports Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (by Twitter).
As Winderman notes, the Heat gave Haslem the option to return for a 20th season — if he’s interested. If he re-signs, Miami would have 14 players with guaranteed contracts on its standard 15-player roster and be about $200,000 below the luxury tax line of $150,267,000. tweet Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
The 42-year-old said Monday that his future in the NBA as a player is still up in the air, but it’s obvious he’s either given himself a deadline or come to a decision.
Haslem was a valuable on-field contributor early in his career, starting 52 of Miami’s 66 postseason games in the club’s championships in 2006, 2012, and 2013. In 872 regular-season games, including 500 starts ( 24.8 MPG), it holds averages of 7.5 PPG and 6.6 RPG while shooting 48.9 percent from the floor and 75.6 percent from the line.
Over the past six seasons, Haslem has served primarily as a mentor and veteran leader, appearing in a total of just 58 games averaging a modest 7.0 MPG. Still, the Heat clearly love his ability to communicate with his teammates, which is why they continue to give him an open invitation to return every year despite his limited production on the field.