Mario Chalmers Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz and Speculation on Heat PG

Tyler ConwayJul 20, 2015

As the Miami Heat look for ways to reduce their luxury tax bill—if not eliminate it entirely—the team's brass has reportedly begun aggressively shopping point guard Mario Chalmers.

Continue for updates.

Heat Not Asking for Much In Chalmers Trade

Monday, July 20

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported the Heat have been "aggressive" in shopping Chalmers and second-year point guard Shabazz Napier. Chalmers is the preferred trade piece, as he carries a $4.3 million cap charge for 2015-16. The veteran point guard, who has spent his entire career in Miami, will be a free agent next summer.

After starting for nearly his entire career, Chalmers is a clear backup now behind Goran Dragic. He averaged 9.0 points and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 41.1 percent after the Heat acquired Dragic at the trade deadline. Having signed Dragic to a long-term deal, Miami would prefer to move on from Chalmers or Napier to have a clearer picture at point guard.

Of course, it would also help a ton from a luxury-tax perspective. The Heat have more than $92 million committed in guaranteed salaries for the 2015-16 season, per Basketball Insiders. That puts them more than $10 million above the threshold of $81.6 million.

If Miami was able to shed the numbers of Chalmers and Chris Andersen ($5 million), it would be one or two minor moves from ducking under the tax. Even if the Heat were only able to trade one of the two for a future draft pick, they would save a massive chunk of change. This isn't a franchise that is hurting financially, but players like Chalmers and Andersen do not produce enough to make their tax burden worthwhile; Napier could easily step in and approximate Chalmers' value at a fourth of the cost.

It's no coincidence that Chalmers and Andersen have been on the block all summer. The Heat are going to keep dangling them for next to nothing—Jackson's report states Miami wants a future second-rounder for Chalmers—until some team takes the bait. Luckily for them, the final tax bill for teams does not come due until the final day of the regular season. They could be waiting a while.

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