Regardless of whether LeBron James graces Miami with his presence, the Heat will need to fill out their roster with bargain bin talent. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh will eat up a lot of cap space on their own, which means Miami just doesn’t have room to go after many mid-level players.
That’s why Jason Williams is a perfect candidate to be their next point guard. According to Tim Povtak of NBA FanHouse, Wade is making a push for the Heat to bring Williams back for another tour in Miami. The two were teammates during the Heat’s championship run in 2006, and though Williams has been in and out of the league since, he was a solid back-up for Jameer Nelson last season in Orlando. A similar role would probably be the best fit for Williams, but with the Heat going a bit fidgety at the idea of Mario Chalmers running their offense next year, Jason will likely be considered a preferable alternative.
Williams isn’t likely to command much more than the veteran minimum on the open market, which should be worth about $1.4 million for a player of Jason’s tenure. The beauty is that the Heat can sign Williams for the minimum even if they’re over the salary cap, which allows Miami to fully utilize their cap space (on LeBron or Brendan Haywood or whoever) before signing him to a deal. That’s big, but if Jason starts demanding more than the minimum, it could force the Heat to look elsewhere.