When last we saw the speedy Brazilian Leandro Barbosa he was playing the end of the season in Phoenix, where with Eric Bledsoe out he had become a part of a pretty good bench unit in the Valley of the Sun (until he broke his hand anyway).
But that didn’t mean they were keeping him. Barbosa is still very quick and uses that to get to the rim (in transition or the half court) where he knows how to finish. He can hit a few midrange pull ups but generally isn’t much of a shooter.
He was always going to be a late, league minimum signing if anything (he might just get a camp invite and a make-good contract), and that landing sop may be Miami, reports Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.
There's mutual interest between Leandro Barbosa and the Miami Heat, according to league sources. Don't be surprised if he signs with them.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) August 19, 2014
This might well be just a camp invite.
Miami already has that point guard combo you have loved through the LeBron James era with Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole, and now they have added LeBron favorite Shabazz Napier as the third point guard. All three of those guys are under fully guaranteed contracts for next season.
That said the Heat have just 10 fully guaranteed contracts and a couple guys (such as rookie James Ennis) who are not guaranteed but are likely to make the roster. There is a roster spot to be had, but Barbosa is going to have to show some versatility in camp.
Consider it something to watch.