The Miami Heat is really reaching for the throne in the Eastern Conference right now. Yes, the Cleveland Cavaliers are still the favorites, but the Heat might be hot on their tails with one of the best starting lineups in the NBA (on paper, at least, and if healthy) and a bench that continues to grow.
Gerald Green was reported early Thursday to have come to an agreement with the Heat to help fortify their bench and provide some scoring punch, and now it seems like Amar'e Stoudemire might be joining him on that bench.
It is being reported that Stoudemire is scheduled to meet with Pat Riley and the Heat organization on Thursday and that he is "strongly considering" going to play in South Beach next season, according to NBCSports.com. Like Green before him, it appears that Stoudemire might have to accept a minimum contract with the Heat if he is going to sign there, but that is very possible considering he is coming off a huge deal with the New York Knicks and is looking to win at this point in his career.
The Heat isn't the only potential landing spot for Stoudemire though, as it is being reported that both the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks have interest in retaining him as well. The Mavericks seem like the least likely of the options, though, because, as John Gambadoro reported, Stoudemire struggled with a reduced role there after being acquired from the Knicks.
Stoudemire is not the gifted athlete he once was, but he is still a player that can come off the bench and help a good team win some games with his scoring. Partnering Stoudemire with Green, while it could get interesting, could lead to some potent offense on Miami's second unit.
In 23 games with the Mavericks after being traded, Stoudemire averaged 10.8 points per game on 58 percent shooting. Not much more you could ask for from a backup big man even if he doesn't rebound the ball all that well anymore (5.6 rebounds per game total in 2014-15).
Josh McRoberts and Chris Andersen are currently the backup big men on Miami's roster, but the Heat have reportedly made them available in a trade for next to nothing. If Stoudemire does choose the Heat, he will likely have a very important role coming off the bench, and there would be a pretty good chance he would be a key piece on a team looking to make a very deep playoff run.
