The Miami Heat have signed G/F James Jones to a 5-year, $22 million dollar contract. Jones is 6′8″, 220 pounds and he’s only 27 years old so his best years could still be ahead of him. Jones played in 58 games (3 starts) with the Trailblazers last season and he averaged 22.0 minutes, 8.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. He also shot 44.4% from three point range which was a huge weakness for the Heat last season. Jones has now played in 290 games (58 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 19.9 minutes, 7.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. This was a good signing for the Heat as Jones will be an assassin off the bench for them.

The Miami Heat traded two future 2nd round picks and cash to the Timberwolves for point guard Mario Chalmers. This fits a big need for the Heat as point guard has been a weakness the last couple of seasons. Look for Chalmers to be a backup initially for the Heat but he has the potential to start down the road. Chalmers is a polished player who has a lot of college experience. He played in 110 games (96 starts) at Kansas and he averaged 12.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.6 steals per game. He’s a little on the small side at 6′1″, 190 but he’s a good shooter hitting 41.9% of his shots from three point range. This was another very solid pick by the Heat.

The Miami Heat selected forward Michael Beasley with the second pick of the NBA Draft. If Shawn Marion leaves Beasley will be the starting small forward and if Udonis Haslem is moved he will start at power forward as a rookie as he is way too good to sit on the bench. Beasley is 6′10″, 235 pounds and he has a complete game playing hard on both ends of the court. He is just scratching the surface of his potential as he is only 19 years old right now. Beasley played in 33 games (all starts) as a freshman at Kansas State and he averaged 26.2 points, 12.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.6 blocked shots per game. Look for Beasley to complement Dwyane Wade’s game perfectly. This was an outstanding pick by the Heat.

The Heat have decided to waive forward Alexander Johnson. Johnson played in 43 games (6 starts) with the Heat last season and he averaged 12.8 minutes, 4.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. The Heat won’t miss Johnson much as they have other young players who have moved past him on the depth chart.

The Heat had to play their rookies a lot of minutes, especially at the end of the season, due to injuries to a lot of key players. Daequan Cook was the first round pick of the Heat and he had a decent showing as a rookie. Cook played in 59 games (19 starts) this season for the Heat and he averaged 24.4 minutes, 8.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. But, not all was good for Cook as he only shot 38.1% from the floor and he needs to improve on that if he wants to see an increase in playing time in the future.

F/C Joel Anthony proved that he belonged late in the season when he finally got a chance to play. He played in 24 games (1 start) for the Heat this season and he averaged 20.8 minutes, 3.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.1 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game. Anthony likely won a job for next season as a backup based on his play late in the year.

Forward Kasib Powell also got a lot of playing time at the end of the season and he looked decent despite only shooting 36.8% from the floor. Powell played in 11 games (4 starts) for the Heat this season and he averaged 27.6 minutes, 7.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He will have a good shot of making the Heat next season.

Forward Stephane Lasme came to the Heat late in the season and he appears to be a skilled player. He played in 15 games (4 starts) for the Heat last season and he averaged 20.2 minutes, 5.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 0.2 assists and 1.5 blocked shots per game. Lasme played in 16 games (4 starts) with the Warriors & Heat last season and he averaged 18.9 minutes, 5.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 0.2 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game. Lasme will have a shot to make the Heat next season based on his play late in the season for the Heat.

Point guard Blake Ahearn didn’t look too good for the Heat last season as he only shot 26.3% from the floor. He played in 12 games (0 starts) for the Heat last season and he averaged 14.8 minutes, 5.8 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He will have an uphill climb to stay in the NBA until he starts shooting better.