The Heat have picked up their team option for the 2010-11 season on 24-year old point guard Mario Chalmers. Chalmers played in 73 games (22 starts) for the Heat last season and he averaged 24.8 minutes, 7.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He has now played in 155 games (104 starts) in his two years with the Heat and he has averaged 28.6 minutes, 8.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Chalmers lost his starting job last season but he has the potential to earn it back if he gets the chance to. He might wind up being a backup if the Heat bring in a big time point guard or shooting guard for 2010-11.

The Heat have re-signed 26-year old power forward Shavlik Randolph. Randolph played in 2 games (0 starts) earlier this season for the Heat in which he averaged 11.5 minutes, 1.0 point and 3.5 rebounds per game. In 5 games (0 starts) for the Blazers & Heat this season, Randolph is averaging 5.8 minutes, 1.2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. The Heat needed another big body with injuries along the front line and they hope Randolph will help them out some the rest of the year.

The Heat have signed 33-year old point guard Rafer Alston for the rest of this season. He played in 27 games (13 starts) for the Nets this season and he averaged 28.4 minutes, 9.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.0 steal per game despite only shooting 34.3% from the floor. He has now played in 646 games in his NBA career (427 starts) and he has averaged 29.0 minutes, 10.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Alston has always been overrated as a shooter as he has only hit 38.4% of his shots in his NBA career. Look for Alston to bump Carlos Arroyo from the starting line-up soon for the Heat.

The Heat have traded 26-year old point guard Chris Quinn, a 2012 second round pick and cash to the Nets for a heavily protected 2010 draft pick. Quinn has not played in a game this season for the Heat. Quinn played in 168 games (26 starts) in his career with the Heat and he averaged 16.1 minutes, 5.6 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. This is a good trade for both teams as Quinn will help the Nets off the bench while the Heat have cleared a roster spot and they want to use it to sign Rafer Alston.

The Heat have signed 30-year old point guard Carlos Arroyo. He last played in the NBA during the 2007-08 season with the Orlando Magic. Arroyo has now played in 433 games (113 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 18.2 minutes, 7.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. This was a good move for the Heat as Arroyo is a better player than the current backup point guard Chris Quinn.

25-year old forward Shavlik Randolph will try to make the Heats’ roster in training camp. He played in 10 games (0 starts) for the Blazers last season and he averaged 3.7 minutes, 1.8 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. Randolph has now played in 89 games (7 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 8.2 minutes, 2.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. Randolph should make the Heat if he can just stay healthy which has been a huge problem to this point of his NBA career.

SG Dwyane Wade doesn’t want to wait until he becomes a free agent for the Heat to spend money as he wants to wn right now. Too bad the front office isn’t listening to him. SG/SF Quentin Richardson was the best player the Heat have brought in this off-season and he’s a fringe starting player at this point in his career. The Heat have also re-signed big men Jamaal Magloire and Joel Anthony to give them help off the bench. The Heat needed them after trading Mark Blount to the Timberwolves to get Richardson and watching Jamario Moon sign with the Cavs as a free agent.

FRONT OFFICE GRADE SO FAR THIS OFF-SEASON: D+

The Miami Heat have acquired 29-year old SG/SF Quentin Richardson from the Timberwolves for 33-year old center Mark Blount. Richardson played in 72 games (51 starts) for the Knicks last season and he averaged 26.3 minutes, 10.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He has now played in 601 games (389 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 28.0 minutes, 11.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. This is the 4th time Richardson has been traded since last season ended but he has likely found a home with the Heat. Mark Blount played in 20 games (0 starts) for the Heat last season and he averaged 10.4 minutes, 4.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. This was a good move for the Heat as Richardson appears to be a much better player than Blount at this juncture in their careers.

The Heat have re-signed 31-year old center Jamaal Magloire to a 1-year deal. He will back up Jermaine O’Neal again during the 2009-2010 NBA season. He played in 55 games (12 starts) for the Heat last season and he averaged 12.9 minutes, 2.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. Magloire has now played in 592 games (313 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 23.2 minutes, 8.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. This was a smart move for the Heat as Magloire still has some game left.

23-year old Robert Dozier was the last player picked in the NBA Draft. The 23-year old Dozier is a banger who plays good on the defensive end of the court. He played in 148 games in four seasons at Memphis where he averaged 9.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.5 blocked shots per game. Dozier will back up Udonis Haslem if he makes the roster.

UPDATE: Robert Dozier has signed with Greek team Colossus Rhodes. The Heat will keep his rights for a little while but it looks like he won’t be playing for them any time soon.