Flo-Rida
07-09-2008, 11:37 AM
Ex-Cane Jones set to come home
The Heat reached an agreement with three-point specialist and former UM star James Jones, who played for the Trail Blazers last season.
The Miami Heat has reached an agreement on a potential five-year deal with free agent swingman James Jones, two league sources confirmed late Tuesday night.
Jones is expected to earn a starting salary of $4 million a season, as part of the Heat's midlevel exception. Jones could be signing the deal as soon as Wednesday, and it would be worth a total of about $22 million.
Jones, a 6-8 forward and former University of Miami star, opted out of the final year of his contract with the Portland Trail Blazers to become a free agent. Jones, a Miami native, had been among several Heat targets during free agency. The signing period began Wednesday at 12:01 a.m., but teams had been able to negotiate deals since July 1.
Jones, 27, was one of the first free agents the Heat contacted to express a strong interest. He is a three-point specialist, who shot 44.4 percent last season with Portland. Jones had the league's third-best three-point shooting percentage, behind former Heat swingman Jason Kapono and Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash. Jones' addition would fill a void left by Kapono and former Heat swingman James Posey, who left last summer.
The move to sign Jones -- a former Miami American High standout -- apparently would create a logjam on the perimeter for the Heat and put the futures of shooting guard Daequan Cook and forwards Shawn Marion and Dorell Wright in doubt.
The Heat reached an agreement with three-point specialist and former UM star James Jones, who played for the Trail Blazers last season.
The Miami Heat has reached an agreement on a potential five-year deal with free agent swingman James Jones, two league sources confirmed late Tuesday night.
Jones is expected to earn a starting salary of $4 million a season, as part of the Heat's midlevel exception. Jones could be signing the deal as soon as Wednesday, and it would be worth a total of about $22 million.
Jones, a 6-8 forward and former University of Miami star, opted out of the final year of his contract with the Portland Trail Blazers to become a free agent. Jones, a Miami native, had been among several Heat targets during free agency. The signing period began Wednesday at 12:01 a.m., but teams had been able to negotiate deals since July 1.
Jones, 27, was one of the first free agents the Heat contacted to express a strong interest. He is a three-point specialist, who shot 44.4 percent last season with Portland. Jones had the league's third-best three-point shooting percentage, behind former Heat swingman Jason Kapono and Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash. Jones' addition would fill a void left by Kapono and former Heat swingman James Posey, who left last summer.
The move to sign Jones -- a former Miami American High standout -- apparently would create a logjam on the perimeter for the Heat and put the futures of shooting guard Daequan Cook and forwards Shawn Marion and Dorell Wright in doubt.