Heat re-sign Udonis Haslem, add Wayne Ellington, James Johnson

ByMICHAEL WALLACE
July 10, 2016, 6:30 PM

— -- MIAMI -- The Heat are finalizing a flurry of weekend moves to restock the roster in the stinging aftermath of franchise icon Dwyane Wade's free-agency departure to the Chicago Bulls.

The Heat on Sunday reached a deal to re-sign veteran forward Udonis Haslem, according to a league source, and announced the signings of shooting guard Wayne Ellington and forward James Johnson.

The Heat, a league source said, were also expected to match Brooklyn's four-year, $50 million offer sheet to retain restricted free-agent guard Tyler Johnson. Miami faced a Sunday-night deadline for deciding on Johnson.

On Friday, the Heat signed former New York Knicks forward Derrick Williams.

The Miami Herald was first to report Haslem's one-year, $4 million deal to stay in Miami, where he is the only remaining player who played in all three of the Heat's championship seasons. The signings exhaust nearly all of the $20 million in cap space the Heat had after re-signing center Hassan Whiteside to a four-year, $98 million deal July 1 in the opening hours of free agency.

Of the weekend signings, only Johnson's deal is for longer than two seasons under team president Pat Riley's plan to maintain flexibility in hopes of attracting a marquee free agent next summer to speed up the rebuilding process. The activity came on the heels of Wade's decision Wednesday to turn down Miami's two-year, $41.5 million offer after a second straight summer of acrimonious negotiations with the Heat. Riley had hoped to use the remaining $20 million for Wade's salary next season.

Wade instead agreed to a two-year, $47 million deal with the Bulls and confirmed Saturday that a rift with Riley during the process factored into his decision to walk away.

The 34-year-old Wade spent his first 13 seasons in Miami, is the franchise's career leader in scoring and helped lead the Heat to five NBA Finals appearances and three championships. Riley has not spoken publicly since Wade's departure.

"Sometimes, change is good for both sides," Wade said Saturday during his youth basketball camp in Miami. "I'm not sitting here saying that change will not be good for the Miami Heat. We might not see it immediately. We might see it later."

Also, the Heat have sent a future second-round pick and cash to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for veteran power forward Luke Babbitt.