It’s long been a foregone conclusion that the Miami Heat would move on from veteran big man Chris Bosh this summer. Really, it was just a matter of time.
Now, with teams able to officially sign free agents on Thursday, that time appears to be now.
“The Heat is expected to release Chris Bosh this week, clearing the remaining $52.1 million of his contract off its salary cap,” the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson reported on Tuesday.
Releasing the ailing former All-Star would save Miami $25 million against the cap this summer.
Bosh, 33, has played in a grand total of 97 games over the past three seasons and missed the entire 2016-17 campaign due to complications from blood clots.
While Bosh has indicated he would like to play, it remains unlikely that he will ever see the NBA hardwood again. The 11-time All-Star helped lead Miami to two NBA titles in his seven seasons with the team.
As it relates to the Heat, they have been bidding for All-Star forward Gordan Hayward, who will reportedly sign with the Boston Celtics. Outside of that, Miami has shown interest in Rudy Gay. It will need to make Bosh’s release official in order to sign any top-end free agents.