Basketball: Miami Heat

Free agent Elton Brand signed an offer sheet with the Miami Heat on Wednesday, a move that will force the Los Angeles Clippers to match the deal or lose the rights to the former all-star forward.

The Clippers, who previously offered Brand an extension worth more than $60 million, have 15 days to match the offer.

"This organization has always been committed to winning," Heat coach Pat Riley said in a statement. "This offer sheet for Elton Brand is a continuance of that commitment to try to win and put the best possible players on the floor for our fans to enjoy."

The Heat did not disclose terms of the offer sheet, which is believed to be a six-year deal worth $84.2 million.

Brand, who has averaged 19.2 points and 10.7 rebounds a game in his four NBA seasons, would fill Miami's need for a true inside presence. The Heat were the NBA's second-lowest scoring team last season and ranked 18th in rebound differential.

Brand, the best available power forward in this year's free agent market, spent his first two seasons with Chicago and the last two with the Clippers. He was an all-star in 2002, the first Clippers player to be selected for the game since Danny Manning in 1994.

He averaged 18.5 points and 11.3 rebounds a game last season, overcoming the first two serious injuries of his career -- right knee surgery in September, then a stress fracture in his leg that caused him to miss 18 games in February and March.

Brand returned for the final nine games of the Clippers' season, averaging 19.0 points and 12.2 rebounds during that stretch, fully recovered from the leg problem.

Two of Brand's Clippers teammates, shooting guard Corey Maggette and point guard Andre Miller, also signed offer sheets Wednesday. Maggette signed a six-year offer sheet from the Utah Jazz, and Miller signed a six-year, $51-million offer from the Denver Nuggets.

The offer sheets to Brand and Miller were believed to be structured in such a way as to force Clippers owner Donald Sterling to make huge immediate lump sum payments -- up to $28 million in Brand's case alone -- if he decides to match.

Clippers executive vice-president Andy Roeser said the team will evaluate the offer sheets before making a decision.

"As we have repeatedly said, it is our intention to match any and all offers as we see fit, with a goal of maintaining the nucleus of our team," Roeser said.

The Heat had also courted free-agent centres Brad Miller and Michael Olowokandi during this offseason as possible replacements for Alonzo Mourning, who spurned Miami and signed a four-year contract Wednesday with the New Jersey Nets. Miller remained available, as of Wednesday evening; Olowokandi accepted a three-year deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Clippers stand to lose at least half their roster if they choose not to re-sign any of their free agents. Besides Brand, Maggette, Olowokandi, Miller, other Clippers free agents include Lamar Odom, Sean Rooks and Eric Piatkowski.

So what do you guys think about Pat Riley and Lamar Odom working together?

I don't think this is a good match. I think there's going to be trouble. Odom's too much of a free spirit and Riley's too much of a disciplinarian. They're going to clash and clash quite a bit I think.

Originally posted by Fox Mulder
So what do you guys think about Pat Riley and Lamar Odom working together?

I don't think this is a good match. I think there's going to be trouble. Odom's too much of a free spirit and Riley's too much of a disciplinarian. They're going to clash and clash quite a bit I think.

thats very true, riley isnt too fond of "free spirits", but i think for a player of odom's caliber riley would take it easy on him.

Originally posted by Osobad28:

thats very true, riley isnt too fond of "free spirits", but i think for a player of odom's caliber riley would take it easy on him.

Yeah that's I what I would do if I was Riley, especially since he hasn't exactly been that successful with Miami the last couple of years.

and you also must consider that Riley has been praising Odom for quite a while so he must know what kind of person he is taking into his team already...