Pat Riley has some work to do before he can convince LeBron James to return to the Miami Heat, and he took a step in the right direction on Monday. Free agents Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger have reportedly agreed to sign contracts with the Heat.
Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports that Josh McRoberts has agreed to sign a four-year, $23 million deal with the Heat. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported that Granger will sign a two-year, $4.2 million contract.
McRoberts has bounced around the NBA since he was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers out of Duke in 2007. He has averaged 5.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game throughout his career. However, McRoberts averaged a career-high 4.3 assists per game with the Charlotte Bobcats last season and was considered one of the game’s better passing big men.
LeBron is at his best when his team can play inside-out and create open looks, so some would see McRoberts as a solid compliment. Others would say he might even be insurance if Chris Bosh decides to accept that max offer the Houston Rockets have reportedly presented him with.
Granger was once one of the Indiana Pacers best players, having averaged 21.7 points per game from 2007 to 2012. However, knee and leg injuries have limited Granger to just 46 games over the past two seasons. He is a major health risk at age 31.
McRoberts and Granger are solid role players. Will they be enough to tip the scale before Riley meets with LeBron to discuss his future this week? With all the rumors swirling about James potentially returning to Cleveland, I’m not so sure.
