Heat Sign Forward Derrick Williams To One-Year Deal
The post-Dwyane Wade era has begun.
Miami signed former New York Knicks forward Derrick Williams to a one-year, $5 million deal Friday afternoon as first reported by The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Williams, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 draft, spent this past season in the Big Apple where he averaged 9.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in 18 minutes of action a night. Signing with Miami puts Williams on his fourth different team in his five-year career.
The one-year deal gives the Heat cap flexibility moving forward. The still young Williams – 25 years old – gets one season to prove himself as a valuable piece moving forward or he could be easily jettisoned once the 2017 offseason rolls around.
Williams was highly touted coming out of Arizona, but the undersized power forward – 6-foot-8 – hasn't lived up to his perceived potential. He averaged a career-high 12 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in his second year with Minnesota, but still hasn't shown that he can consistently make shots throughout the rest of his career – holding a 43 percent field goal percentage and an even worse 29 percent clip from three-point range.
Still, Williams could find an expanded role with the Heat. Chris Bosh still remains a question mark and the only other power forward currently under contract with the team is Josh McRoberts.
However, reports also came out Friday that the Heat were working on a deal to bring back 36-year-old fan favorite Udonis Haslem.