Interested might be a strong word; open to the idea is a better description of the situation. The Miami Heat keep adding invitees to their training camp, including Roger Mason Jr., who had a small role to play for the New Orleans Pelicans last season, and will possibly add him to one of the final two spots on their roster.
Mason played in 69 games last season for the Hornets, averaging 5.3 points per game on 17.7 minutes a night. In truth, the Heat don’t need much more than that, especially considering the very small role they have lineup up for Mason, who will mostly be another option for the Heat to use as they spread the floor. Mason hit 41.5% of his three point attempts last season, and is a 38.4% career shooter.
But how many shooters does a team need? When it comes down to the 14th and 15th spots on an NBA roster, it’s no longer about need, but mostly about trying to find a catch – a guy who can contribute within the very small role that’s given to him, and doesn’t mind taking a minimum salary for his contribution.
Mason last made the headlines as he was up for the head-of-the-union job, eventually won by Chris Paul. It’s weird having such a high profile player at a position that takes considerable time off your hands, and was previously filled by Derek Fisher, but it’s hard to fight against celebrities.
The last time Mason was a part of a winning team was playing for the New York Knicks in 2010-2011, but he was only the floor for 26 games. His best NBA years came while playing for the San Antonio Spurs for a couple of seasons, including being a starter for the team, averaging 11.8 points per game in the 2008-2009 season.
The Heat, despite Mason’s ability to contribute in a way they need, might be better off keeping those two roster spots open by the end of training camp, as they set themselves up for a signing like Chris Andersen from last season, not wanting to limit themselves so early in the season.