Miami Heat

NBA Rumors: Chris Bosh Expected To Resume Comeback Next Season

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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NBA Rumors: Chris Bosh is not expected to return to an NBA court anytime soon, though he could attempt another comeback next season

Many questioned and critiqued when Miami Heat president Pat Riley said that Chris Bosh’s career with the team was over. Even though it was absolutely a cold statement to make, he might’ve been on to something.

Bosh, though, as expected, has other plans.

According to a recent report, Bosh hasn’t lost hope on playing in the NBA again. Though, his next comeback attempt will likely come next season. Not this one.

[via Miami Herald]

According to a league-employed source connected to Bosh, the mindset at the moment is that he’s more likely to attempt a comeback next season than this season.

The Heat eventually needs clarity on that, because if Miami goes through the process of removing his salary from its cap in February (it cannot happen before Feb. 9) instead of, say, April, it would leave Miami at risk if Bosh makes a comeback elsewhere this season because his salary would go back on the Heat’s cap if he plays 25 games with another team (regular season and/or playoffs).

If the Heat is comfortable that Bosh is not going to try to come back this season, it could likely purge Bosh from its cap — pending an independent doctor’s ruling — before the Feb. 23 trade deadline, freeing $23.6 million in space this season (which is not pro-rated, cap expert Larry Coon said). That means Miami would not need to trade similar money away to acquire a player earning substantially more.

As expected, Bosh’s decision on when he plans on resuming – or attempting to resume – his playing career has huge implications on the Miami Heat.

In other words, because of salary cap implications, the Heat kind of need to know whether Bosh will attempt to play later this season or not. If so, it could hinder their ability to seek cap relief sooner rather than later.

Ultimately, though, it will come down to whether Bosh can play – and get cleared by an NBA doctor – or not. If he can, his contract will fall back on the Heat’s books. No matter what Miami does about it now.

Though, if Bosh does delay his comeback until at least next season, there is a way Miami could get his huge contract number off the books in time for the 2017 NBA Free Agency. And that might be the Heat’s ultimate goal right now.