MIAMI — Rashard Lewis will make nearly $18 million less next season than LeBron James. But that didn't stop him from borrowing from James when he announced his intention Tuesday to sign with the Miami Heat.
"I'm taking my talents to South Beach," Lewis wrote in a text message to Mark Hartfield, a former teammate at Houston's Alief Elsik High School and the son of their coach, Jarrel Hartfield.
No, there was no show to announce it, a la "The Decision." But it still was an impressive move for the Heat to land the free-agent forward, a two-time All-Star.
In a move first reported by FOX Sports Florida and later confirmed by his agents, Tony Dutt and Colin Bryant, Lewis will join the Heat for the veteran's minimum next season of $1.35 million. Sources say Lewis will sign a two-year deal for $2.75 million, the second year being a player option for the minimum of $1.4 million.
Lewis, 32, who played in the 2005 and 2009 All-Star games, will be the second former All-Star to sign with the Heat on Wednesday, the first day free agents can sign. Joining Lewis will be shooting guard Ray Allen, 36, a 10-time All-Star who bolted from Boston even though the Celtics offered twice as much money.
Allen, who committed last Friday to Miami for the $3.09 million midlevel exception, played a role in luring Lewis to the Heat. The two were Seattle teammates from February 2003 through the 2006-07 season.
"They are very, very close," Jarrel Hartfield said of Allen and Lewis. "And Rashard's mom and Ray Allen's mom are very close. I would go up there (to Seattle when Allen and Lewis were teammates), and I would see that."
Despite having only the $3.09 million exception, minimum salaries and sign-and-trade possibilities to work with, Miami's top offseason priority was to sign Allen and then perhaps get free-agent center Marcus Camby. While the Heat couldn't arrange a sign-and-trade with Houston for Camby and he wouldn't take the $1.35 million minimum, Lewis is a fine consolation prize after Camby agreed to join the Knicks for $13 million over three years.
Money was not considered a huge obstacle in going after Lewis, a 14-year veteran. He was bought out of his contract by New Orleans on June 30 for $13.7 million and by the end of next season will have earned more than $150 million in his career.
"He's made a lot of money in his life," said Jarrel Hartfield, who coached Lewis before he graduated in 1998 and entered the NBA draft and who retired from Alief Elsik in 2006. "He wants to win a championship."
Lewis certainly will have a good shot at that with the defending champions. Despite being 6 feet 10, he has the shooting range of a guard. Lewis has a career 3-point percentage of 38.8 and has made 1,690 from long range in his career, good for eighth on the NBA all-time list.
Who's No. 1? Allen, with 2,718.
"With he and Ray, they're really going to be stroking some 3s," said Jarrel Hartfield, knowing the open looks the two will get with so much attention paid to Heat stars James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
But Hartfield predicts Lewis, who visited Miami on Sunday, will be able to do plenty more than just shoot.
"First of all, he's such a loyal team guy," the retired coach said. "He'll move the ball around. And his length definitely will help with rebounding."
There are questions, though, about how much Lewis has left. After signing a six-year, $118 million deal with Orlando in 2007 and helping the Magic to the 2009 NBA Finals, he began to fall off.
Lewis, who has career averages of 16.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, was traded to Washington in December 2010. He averaged 7.8 points and 3.9 rebounds last season with the Wizards while playing in just 28 games because of left knee problems.
Lewis, known as a stretch-four for his ability to stretch defenses at power forward with his outside shooting, was traded June 20 to New Orleans. It was with the understanding his contract would be bought out from the $22.1 million he was originally due for the final year.
Still, it's hard to complain about the Heat getting Lewis for a minimum deal. He also considered Atlanta and New York but apparently no team ever offered a deal for an amount substantially over the minimum.
"He's healthy," Bryant said last week about Lewis. "He's 100 percent. He's been working out every day (in Las Vegas). He's moving well."
The signings of Allen and Lewis will give the Heat 13 players under contract for next season. They still have two more roster spots.
The Heat likely want another big man and perhaps another point guard. Agent Bernie Lee said he has talked to Heat president Pat Riley twice since the July 1 start of free agency about his client, point guard John Lucas III. Yes, that would be the same Bulls free agent that James hurdled for a dunk in a January game and clobbered while setting a pick in an April game.
"We've agreed that we're going to talk at the summer league in Las Vegas," Lee said of speaking again with Riley at the event in which the Heat start play Sunday. "You definitely listen if it's Miami."
Lucas averaged 7.5 points and 2.2 assists in 49 games last season with Chicago, including scoring 24 points in a March game against the Heat. He made the minimum of $915,852 but ideally would like to make more next season than his new minimum of $1.02 million. However, it's not out of the question the free-agent point guard could end up being another player willing to take less to join the Heat.
Other teams that have interest in Lucas are the Bulls, Washington, Boston, Minnesota and Toronto. The Wizards, Celtics and Timberwolves all have indicated a willingness to offer more than the minimum.
Sources said there remains a possibility Heat swingman Mike Miller, who might need back surgery, could be ruled out for the season. That could give Miami a $2.9 million disabled player exception. If Miller ends up retiring, it would open up another roster spot.
For now, though, the Heat are perfectly content with the latest two players to be added to their roster. Now, there's even more talent in South Beach.
Chris Tomasson can be reached at christomasson@hotmail.com or on Twitter @christomasson
