Miami Dreamin’: Odom and Boozer?

by Marcel Mutoni

Superstar guard Dwyane Wade, only a year away from starring in the heart-stopping summer of 2010, has made it perfectly clear that he wants the Miami Heat front office to step up to the plate and deliver him some help. Otherwise, well, you know…

According to a report on Yahoo! Sports, Pat Riley and company are only happy to oblige:

Now, the Heat are working furiously to deliver Lamar Odom and Carlos Boozer to the shores of Biscayne Bay. The Heat are trying to sell Odom on a five-year, $34 million contract at the mid-level exception, and a league executive with knowledge of the talks says Miami has also hatched a three-way proposal with the Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies to secure Boozer.

The essentials of a possible deal would include Miami sending forward Udonis Haslem and Dorell Wright to Utah. Because Memphis is under the cap, Utah could move Wright’s $2.8 million salary to the Grizzlies and save itself approximately $5.6 million with salary and luxury-tax payments. Memphis would probably get cash and picks for its trouble. The Heat would have to send one more small contract to make the math on the salary exchange work. Miami could pay Boozer his $12.7 million salary this season and own his [Larry] Bird rights to sign him to an extension next summer.

Some in the local Miami press aren’t ready to do back-flips over the rumor, and helpfully point out why Heat fans should hold their excitement. All that being said, however, one must admit that the above is more than a little intriguing.