Rashard Lewis, who was teammates with Allen in Seattle from 2002 to 2007, is set to join the Heat on two-year deal, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
The contract is reportedly for the veteran's minimum, meaning Lewis would make roughly $1.375 million per year. The deal will be a considerable drop in salary for Lewis, who made more than $21 million in 2011-12 and more than $138 million during his career.
Lewis, 32, has averaged 16.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game over 14 seasons in the NBA. His numbers peaked in the 2006-07 season, when he averaged 22.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Since signing his seven-year, $126 million with the Orlando Magic in 2007, Lewis' numbers have fallen dramatically and consistently each season.
Last season, playing in just 28 games for the Washington Wizards, Lewis averaged a mere 7.8 points and 3.9 rebounds for a team that went a dreadful 20-46 on the year. Lewis does have championship experience, though, as he was a big part of the Magic's run to the NBA Finals in 2009.
The Heat are hoping that the duo of Allen and Lewis will be able to find the same sort of chemistry they displayed during their five seasons together with the Supersonics.
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh will clearly still make up the core of the Heat roster, but Lewis' addition should have an impact just like Allen. While both players will likely come off the bench, their contributions, much like those of Shane Battier, Mike Miller and James Jones, could be key to a repeat championship run in Miami.
Photo via Facebook/Rashard Lewis
