Near the end of last season, the status of Chris Bosh turned into a back-and-forth between him and the Miami Heat. Dealing with blood clot issues around the All-Star break, Bosh believed he was ready to come back around the playoffs but the Heat disagreed. Miami wanted to be cautious with Bosh, which was the right decision to make since he was dealing with a rather serious health issue. In the end though, both Bosh and the Heat came to an agreement that he wouldn't return during the playoffs and they would plan on reassessing things in the offseason.
Well it seems like that reassessment may have already occurred because according to ESPN's Michael Wallace, the Heat are optimistic Bosh will return next season. Pat Riley is even including Bosh being part of the team when he is making pitches to free agents.
From Wallace:
Pat Riley's pitch to Miami Heat free-agent targets will include an optimistic view of Chris Bosh's potential return to the court next season and the long-term stability of coach Erik Spoelstra, league sources have told ESPN.com.
Bosh is making progress in his recovery from recurring blood clots that have cut short each of his past two seasons, according to a source with knowledge of Bosh's condition. Both Bosh and the Heat continue to work toward the goal of having the perennial All-Star power forward available for the start of training camp, sources said.
This is very promising news regarding Bosh's health. For a while, it was unclear if Bosh would ever be able to play again but if he is shooting for the start of training camp, that is a great sign.
Bosh returning will also greatly help the Heat when it comes to free agency. Just having Bosh makes the Heat a threat in the East and he's the type of star that other players want to play with. Also if they are able to work things out with Dwyane Wade, the Heat can then talk to free agents about coming to Miami to play with two All-Stars and an excellent point guard in Goran Dragic.
The Heat were expected to be players in free agency this summer but with Bosh expected to return, they may now be one of the more attractive teams for a number of free agents. Bosh makes that much of a difference.