MIAMI, July 9 – The Miami HEAT announced today that they have signed free agent guard/forward Gerald Green. As per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“We are fortunate to be able sign a proven veteran like Gerald,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “He is a dynamic talent who possesses great athleticism, and has the ability to shoot from distance and spread the floor. He’ll be a perfect complement to our team.”
Last season with the Phoenix Suns, Green played in 74 games (four starts), and averaged 11.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 19.5 minutes per game, while shooting 41.6 percent from the field. For the first time in his career, he averaged double-digit points for a second consecutive season, and led Suns with 137 three-point field goals made. Among NBA players to come off the bench in a majority of their teams’ games, Green ranked seventh with 11.9 points per game as a reserve. He posted 45 games with 10+ points, 11 games with 20+ points and one game with 30+ points. Additionally, he ranked fifth in the NBA with 26 games of at least 15 points when coming off the bench, and tied for fourth with 11 games of at least 20 points off the bench. He led the Suns in scoring 13 times (third most on team), rebounds twice, assists three times, steals nine times and blocks three times.
Green, an eight-year NBA veteran, has appeared in 428 games (102 starts) in his career, averaging 10.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 19.9 minutes per game, while shooting 42.5 percent from the field, 36.8 percent from three-point range and 81.8 percent from the foul line. He finished fourth in voting for Most Improved Player during the 2013-14 NBA season, was named the MVP of the 2012 NBA D-League All-Star Game, and was the winner of the 2007 NBA Slam Dunk contest at All-Star weekend in Las Vegas.
Green was originally drafted by the Boston Celtics in the first round (18th overall) of the 2005 NBA Draft. In addition to playing in the NBA and D-League, he has played overseas in Russia and China.