Despite constant rumblings that he is headed elsewhere soon, Mario Chalmers is still in South Beach. With training camp already underway, it seems that there are no takers for the Heat guard which could mean he will remain a Heat.
Chalmers has, of course, become dispensable with the coming of Goran Dragić. The Slovenian is expected to start in his place and chances are he could be coming off the bench as a backup or even a third guard off the rotation.
So is that good or is that bad?
Well, right now, it seems that Chalmers is simply focused on playing the game. He is aware of the trade rumors and despite no headway, he knows that he has to continue as a professional and deal with the hearsays as they come.
"I just heard the rumblings. My agent told me that [team President Pat Riley] told him the only way that he would trade me is if he had to. So I knew it wasn't because of my ability that they wanted to trade me. It's a business at the end of the day. I get it if they had to, but at the end of the day, I'm still here," says Chalmers in an interview with Sun Sentinel.
So right now, Chalmers simply wants to show how dedicated he is as far as his career is concerned. The trade rumors are not expected to go away and at some point, he will be playing elsewhere.
The only question there is when.
Chalmers is on his last year with the Miami Heat, and if the roster remains the same after the season (assuming he is not traded), he may likely end up being a free agent in the summer of 2016.
But given the choice, it seems Chalmers wants to stay in South Beach.
"I've never had weather like this. I'm addicted to the weather more than anything. And also, it's a great organization. It's a team I've been with for eight years. I'm comfortable with everyone. I feel like I can talk to anyone about anything," Chalmer says in the same interview.
On how that pans out remains to be seen. For now, Chalmers seems content being with the Heat and hopefully that will stick.
