Head was waived Monday by the Houston Rockets, for whom he played 255 games in his first four NBA seasons. The Heat expected him to formally sign later Wednesday after completing a physical.

About a half-dozen teams were seriously interested in signing Head, but the lure of playing time and playoff possibilities prompted him to decide on Miami, which had a roster spot open to make the move.

"He's the type of player that fits," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "He's got a defensive background with the Houston Rockets. ... They've had a top-five defense there the whole time he's been there. He's got a similar background to our system, which helps. I would probably guess he knows our rules as concepts as well as anybody already."

Head averaged 13.1 points in his first seven starts with Houston as a rookie, and eventually settled in as a key reserve over the next three years.But he dropped down Houston's depth chart this season, struggled with an injury to his right foot and only appeared in 22 games — averaging career lows of 4.8 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 14.6 minutes.

Like Heat guard Dwyane Wade, Head is a Chicago native — and played with Wade at times this past summer while the Miami star was getting ready for the Beijing Olympics.

"He can play on the court with Dwyane, he can play when Dwyane's not in the game and he has playoff experience, which is an added bonus," Spoelstra said.