Free Agent Grades for the Miami Heat
By Wes Goldberg
Now that Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic have re-signed, and Amar’e Stoudemire and Gerald Green are going to South Beach, we can start to see the final form of this 2015-16 Miami Heat roster. There may yet be more moves on the horizon–the roster currently stands at 17 player (not including second round pick Josh Richardson)–with the names of Mario Chalmers and Chris Andersen being thrown around the trading block.
The Heat’s moves have done enough to garner the praise from some former players, and they will return a much more whole team than the one that was thrown together higgildy piggeldy in the wake of LeBron James’ departure last season.
We’ve reached the point where we can stand back and take a look at the big picture, and grade the Heat on their off-season.
D-Wade and the Dragon: A Dynamic Backcourt
By retaining Wade and Dragic, the Heat have perhaps the best backcourt in the Eastern Conference. Both Wade and Dragic run the pick-and-roll exceptionally well, and were both catalysts for Hassan Whiteside’s offense. The Dragic/Wade to Whiteside PnR was Miami’s primary offense after Chris Bosh was ruled out for the season. It’s something we expect to see more of next season, though they may not rely on it as much. The Heat will try to strike a healthy balance between finding Whiteside rolling to the basket and Bosh popping near the elbow. It will be Wade finding his teammates in familiar position, and Dragic pushing the pace, that will set the tone for the rest of the team.
After acquiring Dragic, Miami picked up the pace from 91.85 possessions per 48 minutes to a 95.67 pace. Those extra four possessions per game helped the Heat increase their scoring average from 92.8 points per game to 98 points per game. Keep in mind that that’s without Bosh and his 21.1 points per game.
As for Wade, he’s not the flash he used to be. He’s taken a liking to the “old man game.” By running the pick-and-roll or getting the ball in isolation in the post, Wade uses his gravity to make plays for others. Or, you know, score. Like a great boxer, he’ll go to a variety of moves in the post to score–and defenders won’t know which until it’s too late. If Wade is thunder, Dragic is lightning. And we know how stormy Miami can get.
Luol Deng’s Understated Return
With Wade and Dragic choosing to hit the open market before ultimately re-signing, the news that Luol Deng would simply opt in to his $10.1 million deal came and went without much fanfare.
Is that a lot of money to spend on a guy well past his prime, whose stats were near career lows across the board? Yes. But it’s an important retainment all the same, and one the Heat can afford for one season before the vaunted free agency of 2016.
Deng provides the Heat’s starting lineup–one packed with players who can dominate with the rock in their hands–with a guy who can impact the game without the ball. Deng, a 36 percent 3-point shooter, can space the floor, cut to the basket without the ball and be an outlet for his teammates on offense. Last season, two thirds of Deng’s field goals were assisted. That’s essentially the inverse of Wade and Dragic.
In a traumatic season with dramatic lineup changes, Deng was a constant presence, starting in 72 games–10 more than Wade and more than 20 more than anyone else on the roster. Deng offers the Heat consistency, a non-negative, and a complementary player who knows how to play without the ball.
Apr 8, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Gerald Green (14) drives to the basket past Dallas Mavericks center Amar
Gerald Green
The Heat ranked 24th in the NBA in 3-point percentage last season. To say they needed a 3-point shooter would be as much an understatement as it is obvious. So, Pat Riley went out and signed the best 3-point shooter available at a below market, minimum contract. A-plus for that.
Green has his flaws. Last season in Phoenix, Green has a DBPM of minus-3.3 (meaning he had a defensive value of 3.3 points fewer than the league average), per basketball-reference.com. He’s a subpar defender, but the Heat will challenge him to be better.
"“They challenged me defensively,” Green said, via the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “And I told them that I was going to accept their challenge. They really, really challenged me defensively.“They really want me to challenge myself. And I’m accepting that challenge.”"
The Heat have a way of making bad defenders better–see Mike Miller. Like Miller, Green’s strength will be beyond the arc, where he will space the floor and make open catch-and-shoot jumpers. He’ll come off the bench as a spark and, paired with either Mario Chalmers or Shabazz Napier, give Miami’s second unit a stretchier look than their starting counterparts.
Amar’e Stoudemire
Chris Andersen is a positive defender who has his place on offense. He’s also making $5 million this season, a contract we all knew would look bad when he signed it last off-season, but also knew it was necessary at the time. The signing of Stoudemire, a defensively limited offensive spark (the inverse of Andersen, basically) came with the assumption that Birdman would be traded away, but he’s still in Miami. We’ll see where he’s at by the beginning of the season but, for now, we’ll act as if he’ll be on the Heat.
That means Stoudemire will mostly be playing power forward, behind Bosh and Josh McRoberts. Stoudemire being a third-string power forward is certainly strange, but keep in mind the Heat are paying him the minimum.
If I told you in 2010 that, in five years, the Heat would have both Bosh and Stoudemire on the roster, you would have done backflips. They both offer the same thing (to different degrees). Long range shooting, nice passing skills, and a knack for getting buckets. Unlike Bosh, Stoudemire is a negative on defense (minus-3.1 DBPM last season) but that should be masked by Bosh, Whiteside or Andersen’s presence in the middle. On offense, Stoudemire averaged 23.5 points per 36 minutes with the Mavericks last season, his best since his first year in New York.
Stoudemire may play some 5, and that’s fine. The Heat will go smaller more this season and Stoudemire is a chess piece that Spoelstra can use to flex his lineups. The former All-Star will give Miami depth and are getting a savvy vet with a bonafide skill for a minimum contract.
Final Grade
By re-signing Wade and Dragic to deals that will not tie up their funds in 2016, Riley and the Heat got the most important job of the off-season done. In addition to retaining its backcourt, they got the best outcome from Deng’s option and added solid pieces in Green and Stoudemire. None of this includes the addition of Justise Winslow, who should make an immediate impact this season. Maybe the Heat trade away Chalmers and/or Andersen to dodge a steep luxury tax bill but, for now, Miami is deep and dangerous. Give Riley and general manager Andy Elisburg an ‘A-plus’ for this free agency performance.