Heat free agency 2017: Six players Miami should sign
By Rob Slater
The Miami Heat head into free agency armed with nearly $40 million in cap space as they look to add an elite talent and complementary pieces.
Once again, Pat Riley and the Miami Heat find themselves in one of the most flexible financial situations heading into the free agency period, kicking off July 1st. As Riley looks to recruit elite talent to join Goran Dragic, Hassan Whiteside and a developing young core to compete in the East, the team will
But outside of the top names like Gordon Hayward, Blake Griffin and Paul Millsap, all of whom the Heat plan on pursuing, there is value to add the type of complementary pieces to round out a championship team.
The Heat are among the most creative teams when it comes to using every aspect of the salary cap and they’ll have to do it again this year to potentially add a max player like Hayward along with one or two additional pieces. But where should their priorities lie? Here are six players the Heat should look to recruit this July.
Gordon Hayward
By all accounts, the Miami Heat intend on making the Utah forward their very top priority when the July moratorium begins and out of the top tier of free agents (Hayward, Blake Griffin, Paul Millsap, etc.) there is no better fit for the current Heat roster than Gordon Hayward.
If the Heat are able to land the Utah forward, they’d insert him into a lineup that desperately needs a go-to scorer on the perimeter. Hayward would fit seamlessly into the Heat’s offensive attack, teaming with Goran Dragic to increase the backcourt production and alleviate pressure on Hassan Whiteside.
Pat Riley recently spoke of a “Plan A” and “Plan B” for free agency, and given reports that the Heat plan on going all-in on Hayward, it’s safe to assume he is the “Plan A” with a different combination of players (including their own free agents James Johnson and Dion Waiters) making up the backup plan. But the Heat clearly see the potential to develop and maximize Hayward’s elite talent.
Much like LeBron James prior to his arrival, the Heat have to believe they can challenge Hayward to improve his defensive ability as well as his offensive game in the post, giving Spoelstra the option to use Hayward at the power forward position in smaller lineups.
Out of all the teams that will make a run at Hayward (Utah and the Boston Celtics also plan to give chase), there is no better fit for Hayward than the Miami Heat. The Jazz can’t seem to put a complementary team around him and the Celtics are gathering too many ball-dominant guards (with Isaiah Thomas and possibly Paul George on the way) to allow Hayward the proper space to operate. Spoelstra and the Heat will have a legitimate chance to sign him because they can present the absolute best situation for his career moving forward and become an automatic contender in the East.