5 free agents the Miami Heat should target in 2017 free agency

4. Rudy Gay, SF, Sacramento Kings

Rudy Gay is a player who has been rumored to be on Miami’s radar for what feels like forever. And if Riley were to strike out with his top targets, it would not surprise me to see Gay in a Heat uniform next season. Riley has mentioned numerous times he wants this to be a quick rebuild. Quick rebuilds usually don’t take two years of tanking. Meaning he’ll do anything to turn this roster into a playoff-caliber one as soon as possible.

Although fans of analytics wouldn’t love a Gay signing, he’s not as bad of an option as some make him out to be. Gay just turned 30 a few months ago, and is still playing high-level basketball. He rebounds well from the small forward position at six a game, and is averaging 19 points.

His three-point percentage this season is respectable (36 percent). Even more promising, he’s making his five free-throw attempts per game at an 85 percent clip. That’s an area in which this Heat team desperately needs help (they’re the worst FT-shooting team in the league).

Gay is also underrated in his play-making ability. The key for a Gay signing to work is for him to accept a transition to the four. Gay has been in the NBA for ten years, and doesn’t have the athleticism he once did. To be effective, he needs to be a stretch-four at this point in his career.

Though his three-point shooting isn’t great, the Heat’s staff has shown that they can improve a player’s jumper in an offseason of work. Just look at what James Johnson has been doing. Johnson currently boasts a 38 percent three-point percentage, which is by far the best rate of his career. Miami could work similar wonders with a player as talented as Gay.