6 free agents the Miami Heat can replace Dion Waiters with

Dion Waiters — who is enjoying the best season of his career — will be a free agent this summer. If he leaves, who can the Miami Heat replace him with?

The Miami Heat may have a huge hole to fill this summer. Well, there could be a lot of holes, considering almost half the active roster will be free agents after the year is up.

But no potential departee would leave a larger void behind than Dion Waiters. Miami’s shooting guard is playing the best basketball of his career. And his importance to the team cannot be overstated. When he plays, the Heat perform at an elite level; when he doesn’t, they become bottom-feeders.

It’s entirely possible that team president Pat Riley’s strategy heading into the offseason has changed after seeing his team fall apart without its starting 2-guard.

Over their last four games, all of which Waiters sat out due to injury, Miami is 1-3. They are on the brink of irreversibly damaging their hopes to clinch a playoff spot. All because of an awkward landing and a twisted ankle.

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra’s drive-and-kick system is predicated mostly around Goran Dragic, but also on Waiters as a secondary play-maker. Losing him in free agency would force Miami to adapt.

Over their recent history, they have shown the ability do so. But why make yourself modify what’s been working so effectively?

I think Riley finds a way to keep Waiters. Regardless, if he doesn’t, here are five potential replacements.

J.J. Redick

First up on our list is J.J. Redick of the Los Angeles Clippers. The 11-year vet is a little long in the tooth, but is still playing at a very high level.

Redick is presently averaging 14.7 points per game, to go with 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists. His value, however, comes in his ability to knock down three-pointers.

Among guards with over 40 games played, who attempt at least two threes nightly, Redick ranks sixth in the league with 41.8 percent efficiency. Furthermore, on shots that are considered “wide open” by NBA.com (no defender within six feet), the Clippers 2-guard is seventh overall at an astounding 50.5 percent.

As far as finding a replacement who will space the floor for Miami, they couldn’t do any better than Redick. The issues arise when you consider one thing: who’s going to get him the wide open looks he’s so adept at converting?

Our hypothetical involves the Heat losing Waiters, who is the team’s second best distributor. Perhaps Justise Winslow — who will return from a season-ending shoulder injury in 2018 — could take over the role. Although his second season was a disappointment, he was showing signs of being able to handle a play-making role before he went down.

Winslow averaged almost four assists per game, and his 15.3 assist percentage was sixth on the team. With improved finishing around the rim, he could become the drive-and-kick replacement Miami need in a theoretical post-Waiters world.

Having Redick spotting up on the outside would be a major plus for the Heat’s offense.

Do I think he leaves the Clippers? No. But they’re probably another playoff failure away from blowing it all up. Plus, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent, and a cheaper option than the upcoming players on our list.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

Detroit Pistons shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is probably the most erratic player on our list. He has eight games this season with at least 25 points scored. At the same time, he also has an astonishing 23 games with single-digit scoring totals.

Overall, he’s averaging 14.0 points, 3.2 boards, 2.7 assists, 1.2 steals and a career-high 2.1 threes per game.

His shooting from the floor is poor, as he converts on just 40.7 percent of his 12.1 attempts nightly. But he’s hitting a healthy 36.8 percent of his threes, and an impressive 83.2 percent of his free throws (though he doesn’t draw as many fouls as you’d like from your 2-guard).

To see Pope at his absolute best, look no further than his Feb. 1 performance against the New Orleans Pelicans. He finished with 38 points while nailing eight threes.

Inconsistent but explosive offensive capabilities are just one part of Pope’s game. He’s also one of the best backcourt defenders in the NBA.

According to Basketball Reference, Pope ranks fifth overall among shooting guards in defensive win shares, with a 2.2 mark. The players he’s behind are a who’s who of elite defenders: Nic Batum, Danny Green, Tony Allen and Klay Thompson.

Plus, Pope just turned 24. He’s barely starting to hit his apex as a player.

Unfortunately, for Miami to sign him, they’re going to need to offer a monster contract, as he’s going to be a restricted free agent. Van Gundy seems to have taken a liking to Pope, too, so odds are slim he lets him go to a rival like the Heat without a fight. But where there’s a will, there’s a way!

Tim Hardaway Jr.

Next up is Atlanta Hawks 2-guard Tim Hardaway Jr. It may have taken him a while, but the 25-year-old is finally finding his place in the NBA.

Hardaway is currently setting a career-high in every single major statistical category. And since the calendar flipped to 2017, his play has reached an even higher plateau. In that span, he’s averaging 17.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists, while shooting 47.5 percent from the floor and 39.8 percent from three.

Athleticism, size, ability to hit threes, Hardaway has everything you’d want in a modern NBA shooting guard.

Not to mention he has major ties to South Florida. We all know who Hardaway’s father was — only the best point guard in franchise history. The younger Hardaway grew up in Miami and enjoyed a great career at Palmetto High School before taking his talents up north to play for the Michigan Wolverines.

Hardaway has never outright said this, but I imagine playing for the Heat would feel like a childhood dream come true for him.

There’s one major problem with this whole scenario though; like Pope, the current Hawk is set to become a restricted free agent this summer. Meaning Miami would have to break the bank and give him a contract Atlanta would scoff at. If not, the Hawks will likely choose to match any offer the Heat would make.

Tough to see it happening, but it’s not impossible, I suppose.

Gordon Hawyward

Aside from Blake Griffin, Gordon Hayward is probably Riley’s biggest target this summer. Though he’s listed as a small forward, he plays a ton of minutes at shooting guard for the Utah Jazz.

The former Butler Bulldog is currently having the best season of his career.

21.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 threes per game are Hayward’s numbers on the year. His 9.5 win shares is 15th best in the NBA, and his 0.383 free-throw rate is a higher clip than Kevin Durant’s.

Essentially, Hayward has blossomed into an elite player in this, his sixth year out of college. There’s speculation he may be interested in joining the Boston Celtics in free agency, due to the obvious Brad Stevens connection (Stevens was his coach at Butler).

But if Hayward were to set up meetings with various teams, like Durant did, maybe Riley can talk him into doing the unthinkable and signing with the Heat.

I wouldn’t bet on it, but anything is possible with Riley.

(We don’t even have to get into how he would fit with Miami; he’s a top-20 player — it would work even if I became the head coach.)

Dwyane Wade

We close with the the possibility everyone wants to talk about: Dwyane Wade returning to South Florida.

Wade’s first year with the Chicago Bulls ended with a fracture in his elbow forcing him to miss the last month of the season. And things weren’t exactly peachy when he was playing.

The Bulls were one of the most unstable teams in the league this year, with the 10th-worst offense to boot (per NBA.com). Wade wasn’t totally to blame, but his career-worst 43.4 percent shooting from the floor didn’t help.

The former Heat lifer does deserve some credit, though. His overall numbers are still solid: 18.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals per contest.

Some may argue he’s had a better year than Waiters.

(At his healthiest this season, Waiters averaged 19.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists, on 46.3 percent shooting overall and 44.7 from three, over a 22-game span. So they’d be wrong.)

This writer is of the opinion that it’s time Miami lets Wade go. The times we shared with him were unforgettable, the highs, incredible. But he’s not that guy anymore, as painful it is to admit. Waiters is the cheaper option, with much higher upside.

Moreover, the Heat’s recent success is built around starting four three-point shooters around Hassan Whiteside. Wade would make that impossible.

Let’s just face it, it’s his time now.

Next: What will the Heat do about current free agents?

Waiters wants to stay in South Florida (he’s gone out and said as much himself). Additionally, the Heat were No. 2 in net rating over the two month span when he was healthy.

Sometimes it’s best not to overthink things. Re-signing Waiters is the most plausible — and most logical — of any we listed.