Miami Heat team president Pat Riley likes to swing big, and signing current Utah Jazz wing Gordon Hayward would be a home run.
Pat Riley struck out on his whale last summer, but he’ll have another chance this year with some big name free agents set to hit the market. According to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, the Miami Heat are considered contenders to land Gordon Hayward should he not re-sign with Utah Jazz.
"Riley has a home court advantage because Miami is a prime free agent destination. The weather, the zero state income tax and the chance to play for a top franchise are too good for a lot of players to turn down. There are already whispers that if Utah can’t re-sign Gordon Hayward he could end up in Miami."
After a strong season, Hayward will likely opt out after this season and seek a max deal that would pay him $28.8 million next season. Hayward, 27, is averaging 21.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from three-point range. He’s an extremely versatile forward who can get his own shot, create for others, and defend multiple positions after improving a ton on that end since he entered the league.
If Isola is right (and that’s an if) then the chance of landing Hayward would dramatically impact what the Heat will do this summer. The Heat will have enough cap space after they clear Chris Bosh’s salary from the cap and players on current expiring deals become free agents.
Signing Hayward would only give the Heat about $8.3 million left to spend on free agents, excluding minimum contracts and a possible $8 million exception.
That more than likely means guys like James Johnson, Dion Waiters and Willie Reed will have to find work elsewhere, with the Heat rounding out it’s rotation with Hayward, a first-round draft pick and low-priced free agents.
This is the first report we’ve seen that has named a team other than the Jazz as a landing spot for Hayward. Indications have been that Hayward is happy in Utah, and that he and good friend George Hill wanted to find a way to stay there.
However, as Zach Lowe wrote earlier this season, Hayward’s top priority is to win. The Jazz are currently ranked fourth in the West, but ahead of them are a murderer’s row of the Warriors, Spurs and Rockets — teams that don’t seem to be fading anytime soon. He may view a leap to the East as a more feasible route to the Finals, and be tempted by the Riley’s track record of putting title contenders together on the fly.
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Signing Hayward would give the Heat a bonafide All Star, someone with All-NBA potential who could lift the team to the top ranks of the Eastern Conference. If Riley wants his whale, Hayward is a good target.