Report: Willie Reed to opt out, become free agent

As expected, Miami Heat center Willie Reed will decline his player option and test the open market this summer.

After a strong season as Hassan Whiteside’s backup, Miami Heat center Willie Reed will opt out of his contract to test the open market of free agency, where he’s expected to get a raise.

Reed, who averaged 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per game, declined a 2017-18 salary that would have paid him just north of $1 million. The 27-year-old center spent the season backing up Whiteside, providing the Heat with rim protection while their shot-blocking 7-footer was on the bench.

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Centers with Reed’s talent and potential saw a market that paid them well into the $10 million-plus range last summer, but that was after a much larger cap spike than this offseason. Teams won’t have quite as much money to spend, but they’ll still have room as the cap increases from $94 million to $102 million.

Reed will get a nice raise, either with the Heat or not. Teams seeking a center who can protect the rim, set good screens and roll will bid for the 27-year-old’s services, though he won’t be getting the Timofey Mozgov contract. More likely, he’ll sign for somewhere in the range of $5 million-$6 million a year. That’s my (educated) guess, anyway.

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Just because he opted out, doesn’t mean Reed is leaving South Beach. The Heat are first expected to pursue a big name free agent, such as Gordon Hayward or Blake Griffin, before moving on to re-signing Dion Waiters and James Johnson. Miami will have a room exception of about $4.3 million they could offer Reed after everything shakes out.