Heat free agency 2017: Six players Miami should sign
By Rob Slater
Kyle Korver OR Shaun Livingston
This year’s Finals participants have interesting salary cap situations developing as Cleveland descended into chaos following the departure of GM David Griffin and seem prepared to deal Kevin Love for another superstar. The Cavaliers also find themselves staring down the barrel of the dreaded repeater tax penalty which will present owner Dan Gilbert with a historically large cost for a team that lost in five games.
Tied up in hefty contracts with the likes of J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson to go along with their own Big 3, the Cavs don’t have many options as they look to retool this offseason and while they’ve expressed the desire to keep their sharpshooter Kyle Korver, there is a possibility he ends up a casualty of their chaotic summer so far.
Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors have a number of important contracts to restructure including stars Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, both of whom will surely remain with the champions. Those with less clear futures in the Bay Area include Andre Iguodala, Livingston, Ian Clark and others that proved essential to the franchise’s second title in three years.
Should Livingston wind up as the odd man out, the Heat (who have targeted the dynamic guard in the past) could certainly benefit from his services whether that’d be using the mid-level exception worth $4.3 million (Livingston made $5.8 million last season) or finding room for a multi-year deal using cap space. Another factor at play in favor of Livingston staying in Oakland would be that the Warriors can sign him using Bird Rights, meaning they can exceed the salary cap to sign him.
Both Korver and Livingston fill a need for perimeter scoring and three-point shooting that the Heat will look to address this summer. Could Korver be lured with the MLE to play alongside the addition of Gordon Hayward? Could Livingston be a replacement for Dion Waiters or James Johnson? While both players are likely to remain with their teams, if either shakes loose it’d make sense for the Heat to check in.