Justise Winslow already knows who he wants the Miami Heat to target during free agency.
July 1 marks the official start of NBA free agency. And yet, Miami Heat forward Justise Winslow is already ready to start recruiting for his team.
With the playoffs wrapping up on Friday night, as the Golden State Warriors finished 4-0 over the Cleveland Cavaliers, everyone’s focus is now on what LeBron James will do next.
James, a free agent this summer if he opts out of his current contract with the Cavaliers, hasn’t yet indicated whether he wants to stay or go. Even during his postgame press conference, the veteran remained mum on his future.
"“I have no idea at this point. The one thing that I’ve always done is considered, obviously, my family, understanding especially where my boys are at this point in their age. They were a lot younger the last time I made a decision like this four years ago. I’ve got a teenage boy, a pre-teen and a little girl that wasn’t around as well.”"
Still, despite there being many factors to take into consideration, many believe he will indeed choose to start a new chapter elsewhere.
Especially given that he successfully kept his promise to Cleveland.
"“At the end of the day, I came back because I felt like I had some unfinished business… it ended a drought for Cleveland of 50-plus years, so I think we’ll all remember that in sports history.”"
The question then becomes, where to next for the 33-year-old?
According to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, James will be speaking to six other teams this season: the Boston Celtics, the Miami Heat, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Houston Rockets, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Golden State Warriors.
How reliable this information really is, remains to be seen, but he’s not alone in speculating a possible Miami reunion.
Something that would certainly bring immense joy to Winslow.
As the Finals were wrapping up on Friday evening, the Heat forward took to social media to make his position on James returning, crystal clear.
Teammate Josh Richardson then went ahead and commented “underrated post,” showing support towards the idea of Miami once again signing James.
Of course, it isn’t as simple as it seems.
Besides the fact that No. 23 will have the entirety of the league courting him, president Pat Riley and company would have a lot of internal work to do, to even make room for James coming aboard. With a bit of a logjam at certain positions and some heavy contracts on the books, it won’t be easy to rearrange the roster around James.
But, nothing is impossible. Especially with a magician like general manager Andy Elisburg as a part of the front office.
Next: Miami Heat: Individual player grades for the 2017-18 starting five
Will the Miami Heat win James over for a second time? July 1 can’t come soon enough.