Should the Miami Heat pursue Devin Harris in free agency?
For all intents and purposes, the 2018 NBA free agency period has ended.
Scroll through any of the league’s trackers and see that most players can gleefully enjoy their summer, having secured their work order for the 2018-19 season.
From a team perspective, the Miami Heat are among a list of organizations that are unlikely to make any drastic moves for the rest of the warm weather months, waiting on decisions from Heat lifers Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem.
With not enough roster spots to go around, early free agency signings have essentially walled out players that ended the season in limbo. Old heads (relatively speaking) like Trevor Ariza followed the money, while players with questionable futures like Wesley Matthews opted into their deals.
One such name still in limbo however is Devin Harris, a 35-year-old NBA veteran who spent the end of the 2017-18 season supporting a playoff run he hadn’t seen in two years.
Traded from the Dallas Mavericks, an organization with which he spent the better part of nine seasons, Harris joined the Denver Nuggets near the trade deadline.
Capable of stringing together solid performances, Harris averaged 8.2 points per game and played an integral role in Denver’s six game win streak that almost captured the eighth seed from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Though he’s made little of his free agency publicly, Harris is exactly the type of player the Miami Heat could use. Harris’ skill set, which relies on his 3-point touch, has aged well. He also comes at a bargain, with contract savings amplified by his years of experience.
While Wade and Haslem’s futures are still up in the air, Harris could prove a guiding light for a Heat team looking to turn the corner in the playoffs next season.
Running Point
Arguably the biggest misunderstanding with the NBA’s infatuation with positionless basketball is that positions don’t matter. That would imply that a team of Joel Embiid, Hassan Whiteside, Andre Drummond, Jonas Valanciunas and Dwight Howard could run a successful rotation.
Positions are still very much relevant in the league. Teams are anchored by their ball handlers who, regardless of size, maintain the duties of a traditional point guard.
For the Heat, that means even when Justise Winslow runs point, he’s not playing like a small forward who dribbles the ball past half court. Rather, he’s playing point guard in a small forward’s body.
Though the Heat are on pace to continue to experiment with Winslow as a secondary ball handler, they lack a true substitute for their starting guard Goran Dragic.
Picking up Devin Harris immediately assuages that positional dearth, providing a qualified alternative when Miami prioritizes a traditional guard skill set.
A capable shooter, Harris’ ability to play off ball is useful given Miami’s egalitarian offensive nature. His presence however would also curry favor with Hassan Whiteside, Miami’s centerpiece who didn’t mesh well with head coach Erik Spoelstra’s positionless approach.
Last season, Whiteside played his best ball with Dragic and Dion Waiters on the floor. Among Miami’s two-man combinations last year, Whiteside playing with Dragic and Waiters were two of the top three in terms of point creation.
As a center anchored to the post, Whiteside thrives when Miami has a ball handler who presents a scoring threat. Similar to his successful tandem with Wade through 2015-16, Dragic and Waiters create options for Whiteside that Winslow at point simply can’t replicate.
Harris offers a similar option, providing further lineup flexibility.
Whiteside was almost always absent from Miami’s secondary rotation, the “Platinum Group”. Incorporating Harris in a backup role would expand Whiteside’s chance to play, hopefully further removing him from his season of discontent.
Furthermore, Miami could acquire Harris at the veteran minimum, further cashing in on his contributions. While he turns 36 this season, Harris is primed to run with a group of young guns.
The Nuggets of last season prided themselves on outpacing opponents in scoring, ending the regular season sixth with 110 points per game. Regardless of how Miami chooses to pace themselves next season, Harris could slot in nicely, catering to Miami’s positionless preference while supporting the engagement of Whiteside in the middle.
Wise Old Man
Trying to pin down Wade’s plans for the 2018-19 season has been difficult.
He’s stated that his return to the NBA for a 16th season would be with Miami, without a doubt. But getting him to commit to another season in South Beach has eluded the front office.
Wade has suggested that any basketball decisions won’t come at least until he returns from China, where he recently signed a lifetime partnership with apparel brand Li-Ning.
"“When I get back from China, I’ll focus on that,” Wade said of continuing his Heat tenure. “Right now, I’m focused on the game after basketball. Whatever happens in basketball, it happens. I’ve done everything that I can to this point to put myself that I’m in this position I am today, where I can do something that hasn’t been done globally yet. The basketball will take care of itself. I’ll sit down and figure that out once I get back from this tour at some point.”"
Miami currently has a pair of roster spots open (not including a second available two-way contract) that they are almost assuredly going to offer Wade and Haslem.
But with Haslem’s future with Miami also under speculation, Harris could fill the veteran void Miami would have without their pair of locker room leaders.
In 14 seasons, Harris has played in roles more relatable to the average NBA player than Wade or Haslem. An All-Star in 2009, Harris never had the total career control Wade enjoyed. Nor did he earn the organizational loyalty that Miami offered Haslem.
When the Mavericks parted ways with Harris last February, he approached the trade with cordial saavy.
"“Sometimes you just got to see the writing on the wall,” Harris said. “We were playing our young guys a little bit more trying to bring those guys along. I’m a wily veteran now and sometimes, you just crunch the numbers.”"
The Heat are currently trying to find a way to turn its roster into a competitive Eastern Conference force. For as much as Haslem and Wade’s war stories might encourage the Heat’s youth, Harris’ career offers them a more likely analog.
If the Heat can retain Wade and Haslem, they should absolutely do so. But if one or both goes walking, Harris can step in to be the voice Miami that needs during times of change.
Retirement Community
Florida, with its indiscernible weather patterns, blood thirsty reptiles and infatuation with firearms, has long been heralded as a state for retirement. The lack of certain state taxes surely bolsters the reasons why the elderly move south and is a trait the Heat have capitalized on in their recruitment of free agents.
For Harris, who is unlikely to earn a big contract in his remaining playable years, signing with the Heat make the most sense monetarily.
Turning 36 in February 2019, Harris is NBA old. In a head-to-head comparison, he’ll always lose out to the younger player in free agency or trade scenarios. It’s why the Mavericks dealt him last season and more than that, it’s a fact of life in the NBA.
Thus, it makes the most sense, contractually, for Harris to sign where he can best amass his riches. Harris avoided such taxes during his stint in Dallas and could continue the trend in Miami.
But more than that, Miami also offers a stellar retirement community as far as NBA teams are concerned. Despite the prevalence of the Heat’s youth movement, Miami has bought into veteran players year after year.
Most recently, Joe Johnson and Luol Deng joined Miami’s ranks, playing key minutes in playoff basketball in 2015-16. Before them, the Heat equipped their lineups with players over the age of 35, including Juwan Howard and Zydrunas Ilgauskas in 2010-11, and Alonzo Mourning and Gary Payton in 2005-2006.
Miami has proved to be a stellar retirement option for players, often yielding the opportunity to continue to contribute one their playing days are over (see: Mourning, Chris Quinn and Juwan Howard).
Next: Miami Heat Roundtable: 2017-18 offseason staff takes
Harris may not be looking for a brand new location for his 2018-19 campaign, but Miami can offer him an inclusive, all expenses paid destination.