B/R names Miami Heat as ‘realistic landing spot’ for Fred VanVleet

With lots of eyes on the 2020 free-agent market, Bleacher Report most recently named the Miami Heat as a realistic landing spot for Fred VanVleet. 

For the Miami Heat, the upcoming offseason may prove even more complex than the following, where Pat Riley hopes to bring in a third All-Star. They’ve got six upcoming free agents and will be entering a gap year between what they and the league expect will be a title run.

In Zach Buckley’s latest for Bleacher Report, the columnist scouted “Surprising but Realistic Landing Spots” for the players that headline the upcoming free agency period.

I didn’t expect the Miami Heat to be mentioned, given their 2021 agenda, but they were there halfway through the column in association with point guard Fred VanVleet. The 26-year old point guard will be an unrestricted free agent after this season, with a title already under his belt.

The timing of the article couldn’t have been any more uncanny, with the Heat having a matchup with the Toronto Raptors slated for Monday afternoon, just hours after it was published.

And VanVleet looked like a guy Miami would prefer on their side of the floor. He lit up the Heat and matched his career-high of 36 points while grabbing five rebounds and dishing four assists. But would he make sense as a South Beach target come free agency?

The Heat are going to have a notably large hole at point guard after the season’s end if they manage to lose veteran Goran Dragic to some luxurious third party contract offer. Kendrick Nunn is Miami’s starter but his backup is just as vital, if not even more vital, to the team’s success.

VanVleet’s averaging a career-high 17.5 points, 6.7 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game. That kind of play would no doubt see him usurp Nunn for starting one if he were to play in Miami. His ability to knock down the three-ball/ability to get to the free-throw line helps his case too.

But as it always is with front offices building “Super Teams” or the NBA’s next “Big Three,” the real question is more often about money than it is about fit. VanVleet is headed for a wide-open market, with a number of teams in position to offer him a full-blown max contract.

Would Riley and this Miami front office risk it? VanVleet did earn a championship in Kawhi Leonard’s lone year in Toronto, as their third-best player mind you, not some role player.

Maybe if they were to catch wind that Giannis Antetokounmpo is committed to remaining with the Milwaukee Bucks, or that Bradley Beal wants to retire with the Washington Wizards.

Otherwise, it’s hard to see this Miami Heat front office going after a scrappy, smaller, expensive guard like Fred VanVleet. His resume has the accolades, but his pricetag has too many zeroes.

Before this year’s free agency comes into view, the Miami Heat are gearing up for a deep run in the playoffs. They’ll face the Boston Celtics on Tuesday in their third of the remaining eight seeding games beforehand. Tip-off is at 6:30 pm est, and coverage will be provided by TNT.