Unfortunately, the Miami Heat have made it to their offseason vacations, but this part of the year isn’t all bad, relatively. It’s summertime and in the NBA, the warm weather from coast to coast means just one thing: NBA Free Agency.
That beautiful time of year when every move has promise, while the days are filled with hope and hypotheticals. It is especially important for the Miami Heat, still licking wounds felt in the first-round sweep and with nary a pick in the draft.
The Heat have key players like Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic locked up. But there are plenty of solid role players hitting the market to fill out the roster and give valuable depth.
The cap for Miami looks solid, with plenty of room to grab some pieces. According to Real GM, the starting cap (before anyone is kept or moves made) for the Heat is over $78 million.
The max cap (money left if players are kept/resigned) is over $28 million. That’s plenty of cash to pick up a few pieces in the offseason if the price is right.
The Miami Heat could elect to bring Dewayne Dedmon back and you couldn’t fault them, but they could go younger there too.
Another factor in the Miami Heat’s favor is the right wallet situation created by last season. The impact of the pandemic might play out over as many as five years and with the money lost, the cap won’t take jumps like in previous offseasons.
That likely means we won’t see too many ballooning contracts, like the $80 million spent on Allen Crabbe in 2016. Hopefully, the Heat can find some deals.
So what moves bring the best out of the Heat?
Stealing Jarrett Allen From The Cleveland Cavaliers.
Jarrett Allen is a monster on the interior, who can anchor a defensive frontcourt and clean up the glass on both ends. While he is a young player, he has gotten better every year, taking jumps in his rebounding averages and PER, annually, like clockwork.
His box plus/minus was also on the rise before joining the Cleveland Cavaliers midway through the year. Across the board, when Allen is on the floor, it is good for his squad on both ends.
He is also a mobile big-man who could play fast with a smaller lineup or help the heat play big by playing next to Adebayo. Most importantly, he would give Miami some real size to play with the Milwaukee Bucks or Philadelphia 76ers.
The downside is this. He is a restricted free agent and since he is a young talent, he will more than likely be a pricy commodity.
But… he’s one that could fill multiple needs, while helping to give the roster some new depth.
The Miami Heat need another wing and another playmaker, for which there are good options to choose from at both positions.
The Miami Heat need to think about adding another piece that can move the offense and set up plays. There are a few names that stand out.
Grab A Few Playmakers
Two of those names are Lonzo Ball and Spencer Dinwiddie. Both players can run an offense and diversify how teams would guard Miami when playing alongside Butler and Dragic.
Another talented point guard will also give some punch to the second unit if you are pairing a player like Ball with Kendrick Nunn. Dinwiddie is a solid third PG to put in the rotation and is also an unrestricted free agent.
He would provide ball movement and some modest scoring. Ball is a RFA and could potentially be more pricy, but he is a better scorer.
He also stepped up his three-point shooting last season, hitting 37 percent of his shots while attempting two more per game than the year prior. Both would add valuable depth and aren’t what you would consider ball-stoppers.
Bring in a wing.
Long guys who clog up the opponent’s offense and knock down the occasional shots are always great to have when filling out a roster—the classic 3-and-D addition. A few come to mind hitting free agency, but the best option to grab on the cheap is Torrey Craig.
He is a solid shooter at 36 percent and a sound on-ball defender. He has also played in 47 postseason games, shooting 44 percent from the field and 37 percent from three.
A chance to pick up a player with high-pressure games under his belt that has shown to be able to step up to the challenge in those high-pressure games is always an offseason win. That stands mightily when he’s a player that would seemingly fit what it is that you do as a team.
The Miami Heat have moves to make and the time is nigh to make them. This shall be a very fluid offseason, that’s a sure thing, but excitement is the running mate of that fluidity this time around.