UPDATE: He Has Signed A Two-Year Deal With Los Angles Lakers, Simultaneous To Posting
The Miami Heat have already had quite the offseason or free agency period as it began, perhaps the best so far, but they still have a few other things to attend to.
While they had fielded a qualifying offer for Kendrick Nunn, giving them the opportunity to match any offer he received, they rescinded that offer earlier on Tuesday. At least, according to the reports.
The Miami Heat have pulled the qualifying offer on Kendrick Nunn, making him an unrestricted free agent, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 3, 2021
Rumored and reported to be in on DeMar DeRozan, there could have been a thought that this meant that they were close to striking a deal for him. However, the news later broke that it wasn’t to be so.
It was reported later on Tuesday that the Spurs and the Chicago Bulls had reached a deal. It would be one that saw DeMar DeRozan heading to Chicago on a new three year and $85 million dollar pact.
The Miami Heat still need a few more pieces and Kendrick Nunn still needs a team. With DeMar DeRozan off the board, do they end up back together?
Well, with him apparently out of the cards for Miami, it could have made people wonder. Did the DeRozan to Chicago deal mean something for a guy who is originally from Chicago?
There isn’t one thing or another to say that that they won’t let him go. However, that doesn’t mean that they will… either.
Heat pulling qualifying offer should make it easier for Kendrick to find work. Heat no longer has right to match. Now he's unrestricted free agent. Doesn't preclude him from signing here
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) August 3, 2021
What it means is that the Miami Heat forfeited their “right to match” any offer that he receives. Smarter minds would also put forth the notion that, perhaps, they didn’t want him to take the qualifying offer, thinking they could get him back on something better for them after the market sized him up, providing they actually wanted him back.
It’s all so interesting to think about, ponder upon the possibilities of, and watch unfold. Kendrick Nunn needs a team and the Miami Heat still need to add pieces to their team.
With what the Heat have in tow, Nunn would be an excellent addition to help fill the 6th-7th man role, along with Tyler Herro. They would make an excellent one-two punch off the pine and could, arguably, catapult themselves to the best in the league in the area.
That’s providing Herro remains in Miami, which you hope and looks likely after the DeRozan signing. You can’t be sure where Nunn will end up right now though, but, it wouldn’t be all that bad if it were back in Miami.