Miami Heat Free Agency 2021: Miami had to overpay to win this year

Why it was necessary for the Miami Heat to spend a lot of money

Per Bobby Marks, the Heat now have 11 players under contract following the newest additions of P.J Tucker and Markieff Morris. While no free agent signings or general player transactions are official until August 6th, Miami still has roughly $9.8 million to spend through the hard cap, and are just $3.4 million under the tax apron.

For years, Miami has built their roster with a confident, yet sedimentary approach. There’s been a few lucrative commitments here and there, such as Dragic’s five-year, $85 million extension in 2015, and a four-year, $98 million deal for Hassan Whiteside the following summer.

But with every great decision, there are some questionable ones, of course. Most notably, the Heat low-balling Dwyane Wade in 2016 before he signed with Chicago, or choosing to match Brooklyn’s offer for Tyler Johnson.

Both of those are good examples. However, as of today, the Heat are in a very unique position that will ultimately transition from Butler’s window, into what will eventually be known as Adebayo’s.

While Miami doesn’t have a significant history of exceeding the luxury tax, they are in a situation financially that pales in comparison to any previous season after the Big Three Era.

Their identity is to win now, as they hope to surpass the Eastern Conference’s top teams. The Miami Heat are clearly priming themselves to trend in that direction, and in the game of NBA free agency, you have to spend more than you’d want, or would expect, to get there.