Miami Heat: 9 free agents with ties to Jimmy Butler

In the sense that the Miami Heat made it to the NBA Finals, they were incredibly close to a title. Yet it can’t be ignored that the Heat were a mediocre team in the regular season and it took a historic run to win the East.

When you factor in their high payroll and the potential for multiple key players to walk in free agency, the Heat need to find help on the free agent market this summer. This is a critical offseason for them, and they could turn to their best player for some help.

Jimmy Butler has already been involved in recruiting stars to Miami, but what about former teammates? What free agents could Butler encourage to bring their talents to South Beach?

Free Agent No. 9: Taj Gibson, Power forward

Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson have been teammates twice before, playing for Tom Thibodeau on the Chicago Bulls and on the Minnesota Timberwolves. In fact, Gibson has played for Thibodeau in 11 of his 14 NBA seasons. Thibs won’t be in Miami next season, but his old teammate Butler could be.

Gibson is now 38 years old, so he doesn’t have a ton left in the tank, but he is still big and strong and knows how to rebound; those skills still matter. If Udonis Haslem were to move on into a non-playing role (err, a non-playing role where he isn’t called a “player”) Gibson would be a natural replacement. Gibson was a positive defensive player last season in his limited minutes and will be available on the market for a minimum deal.