Miami Heat guard Dru Smith suffered a season-ending torn Achilles injury in the team’s victory over the Brooklyn Nets, meaning that the Heat will need to look elsewhere to fill his production as one of the team’s point guards. With Terry Rozier struggling this season and with Tyler Herro already carrying a large offensive load, the Heat might be interested in finding a trade or a free agent signing that could help them gain more depth at point guard while Smith recovers.
The Heat will sign rookie forward Keshad Johnson to a two-year contract, according to the Miami Herald, and promote Isaiah Stevens to Johnson's vacated spot. Smith will remain on his two-way for now. But if the Heat decide they need more point guard help, here are three free agents the Heat could look to sign.
Markelle Fultz
Markelle Fultz is one of the best free agents still available. He showed improvement in playmaking and defense during his time with the Orlando Magic, averaging 11.6 points and 4.8 assists per game over five seasons. However, he has had major health concerns throughout his career. With the Magic already having several defensive-minded guards on their roster, there was no longer a place for Fultz on their team.
Fultz is still ready to compete at the NBA level. If he could stay healthy, he could bring a playmaking presence for the Heat. However, he is a poor shooter. In seven NBA seasons, he has shot 27 percent on 3-pointers, and his accuracy hasn’t improved much throughout his career. While the Heat’s offense has been booming recently, they might think twice about signing a guard who has shooting and injury concerns, even if they are in need of the services he could provide.
John Wall
John Wall is another guard with injury concerns. In his prime, he was a five-time all-star and a very explosive guard. Wall has not played in the NBA since the 2022-23 season, where he averaged 11.4 points and 5.2 assists in 34 games with the Los Angeles Clippers.
The idea of John Wall returning to the NBA was brought to light when the former all-star guard said that he hopes to close his career on his own terms:
" I want to finish it the way I want. If I play my last game, I want to walk off the court my way."
Wall already lives in Miami, so he would feel comfortable playing in a Miami Heat uniform. On the court, one important thing that Wall could provide for the Heat is pacing. The Heat are one of the slowest teams in the league in terms of pacing. Wall was always one of the fastest players in the NBA and plays at a faster pace. He could be a unique addition to the Heat offense.
Dennis Smith Jr.
Dennis Smith Jr. recently appeared on “The OGs Show” with Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller. While he was there, he said that he believes he would be a good fit for many NBA teams, including the Miami Heat.
And he’s right. His production has gone down since his rookie season, but Smith is a good player who will create his own shot and play hard on defense. He would fit right in with the Heat.
Smith is still only 27 years old and has potential on both ends of the floor. However, like Fultz, Smith also struggles with shooting the ball. Would his athleticism and effort be enough for the Heat to consider signing him? He might not be the Heat’s ideal choice, but he may be one of the only options they have if they truly want to remain competitive this season.