The Miami Heat didn't waste any time in locking up Simone Fontecchio. Free agency is set to begin in hours, but the Heat have agreed to bring back the sharpshooting specialist before he could technically hit the open market.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Fontecchio intends to sign a one-year deal with the Heat. Fontecchio was acquired by the Heat originally as part of the sign-and-trade deal between Miami and the Detroit Pistons that centered around Duncan Robinson.
Fontecchio averaged 8.5 points and three rebounds on 38 percent shooting from the 3-point range this season in 70 games played for the Heat. If nothing else, Fontecchio's shooting will be a welcome sight around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
Simone Fontecchio gives the Heat some need shooting
You'd have to imagine that the Heat's lack of three-point shooting threats played a big part in this deal getting done. Nevertheless, Miami brings back a veteran already familiar with the system, and seemingly one who will be able to thrive off Giannis and Bam.
With free agency on the horizon, this will likely be one of a few moves that the Heat will end up making as they continue to tweak the supporting cast. At this point, shooting has to be at the forefront of everything that the Heat is eyeing to do over these next few hours or days.
In what will be the first year with Giannis, the Heat's front office is under some pressure to turn in a competitive team, especially considering that one of the main reasons why the superstar forward chose the Heat was that he wanted to compete for a championship.
It's tough to suggest that re-signing Fontecchio is a move that helps the Heat inch closer to that reality, but there's no question that his shooting will give this team a boost.
Other names that have been linked to the Heat ahead of free agency
There have been a few other names that have been linked to the Heat in free agency thus far, including Tim Hardaway Jr., Gabe Vincent, Bradley Beal, Mike Conley Jr., and Khris Middleton.
However, after the addition of Fonteccio, the Heat has just four roster spots available. Knowing how the Heat operates, you'd imagine they'd want to keep one roster spot available to sign a player via the buyout market down the road. So that means the Heat has roughly three spots available.
As free agency begins, that's something to keep in mind. At this point, it's probably a safe bet that one, maybe two, of those names will end up signing in Miami when the free agency period officially opens in a few hours.
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