3 Players Miami Heat should have signed over Thomas Bryant in free agency

Thomas Bryant was signed by the Miami Heat to fill a void as a backup center, a position the Heat have struggled to find to give Bam Adebayo relief minutes. Now three months into the season, Bryant has found himself mostly out of the rotation and has combined for 14 minutes in the last 10 games.

Bryant is currently signed to a two-year, $5.3 million dollar contract and is set to make $2.5 million this season. It's unfortunate that one of Miami's free agent signings didn't turn out to be effective, as there were a few targets that could have made an impact with the Heat as the season progressed.

1. Dario Saric

When looking at forwards and centers that have had success with the Heat such as Kelly Olynyk and Kevin Love, each of those players can space the floor, make smart passes and take advantage of mismatches by either scoring or finding an open player.

Dario Saric has that exact skillset and could have given the Heat quality backup center minutes. Saric is currently on the Golden State Warriors and is signed to a one-year, $2.7 million deal. For the season, Saric is averaging 10.5 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 39.6 percent from three.

One of Saric's strengths is passing, and on a team like the Heat that likes to cut and move without the ball, Saric would have been great in making the right reads for high quality looks.

Another area Saric would have thrived in is in transition with his ball handling and also as a trail shooter.

The Heat rank second to last in fastbreak points, and having a player such as Saric who can be a threat in multiple areas on the break would have helped the Heat in an area they struggle in.

With what he brings offensively, Saric would have been a much smoother fit with the Heat than Bryant.