Fresh off a disappointing 43-win season, the Miami Heat enter a pivotal offseason where almost everything should be on the table. We are now roughly one month away from the start of free agency. So, among their three free agents — Norman Powell, Simone Fontecchio and Keshad Johnson — who should they bring back?! Let’s examine below!
Norman Powell:
Skinny: Powell had the best season of his career with Miami, although it was eventually cratered by myriad injuries. Acquired last July, Powell provided a much-needed shot in the arm offensively, averaging 2.17 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists on 38.0 percent shooting from 3-point range.
But injuries to his groin, ankle and back derailed his All-Star season. Both sides are interested in a reunion, although I don’t think the organization should bring him back given his age, injury history and limited impact — unless they somehow land Giannis Antetokounmpo.
At the end of the day, I think the two parties will work out an agreement. And to Bobby Marks’ point, they can bring back Powell with a $20 million starting salary while still being able to use their full mid-level exception, worth ~$15 million.
What do I think the Heat will do?: Retain Powell at three-year, $65-ish million range
What would I do?: Let him walk
Simone Fontecchio:
Skinny: Acquired as part of the Duncan Robinson sign-and-trade last summer, Fontecchio’s season was a mixed bag. In his first season with Miami, Fontecchio averaged 8.5 points and three boards on 41.2 percent shooting and 37.5 percent from 3-point range. He was fourth on the team in made threes and seventh in 3-point percentage (min. 100 3PA).
The Heat will have Fontecchio’s full bird rights. He will be one of the better knockdown shooters available in free agency. Although if the two sides agreed to continue their partnership, I think his salary would be similar to what it was in 2025-26.
What do I think the Heat will do?: Fontecchio re-signs for two years, $18 million; second year partially guaranteed
What would I do?: Let him walk
Keshad Johnson:
Skinny: Johnson still wasn’t a member of the Heat’s rotation for much of the season. But he did have a more productive — and impactful — campaign. Johnson played in twice as many games (32) as he did as a rookie (16), averaging 4.3 points and 1.9 rebounds, highlighted by his 14-point, 11-rebound performance on Nov. 21 against the Chicago Bulls.
Regardless if the Heat gut their depth for Antetokounmpo (or another star), I think Johnson, a hyper-athletic defender, re-signs for the minimum, which will be worth $2.2 million for a player with Johnson’s experience.
What do I think the Heat will do?: Re-signs for minimum
What would I do?: Sign him to minimum
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Spurs stopped the OKC would be dynasty. SGA foul baiting did not work that game. thank you refs lol
he had no help from anybody consistently.wembys support players played better.sga was fine.i can see norm powell signing with okc hed be there #2 option
They don’t like older one way players.
Great run for the Spurs who were 30-1 to win the WCF to start the year, 66-1 to win the Finals, a bigger longshot than the 2020 and 2023 Heat
Current Giannis next team odds: MIA 25%, OKC 20%, POR 16.7%, ORL 16.7%, MIL 11.8%, MIN 10%, all others <10%
Milwaukee’s odds shoud continue to drop
OKC isn’t going to like losing, especially after being favored so heavily to repeat. The pre-playoff odds for Thunder to repeat as champions were +240 to win. The next closest team was Knicks at +900. Spurs were 11th most likely at +1800.
Looking at OKC’s roster and payroll, I could see them being very interested in trading for Giannis.
Proposed Trade Proposal
OKC gets: Giannis Antetokounmpo: $58,4565,566
Milwaukee gets:
chets gone
Where? Who will want him? He’s got a guaranteed contract until 2023-2031 worth over $250M. Jalen Williams has exact same contract.
Make that 2030-2031.
3rd team all nba .had rough playoff series.dont watch to much reg season games okc,he needs to get stronger.hes got talent but to soft.very long wemby will make anybody look bad .too much $$ though your right about that.chet or jw its close sm
Exactly! That’s why Giannis makes so much sense for OKC. If they have all that ammo (draft picks and players) and don’t use them, they are fools.
https://www.basketball-reference.com/contracts/OKC.html
I mean they could pull a Raptors, but Giannis wants to stay in the east and would have to agree. I do think they try to make a move.
No doubt they have the assets to do it. They can trade those players and probably make it 5 first round picks and still have more in their war chest.
Keep wishing, guys 😛
I’m busting chops.
I know bro, and I actually think the Heat have the best chance to get him unless OKC or similarly loaded team makes them “an offer that they can’t refuse “.
he said he wants to stay in east.think its three team race mia orl boston.orlando hired an ex bucks coach he was tight with
OKC 20% chance? that’s big and that’s gonna be wild if it happens.
Spurs first time back to Finals since they played the Heat. The Heat have gone twice and could have a 3rd time the season Bosh got sick in 2015. Things to think about.
10 years of shit bball no thanks.to that.i like our way being good to very good bunch years.now we are mediocre need greek.no greek i watch more hockey than i ever have
Gotta say, another one I called. What a finals this sets up. I can’t pick the winner, not even sure who the favorite should be. The Heat needs to watch these two teams, maybe model their rosters.
Each roster was built differently, so also fascinating from that perspective.
gm 30 weve got a very old one
We need for something exciting to happen. Hopefully, before the next season begins, we will have a new reason to hope.
greek or bust .kawhi aint coming here
you don’t know what kawhi thinking….frankly no one does, so hush up about that. At the least he respects this organization from previous legendary battles. Although this isn’t Cali, miami is the closest thing to Cali lifestyle. Also weaker conference in the east . Also he would play with bam, and he doesn’t gotta worry about being a leader with us. Also gotta trade away herro and jovic, so after giannis, kawhi is the next best option to try that package with.
That’s easy.
Step # 1: Draft a 22 y/o #1, 20 y/o #2 and a 21 y/o #4 draft pick
ask my generals how ez it is.only one team has done that well .minn and det to lesser extent gotta have high picks and just as important the right gm.weve had neither lately
Washington, Sacto, New Orleans have all been all poorly run. Watch out for Utah next season. Ainge has spent last 4-5 years rebuilding the team. They have assembled a pretty good core group and have #2 pick next month.
gl out west okc spurs minn 3 of the best players in nba whos utahs young ss.4th place should be the goal
coaches voice very very deep sounds like a wwe wrestler
can u imagine being wemby a guy that tall so famous i like my nice private boring life
Spurs need a couple more years? Who said that? lol!
u give the knicks a chance?
Anything can happen. Spurs obviously the favorites. We’ll see.
Yes. They are in and rested. Have a good starting 5. Definitely have more overall NBA years experience but neither has a large collective of Finals experience. I think it goes 6 or 7 but pulling for the Spurs, of course. I am a Heat fan
kat will be exposed jalens d also.bridges wont get off,like spurs in 5or 6
The only thing I think I know is the Spurs have enough guys to make it tough on Brunson, so the other guys are going to have to go off. Kat, Bridges, OG and Hart are key. Which two of them can go off each night to help Brunson.
brunson hasnt seen defense like this.and all the spurs youngens are capable of scoring.they are so good so young.id be surprised if the knicks won.eastern teams not as good as denver or minnesota.
I hate the Knicks but think if all teams are healthy they could probably beat Wolves and Nuggets in 7. I don’t think it would be easy for either western team in those hypotheticals.
aaron gordon was pretty much out for the playoffs.antman was not 100% 2qbn healthy
I think one of the keys is something I saw tonight – Fox coming out of his catatonic state.
Yup. If that continues then I could see Spurs in 5 instead of 6-7
6 moy very good tonight also.how bout kornetts run down block at the rim on shtein. .harrison barnes a very solid vet cant see the floor hardly.this is a great team and just starting out .get greek pat or else we will be a non factor for a while
Yeah Barnes was in street clothes. Kornett playing the Luc Longley-Will Perdue role lol
too athletic for nyk and they have wemby brunson will be nullified on his drives
Knicks beat the Spurs two out of three this season, so it’s not going to be easy. Knicks won 11 in a row. Spurs as confident as ever. This is going to be good.
That block changed the momentum, and the game.
congrats to the cheatin spurs.nba rigged their success f them f knicks.cant wait for the finals
The earth is flat. Believe it!
not into astronomy.why do u ask.lets talk hoops
Just another conspiracy theory you can believe.
The president is the messiah. Weed is bad
This OKC dynasty built off a Halliburton injury 😛
Here come the Shai needs more help cries. Bet they trade some picks for someone.
jalen williams bad 2qbn luck was a big factor
Exactly my point and why I don’t worry about how we would matchup 🙂
get greek we have a chance.anybody who doesnt want him doesnt want a parade.give any 3 or 4 milw wants they want cant have both bam ware pick one.pats not going to rebuild forget that its greek or bust.he wants to come here athens weather very similar to miami.bam greek can compete with most teams roster fill out will be ez,miami is a beautiful warm weather city we just need a great player here for others to come
Yeah, people complained about Herro and Niko but now upset they are going. You trashed JJJ last year, so you are ready to see 3 of the 4 go lol
Side note, in doing some research, I had not realized Herro is higher on the Heat’s all time scoring list over players like Bosh, Jimmy and Timmy. And that is with missing tons of games. He would be ahead of Lebron if not hurt. That is crazy for all the s**t he’s been given.
hes a great offensive player when healthy and fresh no doubt.hes never healthy and with his defense negates his game
anybody who doesnt want him doesnt want a parade…
that’s crap. It should be clear (to most, you’re an exception) that there is not only one way to get there, and other ways don’t necessarily take 10 years.
spurs team so young so good helps when their gifted a wemby by silver
There was no gift. Stop with that silly 💩 I pointed out that there is a REPRESENTATIVE FROM EVERY TEAM IN THE ROOM WHEN THE ORDER IS CREATED. Of course, maybe all 29 other teams joined in the conspiracy to get Wemby to the Spurs. Give it up.
There are some teams that get lucky as all hell with a position and the timing of picks. David Robinson getting hurt, which allowed the Duncan pick reminds of when Peyton Manning got hurt, which allowed them to get Luck. Or how the Packers went from Favre to Rodgers to Love. Some franchises have that luck. The Heat do not. Hoping that changes after the Giannis years 😛 😛 😛
Didn’t something like that change the Patriots?
difference is spurs had the top pick when iconic no brainer players were picked.favre rodgers love lower picks.
heat dont have luck what about my generals lol.the draft bron wade carmelo wade came out my generals were decent not crappy enough
im not the only one that says this rc.how does a team get wemby duncan admiral is it just 2qbn luck.somethings fishy .my generals deserve wemby not the cheatin spurs.how long are my generals going to suck for.bradley beale and jon wall our 2 best players last 30 years.the draft is suppose to make the crappy teams good,wassup adam david tell u to cheat for the spurs
Then the others are as angry and delusional about the issue as you are. Again, if every team has a rep in the room eyeballing the process as it happens, plus it is certified by one of the most reputable accounting firms in the country, cheating is not possible. I used to think it was behind closed doors with no team reps present. That would be different but that’s not the case.
And tankers who deliberately tank should not be rewarded.
Anyone worrying about how a Giannis-led Heat would matchup with OKC or Spurs need to look to OKC. They got lucky that Halliburton got hurt in game 7. Now their luck might be out due to their own injuries. Just make the Finals and you have a chance. You never know who gets hot or who gets hurt.
injuries def part of it especially in football and the marlins pitchers
Let them all walk
Yup. We’re about to refresh. I could see Simone getting an offer if he was still unsigned and the team felt like they could use more shooting, especially if no other real options were left.That is the only scenario I could see that.
i wouldnt mind that especially bam n ty the playin bros
caruso wow having rough game
As I said in another thread, I would try to sign Grimes from the 76ers for the mid level. Cheaper than Norm, healthier and still on the upswing.
norms much better player though id rather spend few more on norm,grimes hardly used with sixers
When he was being used he was averaging 22 pts per, my man. Norm is good but after what we saw in the second half of the season his body might be breaking down. Why pay over $20 million per when you can get Grimes for $15? Use the other $5-$10 on a rotation player.
i dont want grimes all our guys are better
How much do you think Norm wants or will get per season? I would venture to say easily at least $25-$30. I like him. Great guy. Good player. I’m not paying him up to $15 more per compared to Grimes. Again, this is just roster building spit-balling. The Heat are going to have to save some money somewhere.
u get what u pay for.believe norm is jamaican so we have a big jamaican commuity here.greeks here think we can get him at a discount.he was only here one year maybe he likes the lifestyle of miami.we can do better than quinten grimes i believe
Okay, if Greek gets him at a discount, then yes. But Norm has never really had that huge contract. This is his last bite. He has won a title. Things to consider.
my sports bro norms a 15 year vet with all those contracts hes living mighty fine
He is 33 and had an injured-riddled year. He will want multiple seasons on a deal. Prepare to say bye to your sports homie.
I would definitely do Grimes, he was one of the upcoming young 2 way player’s I brought up before in previous articles. I also like ayo but he will cost too much, other choices are Payton Watson who will likely cost too much too, and Keon Ellis a young 3nD player, who would be cheapest out of all of them.
Reports today from Grant Liffmann and other NBA insiders indicate that Giannis Antetokounmpo has identified the Miami Heat as his preferred trade destination. This marks a massive development, as the Bucks evaluate trade offers before the upcoming draft.
To get a deal done, the Heat would likely have to part with a significant haul. Rumored packages are expected to center around Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jović, and multiple first-round picks (including the 13th overall pick in the upcoming draft) and multiple pick swaps.
it will suk to lose ware and jjj but to get greek thats what we have to do do it
Agree, sir. But we get to keep Kaspar and Pelle. Thats huge.
Bucks know Riley is desperate. I expect them to use that leverage to squeeze every single asset they can out of him. They may also want Larsson, Jakucionis or Mitchell.
It will be interesting to see what Riley does if Plan A fails Kahwi would be good if he comes cheap. Ja would be interesting if Memphis throws in a pick for Heat to take him off their hands. They have a ton of picks and young players and are in the process of a total rebuild.
plan b kawhi ja will be cheaper than greek.prefer greek .kawhi ja pipe dream.maybe ja cant see kawhi coming east
Worried about Giannis’ health but wanting Kawhi and Ja is an interesting choice.
i can see kawhi and lebron together in la
he plays the jjj game no js.body takes lots hits.ill be doing backward flips if we got greek