NBA free agency is set to begin on Tuesday at 6:00 PM EST. And the Miami Heat will have plenty of work to do as the 2026 offseason officially gets underway.
Of course, Pat Riley and the front office landed the biggest prize on the trade market in recent days with their long overdue acquisition of superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. For weeks and months leading up to Antetokounmpo’s addition, Heat Nation has continued to hear the clear goal from local Heat media: Get Giannis, figure the rest out later.
Well now, they got Giannis— and they indeed need to move forward with figuring the rest out.
With the departures of Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakucionis as part of the Antetokounmpo blockbuster, Miami is dealing with potentially four-to-five open roster spots, depending on if second-round draft pick Ryan Conwell lands a standard contract or two-way slot.
What will be Miami’s game plan to round out their depth? ESPN’s Shams Charania made it clear: “shooting, shooting, shooting.”
Miami has been linked to several veteran sharpshooting options ahead of free agency.
The Heat will be left with around $18 million to spend, barring any other trades, if Andrew Wiggins decides to opt-in to his $30 million salary for the upcoming season.
Most— if not all— of their upcoming additions will need to be veteran minimum candidates that slip through the cracks of the open market. The number one name attached to the Heat over the weeks has been Antetokounmpo’s former champion co-star Khris Middleton.
But more recent reports have added additional names of targets that Miami may do their due diligence on. According to insider Jake Fischer of the Stein Line, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Mike Conley Jr. headline that list of “priority” targets.
Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson also went more in depth on these unrestricted free agents on the Heat’s radar:
”Tim Hardaway Jr. is among a select group of shooters very much on Heat’s radar, with free agency beginning Tuesday at 6:00… For those asking about Anfernee Simons in the wake of Bobby Marks saying he would be perfect fit at the minimum for Heat, feedback I’ve received is that he will enter free agency looking for more than that, understandably (averaged 14.9 ppg, 38.1 on 3s in career).”
“There are always players who fall through cracks and take minimums (like Hardaway with Denver last year, Oubre with 76ers two years ago, etc.). Heat will be poised to pounce if the right player falls through the cracks.”
— Barry Jackson
Tim Hardaway Jr. is a name that the Heat have circled back on several times over the years.
Miami’s front office tends to circle back on repeated targets when it comes to these types of depth pieces. Hardaway Jr. has the history with the Heat of his father’s legacy— Tim Hardaway Sr.— who has his jersey raised in the rafters of Kaseya Center.
Hardaway Jr. is coming off this past campaign with averages of 13.5 points on efficient 45/41/81 shooting splits across 80 games played for the Denver Nuggets in his age-34 campaign.
He is the name that is reportedly headlining this list of win-now rotation players for Miami. And rightfully so. A discounted Hardaway Jr. signing would be a massive get.
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Wiggins picks up option! Now available to be traded!
Another option is Ben Simmons, whose on record saying he likes miami, if he doesn’t go back to Philly. Ik he doesn’t have a jumpshot, and can’t hit a 3. But he still is a solid defender, has size so he can play pf or small ball center if Portis,bam, or giannis gets hurt. Also he can be a backup pg to Davion, and can be had for the low. Let me know if yall think it’s a good or bad idea.
I think Simons is going to try for $10 a year. I think you could maybe get lower IF you do a two year with player option for year two so he can opt out of he balls.
Hardaway is a solid player and a good fit.
I think this happens. Circle of Culture life.
Mufasa – Simba
We can probably only make one semi-significant add, so really have to make it the best one. It’s going to be tricky, because waiting to see how everything shakes out may be a mistake as the best options get scooped up fast.