Today is the day! Let the frenzy begin!
While the Miami Heat extended Andrew Wiggins and retained Simone Fontecchio for the minimum, they still have big fish to fry with free agency tipping off at 6:00 p.m. EST.
With 11 players rostered, including rookie Ryan Conwell, the Heat have less than $17 million in space below the hard cap (first apron), barring any other moves over the next several hours.
Who are my favorite free agents available? Let’s examine!
(Editor’s note: The players listed below is in no specific order.)
The LeBron James Tier:
LeBron James, F, Lakers:
Skinny: Word has come out that he’s leaving the Lakers. For (most of) the MLE, why not?
Potentially out of the Miami Heat’s price range:
Sandro Mamukelashvili, C, Raptors:
Skinny: A stretch big with a dribble/pass/shoot skillset in a limited role off the bench? Sign me up! Mamu needs to improve defensively, but there will be enough to cover him up.
Quentin Grimes, G, 76ers:
Skinny: I’ll scream Grimes until I’m blue in the face. I feel like I’m turning into a smurf. He’s a best-case scenario option, in my opinion.
Anfernee Simons, G, Bulls:
Skinny: Are we sure Simons slips through the cracks? I go back and forth. His archetype is flawed, but he made north of $17 million last year and was pretty productive for two different franchises. Nevertheless, he’d be a good get for shot creation/shooting, even though his defense is abhorrent.
Mitchell Robinson, C, Knicks:
Skinny: Free throw shooting notwithstanding, I love me some Mitch Robinson. His screen-setting, rebounding and shot-blocking are skillset the Heat could use in a limited bench role, although he does present a clunky fit alongside either Adebayo and/or Antetokounmpo.
Peyton Watson, F, Nuggets:
Skinny: My hunch is that 1.) The Nuggets dump salary somewhere to toss Watson the bag or 2.) Someone not named the Heat will, forcing Denver to match. But he’s one of my favorite options.
10 Favorite Realistic Targets:
Tim Hardaway Jr., G, Nuggets:
Skinny: I almost thought about putting THJ in the tier above. He’s older, but finished third in Sixth Man of the Year voting last year after averaging 13.5 points on 44.7/40.7/81.1 shooting splits. He would be the Heat’s mid-level option, if I had to guess.
Jock Landale, C, Hawks:
Skinny: Landale is a solid rebounder who’s grown as a floor spacer. You can’t have enough of those big men.
(Update: He re-signed with the Hawks 15 minutes after publishing … because #ofcourse, right?)
Bruce Brown Jr., G/F, Nuggets:
Skinny: I feel most confident with Brown’s scalability and versatility alongside Nikola Jokic than I do anywhere else. But he’s a winning player, point blank.
Jaxson Hayes, C, Lakers:
Skinny: A springy vertical athlete who’s still putting the pieces together? Perhaps there’s some untapped potential Miami can unlock!
Dean Wade, F, Cavaliers:
Skinny: Hey, look, D-Wade!
Luke Kennard, G, Lakers:
Skinny: Even though he’s not as aggressive as I would like him to be, Kennard is one of the league’s most efficient sharpshooters.
Kenrich Williams, F, Thunder:
Skinny: An under-the-radar option who I have liked for years because of his rebounding, 3-point shooting and multi-positional versatility defensively.
Kelly Oubre Jr., F, 76ers
Skinny: Miami was linked to him in the 2023 offseason. I expect them to circle back on Oubre, even though I’m not cmpletely sold he takes a paycut.
Collin Sexton, G, Bulls
Skinny: A flawed player, but to add some shooting and shot creation, I wouldn’t be upset.
Javonte Green, G/F, Pistons:
Skinny: A winning basketball player, point blank period.
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Out of that list My big money option Is grimes, and my realistic options I would say Timmy Jr but I already know he coming hopefully lol. Also I would go for oubre,brown, and Hayes.
Grimes may be within our range, but Simons probably not. Everyone else is a little more limited except Oubre, who is also probably out of our range. Then there’s the Beal idea. He’s probably second best after Grimes. And maybe Smart is about as good as Beal.
Whatever Riley plans to do, he better act quickly. The clearance bin is selling out fast. Pretty soon, all that will be left will be undrafted G Leaguers and geriatrics.
Unfortunately, Miami doesn’t have the luxury of time to waste developing players. Its win now or bust.
We are in win now mode. That’s why a Beal should be considered. And we can only add one non bargain basement player so it has to be one as good as possible. I like Grimes best of players who will go for the money we have to spend. With Beal and Smart the best after.,
middleton coming lopez holiday
I don’t always agree with Hanifan, but this article is spot-on. Personally, I’m hoping for Peyton Watson and Anfrenee Simons, but I agree they are both probably out of the Heat’s price range
Hope in one hand and doo doo in the other. The time for hoping has passed. Now it’s all about expectations.
Tim Hardaway Jr
He’s already taken his photo for media day.
Too many articles I’m losing track of where to post items.
We lost Landale. Resigns for one year at $14. Our bargain guy lmao. We had no shot.
Sign me up for a combo of Brown, Oubre, Sexton and Hayes
My brain says Golden State, but my heart says LeBron takes his talents to South Beach part 2.
3 players for less then 15 mill, one of them should be a a starter quality. We need some magic.
Great article and all, but Lebron officially not retuning to the Lakers.