According to Marc Stein of ESPN and confirmed by Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, the Miami Heat have emerged as serious threats to sign All-Star guard Gordon Hayward of the Utah Jazz.
Free Agency Scuttle: Volume is rising on the whispers that the team worrying Utah in Gordon Hayward's free agency is Miami as much as Boston
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 9, 2017
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https://twitter.com/rick_bonnell/status/873182545613139968
The 6-foot-8 guard holds a $16.7 million player option for 2017-18, but will likely opt out and become a free agent in order to seek a max contract.
According to the Sun-Sentinel, Hayward is eligible for a free-agent contract that would start at about $30.9 million next season. He can make around $175 million on a five-year contract with the Jazz or around $130 million on a four-year contract with another team.
The Heat are expected to have around $37 million in cap space, meaning that if they were to sign Hayward, that would likely be the end of both Dion Waiters and James Johnson in Miami.
Although Heat president Pat Riley had previously stated that the Heat were not going for a “whale” this season, it seems that he is cooking up something big for the 2017 offseason.
Buckle up Heat fans, it’s going to be a fun summer.
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