The Miami Heat have essentially filled out their main rotation for the upcoming season.
Barring a couple of trades that could still happen within the next few weeks, the Heat’s starting lineup will feature Hassan Whiteside, Chris Bosh, Luol Deng, Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic. It is the lineup that Pat Riley had envisioned when he acquired Dragic at the trade deadline last February. Heat Nation will see it for the first time on the court this October.
The bench will feature a mixture of veterans and young guns in Justise Winslow, Josh McRoberts, Mario Chalmers, Chris Andersen, Shabazz Napier and Tyler Johnson. Others such as James Ennis and Henry Walker are likely to make the roster.
While the Heat have 12 men pretty much locked in for the opening-day roster barring trade, they still have one major weakness—they lack a truly capable three-point shooter.
Miami ranked 21st in three-point shots made and 24th in three-point field goal percentage last season. While there are guys such as Chalmers, McRoberts, Bosh and Deng who can knock down the occasional three, no one is going to mistake them for specialty shooters.
With Miami really only being able to use the mid-level exception or the veteran’s minimum to sign any free agents, here are the 10 best three-point shooters available.
10. Michael Beasley
Michael Beasley is not exactly known for his three-point jumpers—he’s only converted 29 of them over the past two seasons in 79 games.
However, the list for available three-point shooters on the free agency market is limited at this point. Plus, it’s not like Beasley didn’t show off his long-range shooting ability early on in his career. He shot at least 36 percent from three-point range from 2010 through 2012 with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The former Heat player is moreso known for his ability to knock down mid-range jump shots, but he can be a spot-up three-point shooter if needed.
Next: Aaron Brooks
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9. Aaron Brooks
The diminutive point guard remains a reliable scoring option even at the age of 30 years old. Despite being just 5’10” and 161 pounds, Aaron Brooks has carved out a nice career for himself having averaged 11.2 points while shooting 37.1 percent from beyond the arc through his eight-year NBA career.
As a key player off the bench for the Chicago Bulls last season, Brooks averaged 11.6 PPG while knocking down 38.7 percent of his three-point attempts.
The veteran point guard still has a lot of game in him, but the question is, will he be good as a specialty knockdown three-pointer shooter?
The Heat are already stacked at point guard with Chalmers, Napier, Johnson and Dragic on the roster.
Miami needs a three-point shooter at the swingman positions. Brooks really isn’t a good fit for the Heat at this time, despite being an above average three-point shooter.
Next: Caron Butler
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8. Caron Butler
Caron Butler is a familiar face, having played with the Heat from 2002 until 2004.
Fast forward 11 years later, and the 35-year-old Butler has excelled at longevity, remaining a key member off the bench for the Detroit Pistons last season. The former No. 10 overall selection averaged 5.9 points on 37.9 percent from beyond the arc in just under 21 minutes per game for the Pistons in 2014-15.
He is a career 34.9 percent shooter from beyond the arc, so he’s not exactly a specialty three-point shooter.
Having said that, he possesses size at 6’7,” 228 pounds and the ability to knock down shots without dominating the ball.
There isn’t high demand for Butler on the free agent market, so it’s not beyond a reality that he could return to Miami.
Next: Ben Gordon
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7. Ben Gordon
The 32-year-old Ben Gordon was previously a high-octane scorer with the Chicago Bulls. During the 2006-07 season in which Chicago ironically swept the Heat out of the first round of the playoffs, Gordon averaged a career-high 21.4 points per game.
However, that was a long time ago and Gordon is a shell of his former self. During the 2014-15 season with the Orlando Magic, the shooting guard was a sparsely used piece, averaging just 6.2 points in 14.1 minutes per game.
The 11-year veteran still possesses the ability to be a streaky scorer in limited minutes. Considering his lack of demand on the market, the Heat could sign Gordon to a deal with very little risk.
Next: Jason Terry
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6. Jason Terry
Jason Terry is the oldest member of this list at 37 years old, but it doesn’t mean he’s the least viable option.
Terry can still play a valuable role on a championship contending team. Just last season he averaged seven points on 39 percent from beyond the arc in 21.3 minutes per game for a Houston Rockets team that advanced to the conference finals.
He has a lot of mileage on him, having played 16 seasons along with many deep postseason runs with the Dallas Mavericks in years past. This will scare away a lot of teams, but Terry has every trait a contending team wants in a veteran role player—experience, pedigree and a willingness to play whatever role you assign him.
Next: Wayne Ellington
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5. Wayne Ellington
During the worst season in Lakers history since the team moved to Los Angeles, Wayne Ellington was one of the team’s few bright spots last year.
In 65 games and 36 starts, Ellington averaged 10.0 points per game and shot 37 percent from beyond the arc for a team that desperately needed his shooting abilities.
Does this sound familiar?
The six-year veteran is a career 38.2 shooter from long-range and is the definition of a catch-and-shoot player.
Next: Marcus Thornton
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4. Marcus Thornton
Though Marcus Thornton was a non-factor last season, he still has one of the better resumes out there of any free agent player when it comes to three-point shooting ability.
For three consecutive seasons from 2011 until 2014, Thornton converted on at least 107 treys each season. During that span, he never shot below 34.5 percent. For his career, he has shot at least 36 percent from beyond the arc.
Similar to the Danny Granger signing last year, the Heat can sign Thornton to low-risk, high-reward deal.
Next: Dorell Wright
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3. Dorell Wright
Yet another former Heat player on this list, Dorell Wright is the most accomplished of the three aforementioned players when it comes to three-point shooting.
Wright won a championship with Miami as a little-used reserve in 2006. As he entered the final year of his Heat tenure during the 2009-10 season, he developed more of a long-range jumper. He converted on 61 treys that season after combining for just 12 during his first five years with Miami.
It was in Golden State with the Warriors where Wright became one of the best long-range shooters in the game. He set the single-season franchise record during the 2010-11 season with 194 three-point field goals. He ranked No. 1 in the league in that category during that season.
Because of his familiarity with Wade and his ability to score without dominating the ball, Wright would be a perfect fit for the Heat.
Next: Gerald Green
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2. Gerald Green
Of all of the players on this list, Gerald Green may represent the safest bet when it comes to looking for a dependable three-point shooter.
At just 29 years of age, he is just two years removed from his best season shooting the basketball. During the 2013-14 campaign with the Phoenix Suns, Green nailed 204 three-pointers, which ranked fourth in the NBA. He shot 40 percent from long-range.
While not as effective during the 2014-15 season, the veteran shooting guard still hit 137 of his three-point attempts.
If you want a dynamic three-point shooter in the prime of his career, look no further than Green.
Next: J.R. Smith
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1. J.R. Smith
It’s highly unlikely to envision J.R. Smith in a Heat uniform this upcoming season considering he just opted out of a deal that would have paid him $6.4 million for next year, but he is the most explosive three-pointer shooter of all of the remaining free agents.
Wildly inconsistent, but amazingly streaky, Smith aided the Cleveland Cavaliers in advancing to the NBA Finals. After being acquired from the New York Knicks in the middle of the season, Smith converted on 39 percent of his three-point attempts during the regular season while contributing 12.7 points per game.
He is a career 37.3 percent three-point shooter, and unlike most of these players on this list, he can outscore the best players on your team on any given day.
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