We’ve already looked at a few players the Miami Heat could have their eye on this summer, but an equally talented free agent class will be negotiating new deals next summer.
Related: 10 Free Agents The Heat Could Be Looking To Target
As discussed here and elsewhere, Heat President Pat Riley has his work cut out for him as he tries to sign players to cap-friendly contracts that will set up the team for success next season while preserving flexibility to bring in a marquee player (or two) in 2016.
So, whom might the Heat pursue next year?
The answer depends to a great extent on three current Heat players who have the option of becoming free agents this summer: point guard Goran Dragic, shooting guard Dwyane Wade and small forward Luol Deng.
Miami needs these stars in uniform to have any success next season, but not at the cost of salary cap flexibility next summer.
It is a complicated landscape for Riley to navigate, but assuming he is able to field a competitive roster going into the 2015-16 campaign without spending the franchise out of contention for next summer’s top free agents, here are five players the Heat could target in 2016:
1. Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Kevin Durant will undoubtedly be the most sought-after player hitting the market next summer, and perhaps the most prized NBA free agent in league history not named LeBron James (who, coincidentally, will also be a free agent in 2016 but is expected to stay in Cleveland).
Durant has nearly every piece of hardware in his trophy case — league MVP, All-Star Game MVP, Rookie of the Year Award, Olympic Gold Medal, four scoring titles — except one: the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
Ironically, the closest he came to winning it all was in 2012 when he led the Oklahoma City Thunder to the NBA Finals; they lost in five games to the Miami Heat.
The 6’9″ 240-pound superstar just finished his eighth season as a pro out of the University of Texas, though it is one he would like to forget. He missed most of 2014-15 due to a Jones fracture in his right foot, and the Thunder did not qualify for the postseason for the first time in five years.
But Durant will only be 28 years old when the 2016-17 season tips off, and if his foot heals properly (as expected), the Heat could sign a player entering his prime who is already widely recognized as the second-best in the league behind James.
Inking Durant to a contract next year may not be as far-fetched as it seems: according to at least one report, Pat Riley is asking Dwyane Wade to exercise his player option for next season as step one in the Heat’s plan to lure KD to South Beach.
Next: Kevin Love
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2. Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers)
The 6’10” 243-pound power forward is in his seventh year out of UCLA. Love’s team is in the NBA Finals, but a shoulder injury has him watching from the bench.
After toiling for years in relative obscurity playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Love was traded last summer to the Cleveland Cavaliers to form a new “Big Three” alongside LeBron James and point guard Kyrie Irving.
The question coming into the season was whether Love was just a great player on a bad team in Minnesota — could he sustain his MVP-like productivity in a winning situation?
The jury is still out since Love’s season-long adjustment to playing a tertiary role to James and Irving was less than smooth. Team chemistry issues were a constant source of intrigue throughout 2014-15, mostly surrounding the relationship between Love and James.
Still, he averaged about 16 points and 10 rebounds a game and helped the Cavaliers secure the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.
Despite the bumpy road, Love — who could opt out of his contract in July — recently indicated he will be in a Cavs uniform when the 2015-16 season tips off.
Love may want to ride James’ coattails to another Eastern Conference championship next season, get a taste of the NBA Finals, and then hit free agency on a high note. If Love can prove himself to be an indispensable member of a title-contending team, his value on the open market could rival that of Kevin Durant — especially with the salary cap set to jump dramatically in 2016.
If one Kevin is good, then two is better. Could a pair of Kevins — Durant and Love — be headed to Miami next summer?
Next: Al Horford
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3. Al Horford (Atlanta Hawks)
If the Heat are unable to re-sign center Hassan Whiteside after next season, Al Horford would be a great pick-up.
The 29-year-old center out of the University of Florida has spent his entire eight-year career with the Atlanta Hawks, where he’s been named to the All-Star team three times, including this past season.
He’s averaged 14.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game for his career, and has shot the ball at a 54.1 percent clip in his eight pro seasons.
At 6’10,” 250 pounds, Horford is a load on the low block and can more than hold his own defensively (he led the Hawks in shots blocked in 2014-15 with 1.4 per game).
He will be completing the final year of a 5-year, $60 million deal with the Hawks next season, and will probably be looking for a raise, perhaps in the range of $15-17 million annually. Quality big men like Horford who possess the size to body up any opposing four or five on both ends of the floor and the finesse on offense to pull defenders out of the lane are a rare commodity, and if the Heat lose Whiteside, the Hawks center should jump to the top of their wish list.
Riley could also play up the family angle if he recruits Horford, since the player’s wife — former Miss Universe Amelia Vega — reportedly has personal and professional ties to Miami.
Line up Al Horford next to Chris Bosh, Dragic, Wade and maybe Durant, and you have the foundation of a title contender for years to come.
Next: Chandler Parsons
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4. Chandler Parsons (Dallas Mavericks)
The lanky stretch four has a player option next summer worth over $16 million, but with salary-cap inflation, he could probably get more in free agency.
Though he shoots the three-ball very effectively (.373 percent for his career), Parsons is not just a spot-up shooter — he can bring the ball up the court, set up the offense, create his own shot and drive or slash to the basket.
In his first season with the Mavericks (he started his career in Houston, where he was drafted out of the University of Florida), Parsons averaged 15.7 points per game on 46% shooting. His defense is unspectacular, but with Parsons, it is his offensive game that makes him a tough matchup for opponents, especially since his sneaky athleticism makes him an all-around threat to score.
A front court trio of Parsons, Bosh and Whiteside — with Dragic and Wade in the backcourt — could give the Heat enough length and firepower to ascend into the elite of the Eastern Conference.
Next: Monta Ellis
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5. Monta Ellis (Shooting Guard)
The 29-year-old shooting guard was drafted by the Golden State Warriors out of high school in 2005, and he has had his share of detractors throughout the years. But his play the last two seasons in Dallas has quieted many of his critics.
At 6’3″ and 185 pounds, Ellis is an agile scorer with playmaking abilities, as his 19.3 points and 4.8 assist career averages attest to.
He does tend to turn the ball over, though, for a player who handles the leather as much as he does, and his three-point shooting (.314 career from beyond the arc) leaves much to be desired. But that’s OK, since he doesn’t shoot that many anyway, preferring jump shots and drives to the basket to put points on the board instead.
Defensively, Ellis is strong and capable when he’s locked in.
He has a player option (which he will probably exercise) for next season at about $9 million, and he’ll be looking to cash in next summer.
If Coach Erik Spoelstra can somehow persuade Wade to accept a reserve role after next season, Ellis would be a good fit at the shooting/combo guard position for the Heat. Ellis is younger than Wade and has been more durable the last three years, playing in at least 80 games per season since 2012.
Ellis has developed into a solid team player who can score without dominating the ball, and the Heat could bring him in to lighten the load for Wade down the road.
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