At 32-37 and with just 13 games left in the regular season, one thing is clear—the Miami Heat need help.
The Heat are literally in a dogfight for their playoff lives. They are just two games ahead of the Boston Celtics and the Indiana Pacers for the seventh seed in the East. If the Celtics and Pacers make up ground over the last month of the regular season, Miami would miss the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
Pat Riley set up the Heat for the 2016 offseason once LeBron James left for Cleveland. What that means is the Heat will have loads of salary cap space for 2016 to target big-name free agents as they did during the 2010 offseason when they brought in James and Chris Bosh.
Although 2015 was not the designed year for the Heat to make a splash in free agency, the team will still have the freedom to sign a few key pieces to bolster what already looks like a strong roster.
The 2014-15 Heat have been hampered due to injuries and chemistry issues. Josh McRoberts has been out for much of the season, while Bosh has been out since February right around the time Miami acquired point guard Goran Dragic.
Provided the team is able to re-sign Dragic during the offseason—he has a player option but has already vocally stated he will decline said option for a new contract—the Heat look to be one of the top contenders in the East entering the 2015-16 season.
Here are five free agents Miami should target in the 2015 offseason:
1. David West, PF, Indiana Pacers
David West is a strong offensive option with a silky smooth jump-shooting game. West will be 35 years of age this summer and his best days are behind him. With that said, he still remains a key offensive option, as he’s averaging nearly 13 points per game while remaining the Pacers’s starting power forward.
The reason West is brought up in this article is for this reason—the Heat might lack depth at the power forward position entering the 2015-16 season.
While the Heat have Chris Andersen and McRoberts under contract for next season, both players are making at least five million for the coming season. It’s very likely Riley trades either Andersen or McRoberts in order to free up cap space.
At the current moment, the Heat are so depleted at the power forward spot due to Bosh’s injury that they’re starting a very limited 34-year-old Udonis Haslem.
If West is signed he brings an immediate offensive presence off of the bench, something that is sorely needed right now for Miami.
Next: Wilson Chandler
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2. Wilson Chandler, SF, Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets hold a team option for Wilson Chandler worth $7.1 million for the 2015-16 season.
While it’s possible the Nuggets exercise their option on Chandler—he’s third on the team with 13.8 points per game and has started 63 games for the club this season—the team is in rebuilding mode and Chandler is a veteran who would be a better fit for a championship contender.
At just 27 years of age, the small forward is in his prime. He is not only capable of scoring as well as the Heat’s current starting small forward, Luol Deng, but he’s also just as good of a defender.
The Heat don’t have any depth behind Deng at the SF position. Not only that, but Deng has an expiring contract that many teams would covet.
Whether it’s off the bench or in the starting lineup, Chandler would fill Deng’s shoes just fine if the Heat choose to trade the former Chicago Bull.
Next: Omer Asik
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3. Omer Asik, C, New Orleans Pelicans
It seems ever since Omer Asik signed a $25.1 million, three-year deal with the Houston Rockets during the 2012 offseason, his career has been in a downfall.
While Asik had a breakout season in his first year with the Rockets, the Dwight Howard acquisition, complaints about playing time, and a trade to New Orleans where he’s stuck playing behind MVP candidate Anthony Davis has absolutely killed Asik’s value.
The question isn’t whether this guy can play, it’s the simple matter of finding the right team that can give him valuable playing time.
Considering he’ll come at a bargain price, Asik could be a dominant force on the glass off the bench for the Heat. With Hassan Whiteside’s contract expiring during the 2016 offseason, Asik provides an insurance policy just in case Whiteside leaves.
Next: Rajon Rondo
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4. Rajon Rondo, PG, Dallas Mavericks
This is a wild pick but provided the Heat can’t re-sign Dragic, the team once again lacks a point guard playmaker.
While the team could continue to start Mario Chalmers at point guard, it wouldn’t be in the best interest of the team. The Heat need a true playmaking point guard and Dragic has displayed the impact a ball distributor at the point can have in this offense.
Rajon Rondo’s best days are behind him although he is just 29 years of age. The Dallas Mavericks aren’t likely to re-sign Rondo as he’s already clashed with head coach Rick Carlisle and is shooting an atrocious 34 percent from the free-throw line.
Though Rondo can be a problem child, the Heat could sign the veteran point guard to a short-term bargain deal in the offseason.
Can you imagine a lineup featuring Rondo, Dwyane Wade, Deng, Bosh and Whiteside?
Next: Iman Shumpert
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5. Iman Shumpert, SG, Cleveland Cavaliers
Iman Shumpert enters the 2015 offseason as a restricted free agent. What does this mean? It means the Cavaliers have the right to match any contract offered Shumpert’s way. Considering he’s just 24 years of age and a valuable role player in this league capable of scoring and being a team’s top defender, Cleveland would likely make every effort to retain Shumpert.
The Heat don’t have depth behind Wade. Chalmers remains a valuable asset off the bench in a scoring role, but there aren’t any swingmen on the Heat’s current roster that can play lockdown defense.
It’s an asset that you need to have if you want to be a championship contender in this league. You need a guy capable of matching up with the LeBron’s and Kevin Durant’s of this world.
This is one of the reasons the Heat have struggled this season. At this point of their careers, Wade and Deng are not going to lock down anyone. They can slow down dominant perimeter players, but that’s about the best you can hope for.
Shumpert is a young swingman who has yet to enter the prime of his career. Give him a key spot in the rotation in Miami and he can be a valuable role player on a championship-caliber team.
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