After re-signing James Johnson, Dion Waiters, and Wayne Ellington, as well as bringing in former Boston Celtics big man Kelly Olynyk, the Miami Heat are lucky enough to still have their $4.3 million exception to potentially bring in more talent.
While the Heat are fortunate enough to not have any glaring holes in their current roster, there are several players still on the market who could certainly help bolster their bench.
1. Arron Afflalo
From a positional standpoint, the swingman makes a lot of sense for the Heat. While Afflalo is primarily a shooting guard, he has experience at small forward as well, the one position that is still not dominated by an obvious starter.
His strength lies in his ability to shoot from beyond the arc. Last season, Afflalo averaged 41.1 percent from the three-point line and as the Golden State Warriors have proven, you can never have too many players who are a threat from deep.
Next: Shabazz Muhammad
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2. Shabazz Muhammad
While the 6-foot-6 forward has struggled from range throughout his career, Muhammad provides a motor and explosiveness off the bench that is valuable to any club.
He’s never shown the skill on offense or defense to be seriously considered as a starter, but is able to use his frame to punish smaller defenders in the post, and has the athleticism to out hustle larger defenders on the boards and on the fast break.
Next: Ersan Ilyasova
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3. Ersan Ilyasova
The Heat are not in need of big men thanks to Whiteside, Olynyk, Johnson, Okaro White, and rookie Bam Adebayo, but Ilyasova does offer the added skill of stretching the floor from the power forward position, shooting a respectable 36.6 percent from three throughout his nine-year career. Ilyasova’s ability to stretch the floor would also work nicely next to Whiteside, allowing him to better dominate offensively inside.
While Ilyasova’s defense does leave room for improvement, his solid size and quick feet help him when caught out of position.
Next: Thabo Sefolosha
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4. Thabo Sefolosha
Another small forward who could certainly fit in Miami, Sefolosha is a valuable bench player who offers the ability to both stretch the floor on offense and slow down star players on defense.
While he has never been able to regain his 2011-12 form, when he shot 43.7 percent from three, he has remained a respectable shooter, hitting 34.2 percent from deep last season. Defensively, Sefolosha ranked seventh among small forwards in DRPM (defensive real plus-minus), showing his strength of locking down opponents on the perimeter.
Next: Rajon Rondo
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5. Rajon Rondo
The former All-Star had a lackluster season last year playing with the Chicago Bulls, but showed glimpses of his game-changing play against his former team, the Boston Celtics, in last year’s playoff series before fracturing his thumb.
While it’s unclear if Rondo is prepared to accept a backup role, he may be willing to sacrifice that, and a potentially larger contract, for an opportunity to play for a playoff team and match up against the Celtics once again in next year’s Eastern Conference playoffs.
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