The Miami Heat reportedly have interest in re-signing guard Goran Dragic and forward Jae Crowder as long as it doesn’t jeopardize their chances for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe explained Miami’s thinking as it is gearing up to make a swing at the Milwaukee Bucks superstar when he becomes a free agent following the 2020-21 season.
“Miami has interest in re-signing Goran Dragic and Jae Crowder, but the Heat won’t do anything that jeopardizes their chances with Antetokounmpo,” Lowe wrote. “(The list of such things might include asking Bam Adebayo to wait until next offseason to sign his new contract — a way of maximizing cap space for Antetokounmpo. Adebayo and Antetokounmpo share an agent — Alex Saratsis of Octagon. This is tricky stuff, but I assume everyone will communicate what they need to communicate).”
Both Dragic and Crowder played huge roles for Miami last season.
Dragic averaged 16.2 points and 5.1 assists per game last season. He came up huge for Miami in the playoffs before he was injured in the NBA Finals.
The loss of Dragic greatly affected Miami against the Los Angeles Lakers.
As for Crowder, he was acquired in the deal that brought Andre Iguodala to Miami.
Crowder was fantastic after coming over from the Memphis Grizzlies, as he shot 44.5 percent from 3-point range and averaged 11.9 points per game with Miami.
It seems that the Heat will bring both players back if they can find team-friendly deals that still allow them to make a run at Antetokounmpo.