Several Miami Heat players are set to become free agents this offseason, including some who played key roles for the team in the 2022-23 campaign.
During Miami’s exit interviews on Wednesday, some impending free agents spoke about what they’re looking for this offseason.
For starters, Omer Yurtseven spoke about the subject. He didn’t have much of an impact on the 2022-23 Heat, and he’s aware of it. When talking about his priorities in free agency, he explained that he simply wants to play.
Yurtseven was injured for a good portion of the 2022-23 season. He appeared in nine games in the regular season and got 9.2 minutes of action per contest.
In the playoffs, there were situations where the Heat could have turned to the 24-year-old, but he ended up appearing in a mere eight games while averaging just a couple of minutes per outing.
Before the season started, Yurtseven said that his top goal was to earn a rotation spot with the Heat. That didn’t happen, so it’s easy to understand where his head is at currently.
Max Strus, meanwhile, revealed on Wednesday that he doesn’t really know what to expect in free agency.
Strus played an important role during Miami’s run to the 2023 NBA Finals, averaging 10.3 points per game across the first three rounds while shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from deep.
Unfortunately, he had a series to forget against the Denver Nuggets, averaging just 5.8 points per game while shooting 23.3 percent from the field and 18.8 percent from deep.
The 27-year-old has spent the past three seasons with the Heat, establishing himself as a very capable shooter along the way.
Gabe Vincent also spoke about his priorities going into free agency. The California native, who turns 27 on Wednesday, said that he’s looking for the “right situation.”
Vincent had some big games during Miami’s playoff run this year, though his last three games in the Nuggets series were all pretty rough.
Excluding those games, he averaged 13.9 points per game during the playoff run while shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from 3-point range.
The Heat are going to have some difficult decisions to make this offseason, and if they make a deal for a star with a big salary, they may need to let some key players walk.
But Miami is surely considering all of its options, so fans probably shouldn’t jump to any conclusions just yet.