Gary Payton II, Bobby Portis and more: 5 players the Miami Heat can target with the mid-level exception
After falling just short of the NBA Finals, the Miami Heat are a team to watch in free agency this summer. With their core of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro in tact, they will be looking to upgrade in the margins. That being said, here are five players Miami could sign with their taxpayer's mid-level exception.
The Heat are a team centered around hard, tough-nosed defense. Making Gary Payton II a seamless fit on their roster. After bouncing around the league for years, Payton proved to be a key piece for the Golden State Warriors in their finals run. Last season, Payton averged 7.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals.
Another three-and-D wing who can make a lot of sense for the Heat is Cody Martin. His twin brother Caleb spent the past year in Miami, and now the brothers should hope to reunite. Cody is coming off the best year of his career with the Hornets, where scored 7.7 points per game and connected on 38.4% of his threes.
Cody Martin took McCollum’s cookies and yammed on him 🤯 https://t.co/gCdSgKC2SR
He is not much of a three-point threat, but Jae'Sean Tate could make sense for the Heat as a wing who can come in and provide energy on both ends of the floor. The 26-year-old posted career-highs in points (11.8), rebounds (5.4), and assists (2.8) for the Rockets this year.
2 top free-agent targets for the Miami Heat in free agency
One priority for the Heat this summer should be retaining Victor Oladipo. It took him some time to get back on the court, but Miami was rewarded for their patience. For small stints at the end of the regular season and playoffs, he looked like his All-Star self.
Across 15 postseason matchups, Oladipo averaged 10.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.3 steals. It might cost them a little more to retain him, but Miami should do all they can to keep him on the roster moving forward.
im not falling to my knees over PJ but got damn we invested too much time into @VicOladipo to let him leave https://t.co/Gc8UmEcXxI
The final player the Miami should have on their radar in free agency is Bobby Portis. From a fit standpoint, he is an excellent floor-spacing big who embodies the toughness and physicality likes to play with. If P.J. Tucker does leave Miami, Portis would be a great replacement.
Last season for the Bucks, Portis averaged 14.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. He also shot a stellar 39.3% from beyond the arc on close to five attempts per game. Pairing him with Adebayo would give Miami a two-big lineup that could cause a lot of problems on both ends of the floor.
Given that their window to contend for a title is open now, Miami is sure to be very busy in free agency.