The Heat finally got their superstar. After years of waiting, trying, missing, and reworking the roster again and again, Giannis Antetokounmpo is now the new center of the whole project.
According to ESPN, the Bucks sent Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to the Heat in a massive trade that also sent Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, the No. 13 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, 2031 and 2033 first-round picks, a 2030 first-round pick swap, and a 2033 second-round pick to the Bucks. The Celtics were also in the race, but the Heat got it done.
Now the job changes. The Heat are not a normal 43-39 Play-In team anymore. They have Giannis, Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins, Nikola Jovic, Davion Mitchell, Pelle Larsson, and Portis. That is a real base, but it is also a weird base if the shooting is not fixed fast.
Antetokounmpo averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists while shooting 62.4% from the field last season, even if knee issues limited him to only 36 games. Adebayo averaged 20.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists, but he shot only 31.8% from three. Those two can punish teams inside, switch defensively, rebound, pass, and attack the paint. But if teams can put two feet in the lane all night, this whole thing becomes harder than it should be.
That is why free agency is not about a big name anymore. The Heat don’t need another expensive star. They already made the big swing. They need cheap shooting, fast decisions, and players who can stand around Giannis without being ignored. The target range should be simple: shooters under $10.0 million, or close to that number, who can fill a role without taking the ball away from Giannis and Adebayo.
Portis helps a lot because he shot 45.6% from three last season. Wiggins shot 41.4% from three with the Heat. Davion Mitchell shot 39.5% from three and averaged 6.5 assists. Jovic can space the floor. There are pieces here. The problem is volume and reliability. Herro is gone, and he averaged 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists while making 2.5 threes per game. The Heat can’t replace that with one minimum guy. They need two or three shooters around the edges.
The good thing is that the 2026 free-agent class has enough cheap shooting options. Not perfect players. Cheap shooters are cheap for a reason. Some are old, some are weak defenders, some have low volume, some can’t create, and some were just not good last season. But around Giannis, the job is easier. Hit open threes, move without the ball, don’t panic in playoff minutes, and make defenses pay for helping too hard.
Here are the seven best shooter targets the Heat can go after in free agency to build around Antetokounmpo.
1. Luke Kennard
Luke Kennard is the best shooter on this list by a lot. He should be the first call if his market stays under $10.0 million or if the Heat can get him on a short deal with a real role.
Kennard averaged 8.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 78 games last season while shooting 53.3% from the field, 47.8% from three, and 91.3% from the line. His true shooting was 68.9%. That is stupid efficient for a guard who takes more than half of his shots from deep. He made 1.5 threes per game on only 3.1 attempts, so the volume is not huge, but the percentage is elite.
This is exactly what the Heat need next to Giannis. Kennard doesn’t need 12 shots. He doesn’t need pick-and-roll touches every trip. He can stand one pass away, run a small handoff, relocate after the drive, and punish the low man when Giannis forces the defense to collapse. That is the main thing. The Heat don’t need a shooter who thinks he is a star. They need a shooter who is always ready and never scared.
Kennard also gives them a little more than spot-up shooting. He can make a simple pass off a closeout. He had 2.2 assists in 21.6 minutes, which is useful for a player in his role. He is not a point guard, but he can keep the ball moving and he is not just a standstill cone. In Erik Spoelstra’s offense, that matters because the Heat use a lot of movement, handoffs, and quick reads.
The concern is defense and price. Kennard can be attacked in the playoffs. If the Heat close with Giannis, Adebayo, Wiggins, and one strong defensive guard, they can hide one weaker defender better than most teams. The bigger issue is money. Kennard made $11.0 million last season, and a team with more room could beat the Heat. But if the market is tight and he wants a playoff role, the Heat should push hard.
This is the best fit. Not the most realistic one maybe, but the best one.
2. Seth Curry
Seth Curry is not a long-term answer. He is 35, small, and not the kind of defender Spoelstra usually trusts in heavy playoff minutes. But if the Heat want cheap shooting around Antetokounmpo, Curry still makes sense.
Curry averaged 7.1 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in only 10 games for the Warriors last season. The sample is small, but the shooting was still very real. He shot 49.0% from the field, 48.0% from three, and 91.7% from the line, with a 65.4% true shooting mark. For his career, he is a 43.3% three-point shooter. That is not a one-season fluke. That is one of the best shooting resumes in the league.
The fit with Giannis is easy to understand. Curry bends defense without being a high-volume driver. Defenses don’t leave him from the corner. They don’t leave him above the break. They don’t want him coming off pindowns or small flare screens. That alone changes the floor for Giannis.
With the Bucks, Antetokounmpo always needed guards who could punish help. The best versions of those teams had shooting around him, even when the names were not all stars. Curry can do that in 12 to 16 minutes. He can play next to Giannis in bench units and give the Heat a quick scoring lift when the offense gets heavy.
The problem is the other side. Curry is 6-foot-1 and older now. Teams will put him in screening actions. Bigger guards will go at him. The Heat can’t act like he is going to be part of their main playoff closing five. That is not the point. He is a regular-season spacing piece and a situational playoff shooter.
For the minimum or close to it, that is enough. The Heat lost Herro’s shooting and scoring in the trade. Curry can’t replace Herro, but he can replace a little of the fear Herro created from the perimeter. For a Giannis team, that fear has real value.
3. Landry Shamet
Landry Shamet is probably the best balance between shooting, size, age, and playoff experience. He is not as dangerous as Kennard and not as pure as Curry, but he is easier to keep on the floor.
Shamet averaged 9.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists for the Knicks last season while shooting 43.7% from the field and 39.2% from three. He made 2.0 threes per game on 5.2 attempts, so the volume is better than most cheap shooters. His true shooting was 59.8%, and he finished as a positive rotation piece for a Knicks team that won the championship.
That part is important. The Heat are not shopping for fake regular-season numbers. They need guys who can survive a playoff series. Shamet just played real minutes in a title run. In the playoffs, he averaged 6.0 points in 16.3 minutes and shot 47.5% from three. He had some bad moments too, but that is normal for a role shooter. The main point is that he was not afraid.
Shamet is 6-foot-5, which helps. He is not a lockdown defender, but he has more size than Curry and Kennard. He can chase guards, defend some bench wings, and not get killed every time a team runs action at him. For the Heat, that matters because Adebayo and Giannis will clean up a lot, but they can’t cover every bad matchup every possession.
Offensively, Shamet fits the Giannis formula. He can shoot off the catch, run off screens, and make simple movement reads. His 5.2 three-point attempts per game are the stat that sells it. The Heat need players who will actually shoot. Some low-cost wings pass up open looks because they don’t want the miss. Shamet will take them.
The price may be the issue. After a title run with the Knicks, he could get more than the minimum. But under $10.0 million is still realistic. If Kennard gets too expensive, Shamet should be near the top of the Heat’s backup list.
4. Simone Fontecchio
Simone Fontecchio is already in the building, so this one is different. The Heat don’t need to chase him from another team. They need to decide if they want to keep him after the roster changed.
Fontecchio averaged 8.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 70 games for the Heat last season. He shot 41.2% from the field, 37.5% from three, and 84.3% from the line. His true shooting was 57.9%. That is not elite, but it is useful. He also made 1.8 threes per game on 4.7 attempts in only 16.8 minutes. That is strong volume for a bench forward.
The biggest thing with Fontecchio is size. He is 6-foot-7 and can play at either forward spot in some lineups. That gives Spoelstra more options. The Heat can play Giannis at center with Fontecchio spacing at the four, or they can play Giannis and Adebayo together with Fontecchio as a bigger wing. That is not always pretty defensively, but the spacing can work.
Fontecchio is also not just a stationary corner shooter. He can attack a closeout once in a while, hit a trail three, and shoot above the break. His shot profile is useful next to a paint monster like Giannis. The Heat need players who can fill the weak side and make the defense pay when the ball swings out.
The downside is consistency. Fontecchio had strong stretches, but he was not a must-play guy when the Heat lost in the Play-In. He played only six minutes in the overtime loss to the Hornets. That says something. The Heat used him during the season, but he still has to prove he can be a playoff rotation piece.
Still, under $10.0 million, this is a good bet. He knows the system. He has size. He shoots enough threes. And after the Giannis trade, the Heat can’t let every normal rotation body walk. Keeping Fontecchio would be boring, but it would help.
5. Doug McDermott
Doug McDermott is not the sexy target, and he is not a full playoff answer anymore. But the shooting is still there, and the Heat need shooting badly enough to look at him.
McDermott averaged 5.7 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 29 games for the Kings last season. He shot 38.8% from the field, 39.0% from three, and 88.9% from the line. His true shooting was 57.4%. For his career, he is a 41.0% three-point shooter. That is the number that matters here.
The Heat would not sign McDermott to defend star wings or close every playoff game. They would sign him to run around screens, cut behind sleeping defenders, and make open shots in bench units. With Giannis, those small skills become bigger. Giannis puts so much pressure on the rim that one weak-side movement shooter can change the way a defense loads up.
McDermott also helps because he doesn’t stand still. Some shooters are only valuable if they are open in the corner. McDermott can shoot off movement. He can relocate, use pin-ins, sprint into a trail three, and make defenders work. That helps Giannis because help defenders can’t just stare at the ball for the entire possession.
The issue is defense. McDermott is 34 and not quick. If he plays in a playoff series, teams will test him. His defensive rating was ugly last season, and he played on a Kings team that finished 22-60. The Heat can protect him better than the Kings did, but only in small doses.
That is why the price has to be low. If McDermott comes on a minimum or a small one-year deal, it is fine. If the price gets near $10.0 million, it makes no sense. He is a cheap spacing tool, not a priority signing. But as a seventh or eighth man in the regular season, he can still help a Giannis offense.
6. Garrison Mathews
Garrison Mathews is not a big name, but his shot profile fits what the Heat need. He shoots fast, he shoots a lot for his minutes, and he doesn’t need plays made for him all night.
Mathews averaged 5.2 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 15 games for the Pacers last season. He played only 13.1 minutes per game, but he attempted 3.1 threes in those minutes and shot 37.0% from deep. His true shooting was 62.8%. For his career, he is a 38.2% three-point shooter, and 3.9 of his 4.5 career field-goal attempts per game have come from three.
That is the real reason he fits. Mathews is not shy. His three-point attempt rate is huge. He is basically on the floor to shoot, space, and draw fouls when defenders run him off the line. The Heat need that kind of role player because Giannis creates high-value kickout chances. If the shooter hesitates, the advantage is gone. Mathews usually doesn’t hesitate.
He also brings more physical edge than some small shooters. He is 6-foot-5 and strong enough to take contact. He is not a stopper, but he will compete. Spoelstra can work with that. A bench group with Giannis, Mitchell, Mathews, Fontecchio, and Portis would have shooting, rebounding, and enough defensive effort to survive.
The downside is his limited role last season. Mathews played only 15 games, so it is hard to sell him as a major fix. He is more of a deep rotation bet. The Heat would not be signing him to become Herro. They would be signing him to take five threes in 18 minutes when the matchup asks for it.
That is still useful. Around Giannis, the best cheap shooters are the ones who understand exactly what they are. Mathews does. He is not a creator. He is not a scorer. He is a quick-trigger shooter, and the Heat need at least one of those.
7. Gabe Vincent
Gabe Vincent is the least pure shooter on this list, so the Heat have to be honest if they bring him back. This is not about him being an elite floor spacer. It is about trust, defense, playoff history, and the idea that his shot can come back in the right place.
Vincent averaged 4.4 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 53 games last season while shooting 35.2% from the field and 34.1% from three. His true shooting was only 51.1%. Those are not good numbers. If the Heat want only shooting, Vincent is not the best option.
But the Heat know him. Spoelstra knows what he can handle. Vincent was a big part of the Heat’s 2023 Finals run, and he has already shown he can defend, pressure the ball, run basic offense, and take difficult playoff threes. He is not scared of the stage. That still has value.
The fit with Giannis is more about balance. Curry and Kennard can shoot better, but they can also get targeted more. Vincent gives the Heat a guard who can defend at the point of attack and still make open threes at an acceptable level if the shot returns. In a Giannis-Adebayo build, perimeter defense is important because both bigs will be helping, rotating, and protecting the rim. Bad guard defense can break the whole shell.
The concern is obvious. Vincent has not shot well enough since leaving the Heat. His 34.1% from three last season is not enough to scare defenses. Teams may help off him in the playoffs unless he proves early that he can hit shots. That is why he should not be above Kennard, Curry, Shamet, Fontecchio, McDermott, or Mathews as a shooting target.
Still, as a cheap reunion piece, he makes sense. Under $10.0 million, probably closer to the minimum or a small exception, Vincent can be useful. He gives the Heat another guard, another defender, and another player who understands the playoff standard in that building.
The Heat Need Shooting More Than Another Name
The Heat already made the big move. They got Antetokounmpo. Now they have to make the smaller moves that decide whether this becomes a real title roster or just a loud headline.
The Adebayo-Antetokounmpo pairing can be great defensively. Both can switch, protect the paint, rebound, and pass. Adebayo’s ability to guard guards and Giannis’ ability to erase plays from the weak side gives the Heat a rare frontcourt. Add Wiggins and Portis, and this team has size, length, and playoff bodies.
But the shooting has to be right. That is not optional. Giannis teams can’t live with three non-shooters on the floor. Adebayo shooting 31.8% from three helps a little, but defenses still won’t treat him like a real sniper. Giannis is not a shooter either. That means the other three spots must carry the spacing. At least two of them have to be real threats every night.
The Heat don’t need perfect players now. They need the right cheap players. Around Antetokounmpo, one open corner three can decide a playoff game. One shooter being ignored can also kill a whole lineup. That is the thin line for this new era.
The Heat got the hard part done. Now they have to win the margins.
