The Heat have acquired their whale this offseason as they began the summer with the blockbuster trade to land Giannis Antetokounmpo in Miami.
But the biggest concern of this move was that they had to severely gut their roster from three-point shooting and promising young talent, as the trade resulted in four solid young players, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, and Kasparas Jakucionis, heading to Milwaukee.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein and Jake L. Fischer, the Heat have apparently prioritized two free agents over multiple targets they are eyeing.
“Free agents Miami is expected to target with its very limited financial flexibility after its blockbuster deal to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee? We’ve heard two names all morning. League sources say that the Heat will have a strong interest in the veteran duo of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Mike Conley Jr,” they wrote in their report initially.
Subsequently, Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson also reported four more targets on this list of potential additions in free agency. He also mentioned that while the Heat are focusing on veterans like Tim Hardaway Jr. and Khris Middleton, some young players have also caught the front office’s eye.
“The Heat will have interest in Hardaway when free agency begins at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, according to a source. He’s among a select group of skilled shooters that Miami is expected to call,” wrote Jackson in his latest article.
“Other potential targets have not been confirmed, but Miami has been strongly linked to veteran NBA forward Khris Middleton, who played with soon-to-be-new-Heat-forward Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee.”
“The Heat is expected to try to add at least two skilled three-point shooters in free agency. Other options, listed here, include Landry Shamet, Anfernee Simons, and Quentin Grimes, among others,” he later added.
So the six free agents that the Heat will likely target at the start of free agency are Tim Hardaway Jr., Khris Middleton, Mike Conley Jr., Landry Shamet, Anfernee Simons, and Quentin Grimes.
Hardaway Jr. is coming off the best three-point shooting season of his career in terms of efficiency, where he shot 40.7% from deep. Middleton, even though coming off the fourth-worst three-point shooting season in his entire career (36.0 3P%), is still a 38.5% shooter from the three-point range (career average).
Mike Conley. Jr, although not as much of a volume shooter like most other players in this list, is still an elite shooter from deep (a 38.7% career average in three-point shooting). The 38-year-old veteran is expected to test free agency and could be a crucial addition to the Heat to space the floor.
“The Heat will be poised to pounce if the right player falls through the cracks. Meanwhile, the Heat has been considering several point guard options. Mike Conley Jr. has been one of the names discussed internally, but some inside the organization would prefer a younger player at the position,” wrote Jackson on Conley Jr.
Landry Shamet, who may be shown the exit door from the Knicks despite a championship run, to avoid the second apron, would be the perfect fit for the Heat as they look for players who are catch-and-shoot specialists and can play off the ball. The 29-year-old is a career 38.6% shooter from deep and could agree to a cheap contract to join the Heat.
Anfernee Simons has interest from multiple teams as he is coming off a $100 million contract. While he might be ready to accept a smaller role, he might not be as cheap an addition as Shamet could be.
He is a career 38.1% shooter from three-point range, but the 27-year-old is still young and could be looking for a bigger paycheck at this time. But since even Shamet is coming off a championship run, a veteran minimum may no longer cut it for him.
Quentin Grimes is coming off a contract where he feels he was severely underpaid in the restricted free agency he saw with the 76ers last summer. Therefore, the 26-year-old is likely to also be testing free agency for a bigger paycheck. A 36.6% shooter from beyond the arc for his career, Grimes could be a good fit on the Heat if he agrees to take less money.
There are several factors to consider for the Heat as free agency begins in less than 48 hours. It will be interesting to see what plans Pat Riley and the Heat’s front office have to build a potential championship contender with any two or three of these six players.
