The Miami Heat have a big offseason ahead. All eyes are looking at the team potentially making a big splash but there is a scenario where the offseason revolves around retaining the team's young talent.
ESPN's Bobby Marks released his offseason primer, highlighting everything there is to know regarding every NBA team's offseason outlook. The Heat have two extension candidates: Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Pelle Larsson.
"The Heat have shown a propensity in signing former draft picks to contract extensions," the article wrote. "In the past six years, Bam Adebayo, Herro and most recently Jovic signed new deals. This offseason, Jaquez and Larsson are both eligible. Jaquez, a strong candidate for 2026 Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved honors, has seen his points per game increase from 8.6 last year to 15.0 this season and led the NBA in total points off the bench. He is eligible to sign a five-year extension through the last day of the 2026 offseason.”
Jaquez Jr. had a phenomenal season after a sluggish sophomore campaign, finishing in second place when it came to Sixth Man of the Year voting. Given his extension is upcoming, it would not be surprising to see him dealt as part of a larger deal before Pat Riley and company have to make a tough decision regarding whether to extend him or not.
"Larsson took advantage of Herro's absence this season, starting 53 games and averaging a career high 11.4 points per game," the article added. "Assuming his team option is exercised, Larsson will become eligible to sign a four-year, $92.8 million extension. Because he is a restricted free agent and has a team-friendly $4 million cap hold, Miami could be better off waiting until next summer to ink a new deal."
Larsson was one of the team's unsung heroes this season, stepping up while there were multiple injuries in the backcourt. As the article mentions, the team may be better off holding out this offseason and extending him later. Miami already seems to somewhat regret the Nikola Jovic extension from October as the forward was excluded from the rotation down the stretch of the regular season. That move could discourage the team from wanting to dish out a large extension this quickly to another young player.
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