Miami Heat Have Three Players Included In Latest Free Agency Rankings

The Miami Heat are expected to make some big changes after missing out on the playoffs this season but multiple veterans are expected to hit unrestricted free agency. Bleacher Report released an article, highlighting the top 70 potential upcoming free agents. Previous entries of this list have only included the top 65. The Heat have three players crack this list with the first being forward Simone Fontecchio at No. 59.

Fontecchio, 30, arrived in Miami last summer through the Duncan Robinson sign-and-trade with the Detroit Pistons. He was somewhat of an afterthought of a trade acquisition last offseason but played decent this season with his role off the bench. The Italian forward averaged 8.5 points, three rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting 41.2 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three-point range. His salary this past season was $8.3 million and there could be a market for the scrappy, three-point shooting forward.

The next player to crack the list is Andrew Wiggins at No. 16. He was ranked at No. 17 in the last iteration of these rankings. Wiggins, 31, has a $30 million player option looming. He is expected to exercise the option but even if he does, he could be an easy salary to use in a deal for a star-level player. Wiggins, the No. 1 overall pick in 2014, has never been an unrestricted free agent at any point of his career. He has always been a solid, foundational player and now that he's viewed as a longtime veteran, those traits have become more reliable.

The Heat could decide to include him in trade discussions this offseason, given his hefty salary. The other option is, of course, simply keeping Wiggins on the roster for next season. If the Heat are struggling by the trade deadline point, he could be an easy candidate to be dealt or he could also be a reason for the team being successful next season. There are many questions surrounding his situation this offseason and we'll have a better idea come July.

The final player ranked on the list is Norman Powell at No. 10. He was ranked at No. 8 in the last iteration of these rankings. The veteran guard earned his first All-Star nod this season after he began the season as one of the better guards in the Eastern Conference. He averaged 21.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 47 percent from the field and 38 percent from three-point range. Towards the end of the season, Powell dealt with a groin injury along with a separate illness that sidelined him for a good amount of games. With a lot of money coming off the books along with Tyler Herro's trade rumors, there is a scenario the Heat bring Powell back. He will be 33 entering next season, meaning some teams may be afraid to hand out a long-term, expensive deal.

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