Following a landscape-shifting trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Miami must pivot to veteran free agents such as DeMar DeRozan, Klay Thompson, and Bradley Beal to solidify a championship-caliber supporting cast. Which is the best option?
The Heat are having a franchise-changing offseason. After acquiring Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo in a trade this offseason, the Miami Heat roster has completely changed. The team dealt Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakucionis as part of the deal and also lost All-Star Norman Powell to the Chicago Bulls in free agency. Now, the Heat must continue to navigate the rest of this offseason with some financial restrictions as they attempt to build the roster around Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. Earlier this offseason, the team signed wing Tim Hardaway Jr. to a one-year deal and brought back Simone Fontecchio but there are more moves to be made. With the extension of Andrew Wiggins, the Heat opened up a little bit of money by shaving $9 million off his player option for the upcoming season as well.
The Heat missed out on LeBron James last week after prioritizing him as an option to pair with Antetokounmpo and Adebayo to form a new "Big Three." However, he joined the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-year deal with a player option for the 2027 to conclude his iconic career.
There are three players who the Heat are reportedly showing interest in after missing out on James. Those three players are Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson and free agents DeMar DeRozan and Bradley Beal.
Thompson, 36, is no longer the same player as he was with the Golden State Warriors but the wing is coming off a season where he had a bench role and was solid, shooting 38.3 percent from three-point range. However, he is currently under contract with Dallas for one more season. Unless he negotiates a buyout agreement with the team, the Heat would need to package Nikola Jovic and probably a second-round pick attached as well.
DeRozan, 36, was recently waived by the Sacramento Kings after negotiating a buyout agreement. He sits in unrestricted free agency is and free to join any team. The Heat have shown interest in DeRozan in the past and have been interested this offseason. Despite his age, DeRozan is still producing at a strong level. He averaged 18.4 points and started 77 games. Availability is one of his biggest strengths and he could be a solid addition to this rotation as he closes out his career.
Beal, 33, was with the Los Angeles Clippers last season after a rough tenure with the Phoenix Suns. He suffered a season-ending hip injury six games into the season and his option was declined for the upcoming season. He has been a prolific scorer before but it's likely those days are behind him.
Of these three options, I think the best option is DeRozan. To acquire Thompson, the team would have to part with some current capital and whatever your opinion is of Jovic, he is still a young player and this team needs youth on the roster with a lack of future first-round draft picks after the blockbuster deal. Beal is coming off a brutal injury and has had some real declines in efficiency. DeRozan feels like the player who can come in and mix up some forward minutes with Wiggins and score at a strong rate. That's what the team needs at the moment and he should not cost much if he is hunting a championship.
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