The Miami Heat missed out on signing LeBron James as a one-time fix of their flawed roster after acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Now, the franchise must use its limited available resources to make the roster additions that will help it compete for a title in its first season with Giannis on the franchise.
A trade involving Nikola Jovic’s $16.2 million deal is unlikely given its length and the Heat’s inability to attach draft assets to dump him elsewhere.
This leaves free agency as their best bet, with the veterans’ minimum on offer for three available roster spots. Thankfully, there are plenty of targets the Heat can zero in on now that they know LeBron won’t be joining.
Bruce Brown
Bruce Brown is a proven championship player who averaged 7.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 47.5% from the field and 38.5% from three last season with the Denver Nuggets.
He might be the perfect free agent for the Heat, with his three-and-D ability and ball-handling chops making him a very useful rotational piece for the Heat going forward.
Brown is a high-effort POA defender who can stretch the floor, a skill set that can help any championship team, not just the Heat.
While he can’t be a conventional point guard, the Heat could use him as one of the sole alternate ball-handlers to complement Giannis and Bam, especially when Giannis is filling the role of primary playmaker.
Giannis has had a 34.3% usage rate over the last three seasons, so the Heat need to target off-ball specialists like Brown to make their roster more versatile while using other roster spots to sign guards as backup options.
Brandon Williams
The Heat’s only real roster need comes at point guard, with their frontcourt having enough players in the immediate rotation. If the Heat are looking for an impact signing, it has to be a scoring point guard to alternate with the defensive-minded Davion Mitchell.
Brandon Williams is perfect for this role. Williams averaged 13.0 points and 3.9 assists on 47.2% from the field and 23.2% from three last season with the Dallas Mavericks.
While he couldn’t prove himself as a future franchise guard for Dallas after emerging out of their developmental system, he could play a valuable rotational role for the Heat.
Williams is a below-average three-point scorer, but he’s a capable downhill attacker with a solid passing touch. Contrary to popular belief, the Heat have enough of a three-point scoring set-up, which doesn’t require them to sign somebody as a specialist with little else to provide.
Williams is a versatile guard and an active defender, which makes him the perfect fit for Heat Culture. It’s a low-risk signing that won’t cost more than a minimum and would be a good way for the Heat to start filling out their guard core.
Russell Westbrook
The Heat could offer the $5.4 million bi-annual exception to former MVP Russell Westbrook to be the remedy to their issues at guard.
Westbrook averaged 15.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 6.7 assists on 42.7% from the field and 33.8% from three for the Sacramento Kings last season, but proved his worth as a rotational guard on the 24-25 Nuggets.
That’s a big personality to fit into a locker room with multiple other big personalities, but Westbrook’s on-ball creation would greatly help Miami have insurance for any absences from star players like Giannis. Even if it leads to bad moments, Westbrook’s tenacity can keep Miami afloat in tough circumstances.
The Heat could sign Brown, Williams, and Westbrook to essentially fill out their biggest weaknesses. That’s unlikely since the Heat might need to make another frontcourt signing like Nick Richards as insurance, but even two of these three targets could greatly boost Miami’s chances.
They need to prioritize adding Brown, and then choosing between Williams or Westbrook based on which one serves their needs the best. With what’s remaining on the market, this might be Miami’s best chance of boosting its odds in a competitive Eastern Conference.
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