The Miami Heat are working hard in free agency this offseason and while Eric Bledsoe would have been a dream option, the team is looking at Jordan Crawford, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Toure Murry, Shawn Marion and Omri Casspi as free agent options and right now they are not sure about bringing back Michael Beasley, Greg Oden or Toney Douglas to join Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Luol Deng in South beach.
The Heat have been active since LeBron James left and while they have a void without the King, adding Deng was massive and that should help with the loss. According to the Miami Herald, the team is looking at a number of options on the market, including Chris Douglas-Roberts, Toure Murry and Jordan Crawford. The report also says that the team is not sure about bringing back Michael Beasley or Greg Oden, as those two players did not do much last year and with three roster spots left to fill, the team may look elsewhere.
Douglas-Roberts could be a very nice signing after the way he played last season, as he could be a great option off the bench. The same goes for Crawford, as he showed last season with Boston and Golden State that he can be an offensive option when needed. The Heat have a deep team already and while they may not be the favorites in the east now with James gone, they should still be very good with the names they have signed, including Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, Murry and Marion also could be potential options for the Miami Heat, as they are on the free agent market and don't have much interest right now. Murry was with the Knicks and he came up as an option for some teams, while Marion is not the player he once was but could still be a nice option as a reserve. Crawford and Greg Stiemsma are options for Pat Riley and this year the team will not be stingy about the bench, as that was one of the biggest reasons they lost to the Spurs last season.
Oden played in just 23 games last season, averaging 2.9 points and 2.3 rebounds and that is why he could be left in the cold, while Beasley was in 55 games and averaged 7.9 points. Douglas-Roberts could be a solid option, as he averaged 6.9 points and 2.4 rebounds for the Hornets and while that doesn't jump off the stat sheet that is the type of player the Heat needs. Last season he shot 44 percent from the floor and nearly 39 percent from three and that could be valuable to the team after Ray Allen retires/leaves for the Cavs.
The Heat are down in the expectations a little bit after losing James, but the team should be right in the mix for the division and in the conference after adding Deng. The team has as good of a big 3 as anyone in the east right now and while the Cavs and Bulls are favorites with the Pacers, Miami has the chance to also make some noise. Wade should be back in his usual spot after playing off the ball so much and that could lead to a bit of a renaissance for him.