The Miami Heat have a new Big 3 after signing Luol Deng and now the team may look at other free agents to fill out the roster, as Shawn Marion, Ray Allen, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Chris Singleton, Jordan Crawford, Andray Blatche, Greg Oden and Toure Murry remain on the market and those could be potential targets for Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh as they play life on the court without LeBron in South Beach.
Miami came into the offseason looking to add more depth to their bench after losing in the finals to the Spurs and they did that with names like Danny Granger and Josh McRoberts along with Shawne Williams and Shabazz Napier. According to ESPN.com, the team is also considering bringing back Michael Beasley and Greg Oden as bench options and the team also has Chris Douglas-Roberts and Shawn Marion as potential targets. Ray Allen is still deciding about his retirement and he could be an option for the Cavs and Miami.
The Heat have a solid bench put together for this season after adding Williams and they could look at adding more, as Marion or Crawford could be valuable additions. Douglas-Roberts has size and is a strong outside shooter and last season he shot over 40 percent and also averaged seven points per game for the Hornets. Singleton is another target along with Blatche, who could provide some size and depth at the center position for the team.
The Heat did a good job of retaining their key players while also adding Deng, as they signed back Mario Chalmers along with Wade, Bosh, Chris Andersen and Udonis Haslem. Miami comes into the season after losing LeBron James to the Cleveland Cavaliers and while that is a big loss for the team, they feel they can still be a major factor in the east. Adding Deng helps that a great deal and gives Miami a player that can rebound and score and he also can make up for some of the lost production with James going to the Cavs.
Ray Allen said that he could retire and be fine with it, but that he is in no rush to decide and that he would be content if he decided to retire. Last season Allen averaged nearly 10 points and shot over 37 percent from three point range and he is being chased by the Cavaliers and LeBron James. According to ESPN.com, the Heat signed Williams to a deal and he will be another reserve option for the team and comes in after averaging 5.6 points and 4.6 rebounds for the Lakers in 36 games.
The Heat now have the Indiana Pacers are potentially one less team to worry about a bit, as Paul George will be out for the season after his rough injury on Friday. The Pacers will still be in the mix obviously, but losing George changes the expectations and trajectory of that team and this could be devastating for the franchise. The team lost last season to the Heat in the conference finals and they also lost to the team the year before. The Heat still feel they are a favorite in the east this season.