The Miami Heat lost LeBron James in free agency this offseason, but they added Luol Deng and while Eric Bledsoe or a Greg Monroe trade deal would be amazing, now they have a chance to fill out the roster with some realistic depth options like Shawn Marion, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Chris Singleton, Greg Oden, Jordan Crawford or Ray Allen as the summer wears on.
The team is stronger and deeper than last season and while they are not as top heavy after losing James, the Heat should still be right in the mix in the east. According to ESPN.com, the team is interested in signing Marion as well as Douglas-Roberts, but the Indiana Pacers are also going after Marion hard along with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Miami Heat have added a number of free agents this summer, including their own in Chris Andresen and Udonis Haslem and players like Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger will really help strengthen the bench.
Last season the team lost in the finals to the Spurs and one reason was due to the fact that their bench was not strong enough and that is one reason why the team looked at free agents this offseason to help that. McRoberts is a versatile player and Granger comes in looking to restart his career after dealing with injuries over the past couple years and he could be a very smart signing, a low risk high reward type move for the Heat.
Marion would be a nice fit on the Heat and he said that he is looking to play for a contender and now it looks like he is deciding between the Pacers and the Cavaliers. Marion is getting up there in age and the Pacers are looking at him as an option to help replace Paul George, while the Cavaliers see him as another solid veteran piece of a championship puzzle. The Cavaliers have the Kevin Love trade coming down the line and that will be big and the team has also added James Jones and Mike Miller
The team also has Michael Beasley as a free agent from last season and the Miami Herald reports that he is getting interest from the Lakers as well. Miami has Greg Oden and Michael Beasley as free agents from last season and right now they are looking like they won't return. Beasley was worked out by the Lakers and he could be a solid reserve option for the team, while Douglas-Roberts would give Miami some versatility.
Adding Deng was a huge move and that gives Miami another Big 3 and they now have the chance to be a major factor in the east. Last season Deng was traded to the Cavs from the Bulls and now he is in Miami on a two-year, $20 million contract and he is one player that can really help replace LeBron James. No one can do what LeBron does, but Deng is strong on both ends of the floor and he can make up for some of that production.
The east will be very tough this season, but the Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls all should be in the mix at the end. The Pacers need to find a way to replace Paul George and if they can do that, they should be there as well.