The Golden State Warriors had a very surprising season last year as they upset the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs and one reason for their success was center Andrew Bogut and while the team may try to sign him to an extension before he is a free agent next year, if he hits the market one team that should call him right away are the Miami Heat.
After going to their third straight finals and winning their second straight championship, many have started to wonder when the Heat and the Big 3 will break up and with rumors speculating that LeBron James will leave for Los Angeles or New York or somewhere else, the best thing the Heat can do is to rebuild around him. One thing that should be high on the list is trying to sign Bogut in 2014 as a free agent to join James in Miami.
Whether that means getting rid of Chris Bosh or not is irrelevant, as he showed that he is the weakest member of the Big 3 and Bogut could easily replace him and that is something that the franchise should explore, as it would give James a legitimate center that can rebound and score at a young-ish age and it also will be a move that shows James why he should remain in Miami. If the team wins a third straight championship that might change things up a bit, but if they lose changes will be coming and Bogut could be the start to those changes.
The Australian star was a former number one overall pick and he has developed into one of the most consistent centers in the league with Roy Hibbert and Dwight Howard and while he has dealt with some injury issues in the past, if he proves that they are behind him this season he could be in for a nice pay day and a chance to win a championship. James would love having his career averages of 12.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game coming into the lineup and having Bogut will open things up for James as well as Wade, who is breaking down as each year goes by.
Bogut played in 32 games last season and 12 the season before with the Bucks, but before that he played in over 60 games every season apart from one and if he can stay away from those nagging injuries, he could be one of the most valuable free agents in the 2014 class. Bogut was integral for the Warriors in the postseason as they upset the Nuggets and played the Spurs, averaging 7.2 points and 10.9 rebounds per game in just under 30 minutes in 12 games in the playoffs. Having that experience may give Bogut that desire to move and compete for a championship and there is no place better to do that then with the best player in the universe.
The warriors just signed Andre Iguodala and with Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, David Lee and Harrison Barnes, there might not be enough room for Bogut on the roster after this season after he averaged 5.8 points, 7.7 boards, 2.1 assists and 1.7 blocks in 24.6 minutes per game. The recruitment obviously would start with LeBron and Pat Riley, but Bogut could be a championship addition in South Florida.
