The Miami Heat have more pending free agents than their Big 3. The entire roster has the potential of being dismantled in the offseason despite LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh getting all the attention. Ray Allen is in the final weeks of his contract. Shane Battier is preparing to retire after the NBA Finals. Mario Chalmers is also approaching free agency and could be in for a nice pay day elsewhere.
The Heat will have to set their priorities come this offseason. Obviously contracts for James, Wade and Bosh will take the spotlight first. All three have the opportunity to head elsewhere if they so choose. Heading elsewhere means taking money over winning. Bosh, Wade and James took pay cuts in order to team up and win two championships with a third possibly coming. Will they be willing to do the same again? Plenty of other teams would like to sign any of those players to max contracts, but staying together means winning. It also means taking up a majority of the Heat's cap space.
Chalmers has to decide between team loyalty and a pay raise. According to Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders, Chalmers has the opportunity to get a major pay day this summer if he heads elsewhere. The point guard money is heating up and he stands a chance of banking on a top-dollar, multi-year deal. Lang suggests maximizing on his value right now and collecting the earnings while he can. If he stays with the Heat, he risks leaving money on the table.
Lang believes the Heat are favoring Norris Cole as the true future of the franchise going forward which means Chalmers will not get offered a contract like he could get elsewhere. Right now, plenty of teams are looking for that star point guard to help out. The Los Angeles Lakers could be very interested in his services. The Chicago Bulls could be looking for relief for Derrick Rose. Chalmers would be a solid fit.
The Heat have to re-sign James, Wade and Bosh while looking to offer Allen a new deal as well. The veteran has said he has no plans on retiring and sees himself playing at least two more years in the league. Miami would ideally like to keep the best 3-point shooter in the league on their roster. All of this points to Chalmers getting the short end of the stick when it comes to money offerings.
