The Miami Heat have major questions surrounding LeBron James and free agency this summer and the team may target names like Luol Deng, Chandler Parsons, Lance Stephenson, Kyle Lowry and Carmelo Anthony as free agents after the finals loss to the Spurs, as the team wants to keep LeBron and the Big 3 in Miami for another championship run.
Miami comes into the offseason after losing the championship and they made it to the finals four times, winning two of them and now they have to gear up for another run. This summer, names like Luol Deng, Chandler Parsons, Lance Stephenson, Kyle Lowry and Zach Randolph will be on the market and they could be in the mix for Miami. The team may have to convince players to take less money, but they have already done that once before and could do it again.
The Miami Heat have some major decisions to make, as the team lost in the finals after making four straight appearances and it was clear that the Spurs had a better bench than Miami. James is the best player in the league and Dwyane Wade was healthy for the first time in a while, but the combination of those two and Chris Bosh simply was not enough this time around. The Heat may have to retool a bit and with James likely opting out, they have to get creative as well.
ESPN.com reported that the Miami Heat are interested in signing Carmelo Anthony and while that could be very difficult, it's something James and Anthony have been interested in. James said that he would be "intrigued" at playing with Anthony, but him signing with Miami away from the Knicks would mean a ton of money is getting left on the table. A move like that would require the Big 3 of Bosh, Wade and James all to opt out and then re-sign for less money, while Anthony also will have to sign for less than he is worth.
SI.com put together a couple scenarios to see how a deal could realistically go down and each has Anthony leaving tens of millions of dollars behind. Anthony is getting chased by the Knicks, Rockets and Mavericks along with the Miami Heat and New York will be gunning at him hard to remain in NY and they can offer him the longest contract and the most money of anyone else in the league.
Pat Riley met with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris and told him that owner Micky Arison is ready to do what he did three years ago when he signed the players, meaning he is ready to do "whatever" he needs to get them back and winning championships. The past year the team looked to be trying to pinch some pennies, as they amnestied Mike Miller and also got rid of Joel Anthony and now the team needs an overhaul. The team needs free agent contributors alongside James and Wade and they have to make Miami as attractive as it was since teams like the Bulls and Rockets are also chasing James.
