Genius Heat Are Set up Perfectly for 2021 Free Agent Run at Giannis Plus Another Max Player
By Jerry Trotta
After all of this time, Miami Heat president Pat Riley is still playing chess while the majority of the league is just starting to get the hang of checkers.
On Wednesday, the Heat struck a deal with the Memphis Grizzlies that landed Andre Iguodala in South Beach. It's a transaction that only bolstered Miami's championship aspirations for this season, but it may also provide significant benefits down the road.
Riley's extraordinarily impressive job at shredding salary has seen the Heat perfectly positioned to potentially sign two players to max contracts in 2021.
Beauty of Heat’s position is the flexibility they have for next summer: $28M - $40M cap room (based on Olynyk PO)… MIA can re-sign Jones at net cap cost of <$1M. Rest can be used to re-sign Dragic/Leonard, pursue free agents (e.g., Bertans, Gallinari), and/or in trade scenarios.
— Albert Nahmad (@AlbertNahmad) February 7, 2020
Between last offseason and this week's trade deadline, Riley has managed to dump the salaries of Justise Winslow, James Johnson, Dion Waiters, Hassan Whiteside, and Tyler Johnson. For those curious, Miami saved nearly $80 million in doing so.
Care to know what studs that will definitely hit free agency in 2021? Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, Bradley Beal, Rudy Gobert, DeMar DeRozan, Victor Oladipo, and CJ McCollum, among others, will all be unrestricted free agents.
Meanwhile, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George all have player options.
The Heat currently project to have up to $50M+ cap room for the summer of 2021. A 30% max salary slot is $37.5M. Miami can be thinking about a max (e.g., Giannis) PLUS.
— Albert Nahmad (@AlbertNahmad) February 7, 2020
On top of it all, the Heat also have the luxury of being able to retain one or two of Derrick Jones Jr., Meyers Leonard and Goran Dragic.
Of course, nothing is guaranteed and Riley's masterplan could always blow up in his face. But, he's given his organization a world of options while they are already enjoying life near the top of Eastern Conference standings, which is exactly what makes him one of the NBA's most revered executives.