3 players the Heat should target to pair alongside Giannis and Bam

Free agency is well underway, and several prized players have come off the board. So far, the Miami Heat have only signed one player, Tim Hardaway Jr., which means they still need to add at least 2, but up to 3, more players onto their roster before the season begins.

The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade is not yet official until July 6th, so the trade could be expanded upon and change the projected roster. That will be a problem for another day, and we are going to assume that no other trades are made.

The Heat must find guys that fit the roster and provide useful skills. It is important to remember that many of the players available will provide a specific role and have flaws to their game. The Heat just needs people to do specific tasks.

Quick note about LeBron James

We will get this out of the way early and quickly. There are a lot of suiters, but if the Heat can sign LeBron James, they should. He is obviously the best player available and could be a massive difference maker. I am basically excluding him from this exercise, but he is obviously the first choice.

Khris Middleton

I absolutely love Khris Middleton. Many know that he is the former co-star of Antetokounmpo during their championship run. Middleton is an old player and coming off of injuries so there is some concern, but like I mentioned, there are concerns with every player available right now.

Last season Middleton played 63 games split between the Mavericks and Wizards. That is a decent number of games played, but it is his most since the 2021-2022 season. He shot 42% from the field and 36% from three. Not amazing numbers but serviceable for a veteran minimum contract.

My favorite thing about bringing in Middleton would be his relationship and chemistry with Antetokounmpo. They played beautifully off of each other and seem to have a great relationship. This would give Antetokounmpo a familiar face and one he can rely on.

Gary Trent Jr.

Before you ask, no I am not purposely picking old Antetokounmpo teammates. Gary Tent Jr. is just the best available guard option for this team. He did have a down shooting year shooting 36% from three and 38% from the field, but the number that jumps out is his career 3 point percentage. That currently sits at 38.7%, so I will take the risk that he manages to get back up to that number.

This Heat team desperately needs shooting and brining in someone like Trent Jr. could help solve that. Now he is not really going to give you much else other than shooting, but for this specific team I love the idea of picking him up.

Nick Richards

Next, we land at a center that can help plug the gaps when Bam Adebayo and Antetokounmpo sit. That player is Nick Richards. Richards is 6-11 and 245 pounds, so he would be adding a large body to the front court.

The Heat needs depth and rebounding Richards would bring both. Richards spent last season on the Bulls and Suns. He averaged 5.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in just 14.6 minutes. These numbers are not eye popping but when just looking at his stent with the Bulls his value does show a little more.

With the Bulls he played 22.4 minutes per game and averaged 9.4 points and 7.6 rebounds. This shows he can play a role when given the opportunity.

In conclusion

The Heat need shooting and front court depth. The signing of Richards and Trent Jr. would check both of those boxes. Middleton would add more dynamic scoring potential, but most importantly he would be a voice of familiarity for Antetokounmpo.

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