Miami Heat: What NBA free agents are interesting? | Five on the Floor

Miami Heat: What NBA free agents are interesting? | Five on the Floor

welcome latest episode of five on the floor in the five reason Sports Network thanks for joining us on your favorite podcast app on Apple Apple podcast on Android Spotify or the Five Reasons YouTube channel check out off the floor this is especially the time that you want to sign up give it a shot $2.99 cents per month get the latest information from us first also communicate with Heat fans all day long again we’ve got tons of channels there you get access to all of them for just the one fee so check it out description has the link both on the podcast feed and on the YouTube channel also check out the great sponsors of the five re Sports Network you know who’s a member of off the floor our friend Lynette reach out to her at 95458 8800 that’s 95458 8800 insurance by lan.com life insurance car insurance renters insurance she can handle all of it for you based in Lauder Hill Florida Services the entire area and of course it’s probably the biggest Heat fan we know so check it out 954 581 8800 insurance by.com two n’s and two T’s and now today’s episode five on the floor ride for my dogs where here the thing you can check the score Hustle Hard couple scars wear bubble frogs just like Buck said you in trouble yo check the Flor plan got it all B y’all seen the block stop with one hand and P trust it’s F have the guts we here to bring the heat y’all can hang it up up welcome to five on the floor a daily Insider show on the Miami Heat and the NBA featuring Ethan scholet Greg sander and Alex too plus others from the five reasons Sports Network all right welcome back to five on the floor here’s today’s floor plan first thing make sure you check out the last couple episodes not just the draft coverage but also I did an episode with eternal about where the heat stood after the draft and then we three of us here and you’ll hear who’s going to be on this episode in a second uh did an episode going up through the Heats own free agents Kevin Love Heywood heith Caleb Martin dlan Wright Thomas Bryan and the rest now we’re going to project forward I got Greg saner you got Greg slander on Twitter Alex Alo you got tropical blanket on Twitter and we’re gonna get into what the Heat have to offer what they might be able to do and why we think it might be quiet at the very beginning of this of course as we’re recording this it’s 2 o’clock on Sunday uh again we just recorded the other one about 30 minutes ago so we wanted to give you as much content as we Poss could and split it up and then we’ll have another episode tonight after free agency ends so make sure that you check that out also playback while fre agency is starting essentially around 5:45 download the playback app and you can catch up with the entire five reason crew there all right Greg let’s start here what do the Heat have to offer as free agency begins essentially this is where it gets tough they have their taxpayer mid-level exception which is about 5 5.2 million somewhere around there and then they have veteran minimum contracts and that is vert by virtue of the fact that they have already built out their roster and their salaries are um in excess of 175 million combined and so at that point you’re essentially looking at just veteran minimum additions and then that exception um but they also need to avoid the second apron which is a going to be a really big point of contention When shopping in free agency this year so it’s a situation where they have exception money will they spend it that’s the the big question um and then obviously there’s a part of this which we addressed on the prior episode about retaining your own free agents and I think the primary guy that will Zero in on there is uh Haywood heith we talked a little bit about Haywood in the previous episode but I again Greg before we move on and I’ll let Alex jump in on some of this uh what the heat can do in free agency is somewhat determined by what they decide to do with heith is that correct yeah um it essentially because they need to avoid the second apron they’re in a situation where they may not be able to use bird rights to sign Haywood heith and also spend that exception on on another additional player from another team so they may need to be an either or not a and kind of scenario for those two things so that that’s kind of the issue if if Haywood heith were to get um an exorbitant offer from someone else then maybe you do spend your exception money because that that would be the route to go and you do have room under the second apron to do so but if you want to keep Haywood High Smith it’s likely going to be that the surrounding players after him are going to be veteran minimum players like Kevin Love like some of the names we’re going to mention on today’s episode all right so Alex real quick here before we kind of move on to these free agents that the heat could look at do you see any scenario which just not worth resigning Heywood because you want to keep as much flexibility for what may be out there well to me it’s just about the second apron or at least that’s what it seems like it’s about for the heat so if um I believe they’re they’re about $13 million or so under the second apron um as it stands again shout out to our Guy Brian gos from Heat beat who’s been documenting all this stuff and keeping us informed there so check his stuff out but um according to you know the stuff that he was looking at it was about 13 mil under the second apron and calculated that if the heat bring back Klo on the deal that is expected which would be I think it was a 3.3 mil and then Pro probably a player option on the second year is is I think what people are expecting if that’s the case then it’s around 9 mil um below the second apron so I think you know that’s to be you know you got to think about that when you’re signing Haywood heith if he fits under that and you and you also so have space to sign a couple more guys at the vet minimum it also depends on how many guys they already have under contract right because I feel like it’s already getting close to 15 um with you know the couple of guys they just got in the draft so um I I think Haywood is worth bringing back but at a certain amount right like on the last episode Le had said you know they they’ll probably have um you know a certain amount for Delon and I think it’ll be a similar thing for Haywood here right I think just you can’t whatever that amount is for them that they that they calculate it’s like you can’t go over this because we also need to be able to sign other guys and you know you just do not want to go over the second apron I get it I just think like you know a scenario where you lose Caleb and Haywood kind of sucks if I’m if I’m being real like you could maybe get a couple of guys like I’m looking at this list you know some of the names that stand out I’m not going to get into right now but you know could be good value ads but that’s assuming they take the minimum because that’s what you have right if if you don’t sign Haywood using the you know the bird rights or whatever it is like you you can use the tax paramid level on somebody else that’s like where the the you know the the alternate decision there right like if that’s your that’s your backup plan but I think Haywood is somebody where you know if if you’ve already lost Caleb I feel like losing him as well it’s just it’s a lot because it’s pretty much most of the guys that were doing point point of attack defense for you and who were guarding wings for you and I think like you got something there in house with Josh because I think Josh can help with that um but frankly I think Haywood was just doing it at a higher level than both him and Caleb and I think D was showing some of that as well so maybe I think that’s why we expect to see him back because I think he can be had for the minimum but yeah like there’s a certain line I will go to with Haywood despite like somebody like me who wanted to see both of those guys back and Caleb an Heywood well I I I think we have to be honest with El about minimums and and we’re going to talk about the front end of free agency here first and of course trades play into this and I feel like Heat fans for good reason are more interested in the trade Prospect here Greg but I mean you have to be honest in what you’re going to get for a minimum I mean you get a Josh Richardson you get a Thomas Bryant last year like okay you got you know some contribution from Josh before he got hurt it was a little choppy at first till he found his way particularly defensively which was a bit of a surprise and Thomas Bryant okay he was a part-time player that they really didn’t want to play very much um you know had a few moments but again that’s what you get from minimums um you know now Philadelphia got a lot more from Kelly UB who’s a player who the heat considered uh last year or may have come if Dame had come so you can find some um and dlan Wright you know on a minimum I think would be you know a really really good deal um you know so I think I think that we have to take a look at uh you know again what what is realistic here but before before we get to the trade market we’ll get to that on the second half of this episode and I hope we have something to discuss about that in the com coming days uh let’s look at the free agent Market in the NBA here just so people kind of understand what it is um and I’ll I’ll give you some of course there have been some players who have already kind of been locked in OJ anobi with New York uh 212 million Pascal cakam with Indiana $189 million Emanuel quickley 175 million Nick Claxton 100 million Patrick Williams a player who really hasn’t even really found his role so far in Chicago that he’s shown progress and he’s young 90 million Malik young iik Malik young Malik monk 78 million Royce O’Neal 44 million and then uh that’s basically who’s resigned and here’s so here’s the free agent list now uh LeBron James is Top This is based on previous average salary okay LeBron is first I don’t think he’s leaving his son uh Paul George second somebody will discuss Klay Thompson uh right there has been discussed his possible sign and trade candidate Orlando has been talked about some other teams Tobias Harris Tobias Harris over me James Harden Gordon Hayward who was kind of a bust with uh with OKC last year Kyle Lowry I don’t think they’re bringing him back Demar d rozan uh they were working on an extension it didn’t didn’t come to pass buddy heeld Evan fornier who hardly played the last couple years Gary Trent Jr has a useful skill set uh Marquel folz kabius Caldwell Pope I they’re he’s looking for big money 25 million a year valent chunis Malik Beasley tus Jones Luke Canard it’s that starts to drop off here Doug McDermot Gary Harris Robert Covington ran Holmes Nick now we’re shopping now we’re shopping I mean so looking at this list I mean the the premium guys know basically I mean they’re not GNA go sign cavius cwell Pope for $25 million a year or more um d rozan i we’ve discussed him a million times but no uh so I mean you really are talking about trying to find some Bargains here Greg right like this is down the line and that that’s that’s why I think you’re saying we’re not going to see much at first right that the market has to kind of weed itself out yeah unless there’s a situation like where coach SPO gets on the phone with a player like he did with Josh Richardson and that was an early agreement where a guy took a chance on a situation you have to think that there could be other guys that would maybe look at Miami as an attractive destination that way particularly if Haywood heith and Caleb Martin were out you could maybe convince a wing who typically would be getting a little bit more money like um to come and and have a a one-year Pro It season I mean a couple of the guys out there people are not going to be so excited about these names but you know could you convince Robert Covington to do that for one year could you look at torian Prince a player like um sadique Bay I was gonna mention I was gonna mention Sadi Bay like that like to me I the tan Prince thing does not excite me in any way but like sadique Bay is someone they’ve looked at before I just don’t know that he’s a minimum guy like you said you’d have to convince him um I mean there’s some old friends here like a Jay Crowder yeah um marke Morris I don’t think there’s gonna be a reprisal of that Justin holiday Cody Z there’s not gonna be a reprisal of that Marcus Morris has been rumored to the heat many times um UB is a free again you ain’t getting him for the minimum uh this time around Josh aogi it’s another name that’s been mentioned I mean it’s Dennis Smith Jr is a player who’s been linked to the heat had interest in coming last year probably would have come if Dame had come like that would be interesting could you get Lonnie Walker for the minimum I doubt it right but I Aaron holiday um again these are not franchise Changers but it’s just like can you find somebody who can be a back end of the rotation player uh Xavier Tillman didn’t really seem to work out in Boston right I mean even Spencer dwy uh you know coming off of you know really a non-descript uh performance after his trade to La like these are some of the names we’re talking about and I don’t want to say it’s bargain basem I mean these are guys who could help like sad Bay could help he has skill sets that could help they’ve looked at him before I know that um I I just I I I again this is about tempering expectations here like Heywood heith may be the best fit uh for the money for you know what they have to spend right now I just think that’s the reality of it um we’ll get to the rest of this list here in a second but I think we want to Pivot on the other side of this to why uh the trade market is really where this is probably at for the heat um before we do I want to mention a great sponsor of the five re Sports Network it’s kind of like trading stocks actually they got a market um you can find the line that you want go to better edge.com use the code 5 RSN don’t pay The Vig we know that there’s another sports book it’s legal in the state of Florida they’ve paid all you I don’t want to say it but they they f figur out a way to get a monopoly on a lot of this stuff um but what they also have a monopoly on in terms of compared to better Edge is they charge you a vig which means that you’re basically paying three or four% more than you should to make a bet so don’t do that go to better edge.com use the code 5 RSN against the code 5 RSN you get $20 to play right away and also join all of our contests again it’s better edge.com the code is five RSN um as you look at that list Alex if they want to get better significantly they need to make a trade right you’re on mute okay sorry about that uh it’s been the case for a long time now you’re 100% right that they’re a trade team um you know it’s just kind of it is what it is it’s that type of situation you know as Leif mentioned before they built up their team like they have their big contracts they have you know different guys on rookie scale deals now but they’ve got multiple guys like with double digit deals and some of them obviously bigger than others like Jimmy and Bam all that what I’m trying to say is they don’t have much to improve uh the roster like they’ve got the veteran minimums they’ve got this taxpayer mid level and I think you know that’s kind of the whole point of this episode right like we’re trying to give perspective as to the the types of options that may or may not be out there and I think that’s just kind of where they’re at like if they don’t make a bigger trade like the one that everybody wants for another star player then you know this is the kind of stuff that we have to talk about and honestly I don’t even hate it like I like getting into the weeds with this stuff and looking into like hey maybe we can get Nick Batum to take a vet minimum and play like guess what I think Batum could help especially if you’re losing one or two of those wings like I wouldn’t mind like I think those type of guys help as well and they’re not going to change the course of this team or this build but like that’s it’s always going to be a part of it so like I think like I said a Batum or maybe even a Covington if you can get one of those guys to take a minimum I think could maybe be worth it um you know Leif had mentioned Joshua kogi on Discord which of course you guys should check out in the link I mean excuse me the link is in the description of every podcast episode but like that’s another guy right who would kind of fit right in as far as like the type of wing you’re losing somebody who is a questionable shooter but who is physical who plays kind of above his size can defend like okoi really feels like a pretty seamless replacement if they lose both of those guys or or even just one so I think like those are like realistic names who and that guy’s still pretty young by the way like not extremely young but you’re not getting somebody who is like 36 years old or something in in Josh aogi so that one kind of sparked my interest a bit Marcus Morris like would would any of us be surprised if Marcus Morris finally signed with the like I think he could take the vet minimum I I think that one’s a little more realistic you know I I mentioned javante green last summer he’s a free agent you know he he’s had some productive years for the Bulls and you know you mentioned the guards right you mentioned Lonnie and Dennis Smith Jr there I think Pat Bev is a free agent as well I don’t know how much space there is in the guard room so I’m not quite as interested there as I am in the wings because it seems like there’s going to be more space there and you mentioned sadique Bay I don’t know if he’ll be uh available at the at the vet minimum other than that the only two names that that I that kind of popped out to me were like if something happens with Kevin Love and he’s not returning and it’s like a plot twist right I think the guys who you could kind of look to replace him would be maybe like a Micha wcala I know there’s like a weird history there with his dad or something and Jimmy so before everybody throws that at me but just basketball wise I think wcala kind of fits that skill set and so does a Dario Sarge who just a little small for a five but too slow for a four but yeah they’ve looked at who they’ve looked at before yeah yeah no no that that that’s fair let me let me ask this one too uh a lot of times they prefer and they told me this last year when we were looking at a lot of these names right they would prefer to use one of their own developmental guys then necessarily progress stop with a vet who has limited upside and isn’t like hasn’t been raised in the quote unquote culture like when we were talking about the whole list I kept they kept I kept hearing that we keep looking at the list it’s the same damn list it’s you know there’s nothing else that’s going to pop up there and so I’ll just ask this with the guys that they have in house now now they’ve added two draft picks some interesting undrafted free agents um Kad being one of them but there’s others on the list that are kind of interesting that may be in Camp or summer league alandis Williams and Cole swier and we by the way if you’ve been watching us listening to us we’ve basically telegraphed this that those were the two guys that they seem to have the most interest in developing that the Kane thing appears to have run its course um he’s not going to be playing in summer league we don’t know what’s gonna happen with Orlando Robinson but that may have run its course also so it feels more like Greg it feels like alandis Williams and Cole swier um I mean would you bring in a guy to progress stop in a lot I mean does Lis Williams have enough upside from what we saw I mean he kind of exploded in the summer league I not summer league but in the G League last year they did put him on the they did give him the two-way they they clearly have some commitment to him and to Sider so I mean does that influence at all what you do here I think they still excuse me I think they still look at some veterans I mean Thomas Bryant found his way onto the roster last offseason and there’s guys that you know like were in the pipeline that you would expect Orlando Robinson maybe to take those minutes and they you know doubled up with another big man I think that they’re still going to have to look at veterans to fill out the roster it’s the right type of veterans that they think will fit the system also understand their role not come in for more than what they bargain for so I think that there is probably some functionality to looking outside for at least one maybe two players but then to your point it’s it’s really going back to The Well of your developmental guys and and reinforcing that and empowering them to get better to take on more and that’s just kind of the situation that you’re in because you’re the top of your roster is set until you make a trade I mean we talked about that being the next part of this and you got to have a willing partner and you also want to be in a situation where you feel like you’re getting value for what you’re trading out and so those are just a lot of things that have to go right and that’s why we keep veering back to this kind of vet minimum conversation in terms of additions all right so Alice let’s close it out here as we look at the the sort of The Limited options that they have in free agency and The Limited Vehicles they have to use on said options and in the context of the Jimmy Butler Cloud which we discussed a lot on the last couple of episodes are you more inclined and what they added in the draft are you more inclined to say if you can get a star get the damn star because otherwise there’s just no way to compete in any serious way with what you have yeah you know I hate to make it that simple but yeah like I mean I guess like the only thing I could pick out from what you said was like yeah they’ll compete you know they’ll compete they’ll be they’ll be competitive they just won’t be dominant they won’t be a clear-cut contender they’ll be called you know a dangerous lumer or whatever it was that they called them this year that I can’t quite remember right now like you’re gonna get you’re gonna keep getting thrown into those I mean into the like the categories with those other teams because guess what you’ve been a playing Team you know the last couple of years and you lost the first playing game too it’s not like you’re just getting out of there real quick and easy like you’ve almost eliminated from the playoffs before they started for two straight years you know despite again an amazing like a pretty damn great just era in general with with the Jimmy stuff like it’s completely blown expectations out of the water right but that’s the team that you are now so yeah I think like it is all about that and I I you know you can have conversations about which one of these stars that are out there would be worth it which ones wouldn’t be like you know I I’ve kind of sold myself on a guy like Trey young I think I could sell myself on a guy like Brandon Ingram like I I think you know if you can get into those conversations for a reasonable price where you’re not you know doing the you know what the Knicks did for Mel Bridges right if it’s closer to like what the Pelicans did for dejonte Murray I think that type of move is worth it for the heat I don’t think you you trade four unprotected first plus another protected first plus another pick swap or whatever that package was for for you know a decent player like I think if it’s a reasonable price you know a picker two for a star like that you know um and if you could keep your younger players like Eternal mentioned on yesterday’s pod like I think that is a worthwhile outcome now who knows if that’s available right like these teams might be asking for more than that and I think that’s always like what what’s to monitor with the heat is like they want it at their price and um but you know some of these guys are out there so you know if the heat can get in on these conversations I think it’s worth looking into for sure but as right now isn’t everything just kind of on hold for Donovan I mean that’s well that’s the thing I and and look that that’s a good place to take this as we close Greg because you know the the thing last year was you know Heat fans who all wanted them to wait on Dame and then were upset that they waited on Dame and didn’t make a move for like a porzingis or some other kind of move that would have upgraded the roster I feel like we’re right back where we were right you’re waiting on the star who could be franchise changing um you’ve got a a party on the other side that is more trustworthy this time that you can actually can work with Cleveland I believe on a trade if if if that was Donovan’s preference and you could give something of value or create a multi-team trade that gives them something value so that’s a little better but ultimately you know nothing’s resolved with Donovan yet and that just it so it it just feels like you’re in this holding pattern and then going to be it’s going to be this like daily drip of players that sign elsewhere and you’re going to have the same three people on Twitter please join the Discord everybody because it’s a little more sane but you’re gonna have the same three people on Twitter who are lamenting the loss of a guy who shot whatever 39% last year and average seven points a game and has played in four playoff games simply because the heat didn’t get him because the heat of course have 100 roster spots um that’s where this is sort of headed uh and then ultimately you don’t get Don and then it’s like okay now we’re scraping for minimums and and talking about internal development like I I just I I I feel like we’re in a weird timeline here and it’s a repeat timeline wasn’t there a report today though that that uh my bad Le wasn’t there a report today that like uh there was supposed to be like there’s expectation that he might sign today well he might sign by the time we post this episode but that’s what I’m saying yeah I mean one of those aggregator accounts put that out but we don’t know if that’s true it’s prudent to wait for Donovan Mitchell right now for the Heat and see if that’s possible but they probably have more Intel on that than we do and I would expect them to have more than one plan or else fans should be a little upset that there isn’t a pivot you know to to this because we’re talking about you know whatever year it is of this build I think it’s time to shake it up I think that’s how the fan base feels I feel like even probably the own locker room to some degree feels that way that a shake up should be necessary so uh yeah wait for Donovan but you should have other plans so that you can kind of get a little some new blood that that that’s what I think that they this this roster needs and that may include trading a Tyler hero or a Duncan Robinson to get that done well and New Blood uh again it’s it’s got to be in certain degree the right blood and I I’m looking at this report uh from Bobby Marx today that there’s no market for Zack LaVine they’re trying to give them away and attach a first round pick I’ve been told that by multiple multiple people there there are some players that I’ve been out on that I could be talked back into uh if it if it helps your asset uh you know if it helps your asset pull and potentially adds a useful player although God I hate that contract so it’s just it’s you know again there everything has a poison pill right now that’s the thing it’s either you’re gonna give up crazy amount of draft picks I mean with Mel Bridges who’s a good player but not an Allstar Allstar but he’s not a superstar is going for that that um I you know I don’t the Market’s effed basically and I and I I I know people are going to say we’re making excuses for the front office they should have more picks I I look I I can we can we can break down every particular move that put them in a particular position uh but like I said if you’re G to take a player with a bad contract when your salary structure is already kind of messed up right now and you you better you know you better get something back that allows to do something else uh that’s that’s the way that I look at it and I I think that’s the way that they would likely look at it too all right we want to get out of here because I want to give everybody a chance to listen to this episode before free agency starts playback download the app playback. tvrn or just go to the playback app look for the five reasons room we’ll be on there at six o’clock we’ll have a rotating crew of people we’ll have a post uh we’ll have a wrap-up podcast I’ll also be on wsvn uh Channel 7 in Miami tonight to wrap everything up um and obviously anything that happens in the next few days will be all over it on the Discord subscribe to off the floor everybody I know you like our free content we appreciate all of you anybody who listens but that helps keep us in business and we give you a lot more there so check it out uh find the link right here in the description have a good one everybody thank you for listening to the five on the floor on the fireing sports network after all someone needs to listen to my dad

The Miami Heat are not exactly flush with cash (under the second apron) as free agency starts, but are there are some players who might fall to the minimum? And does the free agent list suggest the need for a trade instead? Ethan, Alex and Greg continue to get you ready for transaction season.

Sponsors: InsuranceByLinnette.com and BettorEdge.com (5RSN)

Join us on our Off The Floor Discord server! Get exclusive insider information, along with updates/stats/insights from the 5OTF crew and hang out with other Heat fans! https://t.co/izwgN0SEt6 (Scroll down after clicking).

Also, come hang out and watch games with us live on Playback.tv/5RSN or on their app, we also do off-day live shows there.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for Miami Sports on Demand! Content about the Miami Heat, Miami Dolphins, Miami Hurricanes, Miami Marlins, Florida Panthers, NBA, NFL, MLB, MLS, college football & more!

Sign up using the code FIVE to double initial deposit at PrizePicks.com

If you want more exclusive Miami Heat content, join our Off The Floor feed here: https://discord.com/servers/off-the-floor-miami-heat-and-nba-1168987954958585939

If you want more exclusive Miami Dolphins content, join OnlyFins on Discord: https://discord.gg/onlyfins

If you’re interested in sponsoring Five Reasons, contact us at fivereasonssports@gmail.com