Free-agent fits for the Heat
— -- NBA free agency is here. And all eyes are on Miami.
With $55 million in cap room, the Heat will have the most space at their disposal in NBA history. That's what happens when the roster has been nearly completely vacated. Three stars -- LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh -- have opted out of their contracts, along with Udonis Haslem and Chris Andersen. Technically, cap holds on those players will lock up the Heat's practical cap space until they renounce their Bird rights.
Amazingly enough, outside of Norris Cole, who is set to earn $2.04 million next season, the rest of the Heat's 2013-14 supporting cast were all on expiring deals. There is Justin Hamilton's 2014-15 contract worth $816,482, but it is nonguaranteed and isn't expected to be picked up. Everyone else? Off the books.
But worried Heat fans shouldn't fret just yet; all signs point to the stars aligning in Miami again. If you've kept up with the news lately, the Heat's stars don't seem to be all that stressed by the start of free agency. After sitting in on the meetings during his 2010 free agency, James has reportedly left the initial talks up to his agent, Rich Paul, who is stationed in Cleveland for the time being. Meanwhile, Bosh has taken his family on vacation.
With the expectation that the Heat's Big Three will return to 601 Biscayne Blvd., how much real cap space will the team have? Who are the best fits for the supporting cast? And how can Pat Riley successfully retool his roster to improve upon last season's creaky bench?
Let's go to work.
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