Who the Heat should target in free agency

As reported by Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA free agency period will commence on Oct 18th at 6 PM (Eastern Time), with the moratorium period reportedly running from Oct 19-23.

Before going into lockdown, the Heat held the fourth best record in the Eastern Conference and were in good shape going into the playoffs, with a berth already secured.

Part of the strong season has been down to the development and explosion of Bam Adebayo. A first time All-Star and a leading candidate to win the NBA’s Most Improved Player award. For much of the season, Bam has been partnered in the front-court by 28 year-old big man Meyers Leonard. Meyers’ first season in Miami has been a good one - bringing reliable 3-point shooting and some added help on the glass.

However, to really challenge at the top end of the league, the Heat need another All-Star to go alongside Bam and Jimmy Butler.

Two free agents the Heat should be looking at this October, are Serge Ibaka and Danilo Gallinari. Both men will be unrestricted free agents when October comes around, and both will be hot property in the league. There were rumours of the Heat going after Gallinari towards the trade deadline back in February, but nothing materialised in the end as the Heat instead acquired Andre Iguodala, Jae Crowder, and Solomon Hill.

There was good reason for the Heat going after Gallo too. So far in the 2019-20 season, he has averaged just shy of 20 PPG on 40.9% shooting from beyond the arc. The long and short of it is; Gallo is an excellent scorer. This makes him an interesting option for the Heat, especially if one of their other main scorers has an off night. Gallinari is also fairly adept with the ball in his hands. He’s averaging just over 2 assists per game this year. Not a huge number, but it gives the Heat another nice option when the ball isn’t in the hands of Jimmy, Bam, or Kendrick Nunn. The Heat don’t have an awful lot of cap space going in to free agency however. It looks likely that Derrick Jones Jr. will be leaving the Heat as his performances this year have merited a big pay-rise, but Pat Riley and Coach Spo will almost certainly want to keep Goran Dragić around. This would mean Gallo - or whoever the free agent signing will be - probably won’t be earning a massive sum. Talks broke down in February as the Heat and Gallinari couldn’t agree on the numbers involved in the deal, and there is a chance that that may happen again. If that were to be the case, it would make sense for the Heat’s front office to turn its attention to Serge Ibaka.

Serge brings all the qualities that Gallinari does - a stretch four who can handle the ball, a very effective long range shooter, and a dependable outlet on offence. There are three areas of Ibaka’s game however, that Gallinari doesn’t come close to. Bam’s breakout season has seen some experts tip him for being in with a shout of being included in one of the All-Defensive Teams. Jimmy Butler’s defensive talents are well known around the league, and both breed into the grit & grind culture down in Miami. And this is where Ibaka surpasses Gallinari. Ibaka is versatile, he’s a pest in the post, and a lockdown interior defender. Not to mention he came 3rd in the voting for Defensive Player of the Year in 2013, and has been included in three All-Defensive First Teams. The second area where Ibaka surpasses Gallinari is in rebounding. The Congolese big man has pulled down 8.3 rebounds per game this season, compared to Gallinari’s 5.5 - over 2 of those 8.3 RPG have come on the offensive end too, another area where the Heat need more help. Ibaka’s third ‘pro’ is a big one. He’s an NBA Champion. He contributed with over 20 minutes per game in Toronto’s victorious play-off run this time last year and would bring Championship experience to a young team who, other than Udonis Haslem, have no Championship experience in the playing staff.

That being said, Ibaka will probably command quite a fee too. The challenge for Pat Riley and the Heat now, is how to facilitate enough cap space to bring in one of these top-tier players to help the Heat develop this young core, and ultimately, win; even if it’s only for one year or a quick fix. But that’s what Pat is renowned for. They don’t call him the Godfather for nothing.

Besides, it’ll only be a short stop-gap until Giannis is donning the Vice jerseys down on Biscayne Boulevard anyway.