The Miami Heat has always been a great basketball team and organization. The proof lies in what the team did, winning titles in the years 2006, 2012, and 2013. The duo of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade was one of the best in the NBA at the time. However, the team eventually lost both stars and now is seeking to pursue other free agents to compete for a championship. People should respect the Heat, who are a few pieces away from being a contender in the East.

The Miami Heat are a great team/organization

The Heat have been a great organization in the NBA.

It was remarkable to watch the team win the Championship in 2012 and 13. It was argued that they would be dominant for many years up to the point of LeBron leaving the team and losing other players. Wade then followed and left Miami to join the Chicago Bulls years afterward.

Erik Spoelstra is a phenomenal coach and it can be argued that he is one of the best in the league. Not only are they a good team, but they are led by an equally great coach. Pat Riley is also a mastermind and needs to persuade free agents to join the team to keep up with other teams in the East.

The team's current direction

The Heat did not make the playoffs last season but showed a lot of toughness and resilience by making a big comeback to nearly grab a spot.

They have a lot of good players currently in Goran Dragic, center Hassan Whiteside, shooter Dion Waiters, Josh Richardson, Josh McRoberts, and other veteran players.

The organization has plenty of cap space to sign key free agents in the offseason since settling an agreement to clear Chris Bosh off the list. The three players that the Heat could try to sign are Gordon Hayward, Paul George, and Blake Griffin.

Each player would have good reasons to leave their squads and join the rising Heat team. The Heat should look to sign one of these key players.

Gordon Hayward

Gordon Hayward is one of the premier players on the free agent list. Hayward had a phenomenal season with the Utah Jazz being able to shoot the three-pointer effectively and being dazzling in open space.

Gordon shot about 40% from the three-point range and averaged about 22 points in the season. He is versatile forward at 6'8 and can do a lot on the basketball court and he definitely would make the Heat a better team.

Paul George

PG13 has been one of the most sought out free agents in this offseason and for good reasons. Paul George came back from a devastating injury to his leg that he broke years ago. George was an offensive weapon this year and he is a great two-way player being good on both sides of the floor.

The Pacers underperformed all season long. They looked amazing on paper but were not able to translate it to the court.

Paul George has already stated that he wants to leave the team and he could join a contender like the Miami Heat.

Granted, there are many other teams he could sign too. The Heat should target Paul George heavily.

Blake Griffin

Blake Griffin can still get it done. The power forward averaged about 22 points per game. He does have some risks because of the injuries he has suffered in the past, but the upsides certainly outweigh the downsides. Griffin has only gotten tremendously better since entering the league, being able to shoot mid-range jumpers, post up and score, drive for layups and shoot at a decent clip from the three-line.

There is not much that this player can not do and the team should look to signing him to a contract to boost their squad.

Griffin could want to leave the Clippers since they lost their star point guard Chris Paul.

J.J. Redick could also tag along with him. The big three is done in LA.

Either way, the Heat should look to sign either of these three players to compete in the East. The team has a substantial amount of work ahead. Who knows, maybe they can build another super team.