The Miami Heat want to be great again in the Eastern Conference and the NBA, and that starts this upcoming summer. The Heat were supposed to wait three more weeks for three free agent players to notify the organization about their decision to exercise their player options or not. The players are Dion Waiters, Willie Reed, and Josh McRoberts. However, their decisions have already been made and the Heat can now plan out their free agency strategies in a more adequate manner.
Miami Heat's future starts now
ESPN has reported that Dion Waiters and Willie Reed both decided to decline their player options for the 2017-2018 NBA season.
Waiters would have earned $3 million and Reed $1.6 million. On the other hand, McRoberts will remain a Miami Heat player next season as he opted to accept his player option of $6 million for next season. July 1 will mark the beginning of free agency in the NBA, and it will also tell us more about the Miami Heat's intention of pursuing Waiters and Reed, two players who defended the Heat uniform in a more than acceptable manner this past 2016-2017 NBA season.
Dion Waiters has proved he can be a valuable piece for any NBA team. Waiters had not found his place in the NBA for his first five seasons. He was a hesitant player that was never given the freedom to showcase all his abilities. Luckily for him, the Miami Heat were the right organization at the right time for him to redirect his career before it was too late.
The Heat gave him extended playing time and an important role on the floor. All of a sudden, the NBA world witnessed the emergence of a versatile and dangerous scorer. Dion Waiters, 25 years of age, averaged an impressive 15.8 points per game last season with the Miami Heat, accompanied by 4.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 30.1 minutes of action.
Waiters had a career season, so the Heat will have to carefully analyze whether it is essential to keep him even if it's at a greater cost.
The Miami Heat will also have to take a look at Willie Reed, who conducted himself as a consummate professional and gave productive minutes to the Heat, whether it was as a backup center or also filling up the gap in the starting lineup when Hassan Whiteside was out with an injury.
The 27 year old averaged 5.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks per game in 14.5 minutes on the floor with the Miami Heat .
Miami Heat's other concerns
The Miami Heat will have roughly $37 million in cap space this summer. Parting ways with Chris Bosh has a lot to do with it. Apart from chasing big names in free agency, the Heat will also need to address the team options that allows them to bring back sharpshooter Wayne Ellington and his $6.3 million for next season, as well as Josh Richardson and his potential $1.5 million. While these players have contributed to the Miami Heat's impressive record in the second half of the NBA regular season, the organization's ambitions might push it to look at new options that can lift the team once again to familiar heights. The three-time NBA champions Miami Heat are expected to pursue excellence sooner or later.
