NBA free agent rumors: Luol Deng, Kyle Lowry unlikely to join Miami Heat
By Bryan Rose
The Miami Heat certainly have grand intentions this offseason as they attempt to appease LeBron James to re-sign, who reportedly only is interested in a one or two year deal. Despite that, rumors have suggested that James wants to see improvement from the Miami Heat’s front office and given that, they’ve zeroed in on both Luol Deng and Kyle Lowry in free agency.
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Both would be coup’s for the Heat as they’re among two of the most desired free agents on the open market, but neither are likely to sign with the Miami Heat, this according to ESPN’s Marc Stein.
Simply put, both Deng and Lowry would need to take a hefty pay cut to sign with the Heat and for players of their stature, that might not be as likely as players like Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade who still made upwards of $20 million dollars when they joined LeBron James in South Beach.
The Heat could attempt to give Deng or Lowry a mid-level exception type deal, however, that’s unlikely to be enough cash as both players are likely to command deals that will pay them $10 million annually. Given all of that, it’s pretty easy to see why neither is a likely candidate to sign with the Miami Heat despite their interest.
Of course, things could change if one of the players struggles to find a home in free agency and LeBron James starts recruiting them, but for now it appears rather unlikely that either will be a member of the Miami Heat when the season tips off.