NBA Rumors: Miami Heat never made offers to Kyle Lowry, Marcin Gortat
By Sam Richmond
It was long assumed by many that Kyle Lowry and Marcin Gortat were among the Miami Heat’s top free agent targets this summer. That shouldn’t surprise anyone, given Lowry and Gortat represented two of the best available players out there, and Miami is linked to just about every really good player these days.
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However, it turns out the Heat never made an offer to either one of the players before they re-signed with their former teams, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
He writes:
"A source close to the situation told the Sun Sentinel that the Heat never got to the point of making an offer to either Lowry or Gortat, another indication of the Heat’s preference for a depth of incoming talent to support James, Bosh and Wade."
The Heat’s lack of interest likely stems from the fact that they understood Lowry and Gortat, who both signed deals that will pay them $12 million annually, were way out of their price range. With LeBron supposedly seeking a maximum contract and Bosh desiring $90 million, acquiring Lowry or Gortat would have been nearly impossible.
As Winderman notes, Miami’s focus appears to be on players that could be signed for exceptions or veteran’s-minimum contracts.
"Working with smaller pieces appears to be a Heat consideration, having been in contact with Oklahoma City Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha before he signed Thursday with the Atlanta Hawks, and having expressed interest in New Orleans Pelicans shooting specialistAnthony Morrow, Utah Jazz forward Marvin Williams and Dallas Mavericks guard Vince Carter."
Miami’s hope at this point has to be that signing a few of those cheaper options will be enough to convince the Big Three, specifically James, to re-sign.