NBA Free Agency 2018: 5 offseason targets for the Miami Heat

2. Tyreke Evans

Tyreke resurrecting his comatose career was one of the more delightful storylines of the 2018 NBA season. Evans demonstrated so much promise upon entering the league, winning Rookie of the Year in the absolutely loaded 2009 Draft. Needless to say that award hasn’t aged well. Early in his career Evans earned a reputation as a dangerous driver and nifty playmaker. He could attack the rim off the dribble and finish at a solid rate. He also drew lots of fouls as he barreled his way down the lane and his sturdy body frame often allowed him to finish through contact.

Evan’s jump shot and his defense were serious concerns though.  When he didn’t have the ball on offense, opponents could sag way off of him and clutter the spacing of his team. And with injuries piling up as his career progressed, Tyreke’s driving game wasn’t as dynamic and he became a shell of himself.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Tyreke came back better than ever.  At age 28, Evans had one of the best and most efficient years of his entire career. He became the lifeblood of Memphis’ craptastic offense once Mike Conely went down for the year. Evans bore the brunt of the ball handling and creation burdens of the perpetually beleaguered Grizzlies offense. He even unveiled a killer jump shot in 2018.  Evans took nearly six attempts per game from deep and nailed 40% of those shots. That’s about as efficient as you can get, especially for a guy with a famously unreliable shot.

Evans would be a wonderful acquisition for the Heat. He fits the archetype of a late career reclamation project, which Miami has had so much success with since LeBron left in 2014. Rehabilitating the careers of fringe guys has become the forte of this franchise.  What could Coach Spoelstra’s staff do with a guy as talented as Evans?  Beyond the big picture narratives though, Tyreke offers the kind of skill set that this Heat team is in desperate need of.  The lack of creators on the Heat became plainly obvious against the Sixers in the playoffs. For some stretches, Miami seemed like it might never score again. Evans can get into the teeth of the defense and operate from there, freeing up teammates for open looks. Even if his jumper regresses, Tyreke’s ability as a secondary creator would be massive for the Heat.

Acquiring Evans probably would have been easier during the February trade deadline, even though Memphis had an unreasonably high asking price for him. At this point Evans will be looking for the full MLE on the market, which Miami won’t be able to give him without a sign and trade. This seems more workable than a trade for Barton though.