NBA Free Agency 2020: 5 teams with the most to gain

2. Miami Heat

By trading Justise Winslow, James Johnson and Dion Waiters to the Memphis Grizzlies for Andre Iguodala and the expiring contracts of Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill in February, the Miami Heat cleared nearly $26 million off their books in 2020-21.

That makes them the biggest wild card of free agency.

The Heat are the only guaranteed playoff team with significant cap space this offseason. However, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported in November, they’re eyeing a run at Giannis Antetokounmpo or “a few other targets, including Victor Oladipo” in 2021.

Unless Antetokounmpo signs a supermax extension with the Milwaukee Bucks in October, the Heat aren’t likely to hand out enormous multiyear contracts and risk blowing their chance of signing him the following summer. That doesn’t mean they’ll necessarily stay silent in free agency, though.

The Heat could offer one-year balloon deals or two-year contracts with a non-guaranteed second year and hope that a tepid free-agent market convinces players to prefer shorter-term agreements. They could also eschew a run at Antetokounmpo or other star free agents in 2021 and revisit talks with Danilo Gallinari, whom they approached the Oklahoma City Thunder about ahead of the trade deadline.

With Jimmy Butler turning 31 in September and both Duncan Robinson and Kendrick Nunn set to be restricted free agents following the 2020-21 season, the Heat’s title window could close just as quickly as it opened. The allure of joining a ready-made playoff team could especially appeal to older veterans who are fine with taking a one-year deal.