3 critical offseason decisions for the Miami Heat

1. Who do Heat bring back in their restricted and unrestricted free agencies?

In addition to Oladipo, the Heat have five other players hitting free agency, not including the team’s greatest rebounder ever in Udonis Haslem. Duncan Robinson and Kendrick Nunn are hitting restricted free agency, while Trevor Ariza, Nemanja Bjelica and Dewayne Dedmon are entering unrestricted free agency. While some may return to the team, we can be sure not all of them will.

When it comes to the restricted free agents, it would take an otherwise ludicrous offer sheet for the Heat to not match what Robinson may command. Nunn will also reportedly be an interesting decision; he was an All-Rookie performer two years ago but could command a contract worth $15 million annually. Robinson has been a no-doubt starter for the Heat in each of the last two seasons and will be worth even more. If another team is unwilling to pay a gross premium for them, however, they will likely return.

As far as Ariza, Bjelica and Dedmon, there is a chance the Heat brass let all three walk. Ariza is the most accomplished of the three, but he is also the oldest. Bjelica could be a rotational player in the frontcourt, but he is the least productive of the three. As for Dedmon, he is the best bet to return. He did not play very much for the Heat this year but was a productive player and one of the few bright spots for the Heat in the postseason.

Assuming the Heat do open up some cap space this summer, they could be in the market to pursue a star player of their choosing in free agency, even if this year’s market is underwhelming. Miami has a great culture and a history of winning. It is all about getting the right star opposite of Butler. Keep in mind that future Hall-of-Famers Kawhi Leonard and Chris Paul can opt out of their respective player options too, even if it feels likely they’ll remain with their current teams.

The Heat have the ability to completely reload their roster on the fly this offseason if they want to. It will just depend on who’s actually available.