5 former Heat players to sign on veteran minimum deals, ranked

No team has been more prolific than the Miami Heat when it comes to developing second-round picks and undrafted free agents into bankable NBA players. Five former Heat miracles are currently on the free agent market. 

The Miami Heat have put their offseason plans on hold while the Damian Lillard trade saga unfolds. The outcome feels inevitable — he’s going to play for the Heat next season — but the timing of that inevitable outcome is still murky.

While the Heat wait for Portland to play its cards for leverage, several former Heat players still populate the free agent market. As noted by Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel, five former Miami players are currently available, all presumably for the veteran minimum.

There’s a nice mix of quintessential #HeatCulture classics. The former All-Star fallen from grace. The undrafted home-run finds. The toolsy lottery picks. Let’s rank them in terms of potential to contribute to winning next season.

No. 5 former Heat player turned free agent: Meyers Leonard

Meyers Leonard was Miami’s starting center in the Bubble a few years ago. Flash forward to 2023, and the Milwaukee Bucks signed him mid-season after a long hiatus stemming from an online incident  from 2021, when the 7-footer used an antisemitic slur during a video game stream.

Leonard posted 4.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 12.7 minutes per game across nine appearances with the Bucks last season. He shot 38.9 percent from deep and flashed the same offensive skill that once earned him a $41 million contract from Portland.

Burly 7-footers who can splash 3s are rare enough. Leonard has the strength to handle physical matchups in the post and he’s a genuine stretcher of defenses at the five spot. That said, 31-year-old drop coverage centers who spent as much time away from the game as Leonard have a certain burden of proof to meet before being painted as reliable impact players.