Back in 2010, the Miami Heat made a lot of noise in the offseason when they brought in LeBron James and Chris Bosh to their fold and formed their “Big 3” along with then-franchise player, Dwyane Wade. This year may be no different as the South Beach team can once again sign two of the biggest names this summer.
Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward has already been rumored to be a target of Pat Riley, but in the wake of Phil Jackson making his controversial statement about Carmelo Anthony, the New York Knicks star could potentially be on the Heat's wishlist as well now.
According to a piece made by Josh Baumbard of Slice Miami, the Heat may even have both of them next season if they're ready to part ways with their starting center, Hassan Whiteside.
“Miami trades Whiteside to the Knicks on draft night for Anthony and New York’s first-round pick (currently slotted at No. 7). They also toss in the $6 million mannequin of Josh McRoberts as added value to help mitigate Melo’s 15-percent trade kicker.”
“Phil would probably die from endless orgasms thinking about how his trio of bigs in Whiteside, Porzingis, and the remains of Joakim Noah would super-triangle the hell out of the league next year.”
“An important component to this deal: Miami would have two Top 14 picks this year and about the same $40 million (rough estimate) in cap space after Chris Bosh’s contract is expunged.”
This move will allow the Heat to sign Hayward outright, and despite not providing him with the maximum he'll probably demand, the lack of state tax in Florida will compensate for the lower amount in his contract. Once Bosh's salary will be off the team's books, it could be used to pay Anthony as they are not far apart on the digits in their current deals.
It will then allow the Heat to offer James Johnson with a lucrative offer and keep him in their fold. With the solid season he had, it will be very wise for them to lure him to stay, as he has the ability to play the power forward and even the center position in a small ball lineup.
For now, this is pure speculation and Riley may not even pull the trigger on it, especially with the culture they have in place. On the other hand, he has also proven in the past that he is not afraid to make a splash.
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