The Miami Heat were one of the busiest teams in the offseason as they acquired both Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker while extending the current contracts of Jimmy Butler and Duncan Robinson. With these moves, this franchise is one of the clear-cut contenders in the Eastern Conference. The Heat are off to a terrific start in their campaign, holding one of the best records in the league.
Miami missed the services of Butler for their last two games, and they are also waiting for former All-Star Victor Oladipo to return to their lineup and help bolster their bench. Tyler Herro has been phenomenal as he is one of the leaders for Sixth Man of the Year after a subpar sophomore season. Even with Herro and Oladipo, here are other names Pat Riley can acquire this season.
3 Heat targets to bolster bench
Danuel House Jr.
With Herro and Oladipo solidifying their guard rotation, Miami is currently relying on Max Strus and Caleb Martin as their second unit wing players. Strus and Martin are not experienced yet in playing in the biggest stage, but acquiring Danuel House Jr. from the Houston Rockets will be a brilliant move for the Heat. The Rockets are not even utilizing his services because they are focused on their young core.
House is a prototypical three-and-D player that flourished with the Rockets during the tenure of James Harden. There were several games in the 2019-20 season wherein House would tally over 20 points and more than five threes as Harden or Russell Westbrook would give him open in the corners. With the playmaking ability of Herro, Butler, and Oladipo, he will also have many opportunities in revitalizing his career.
House is on the final year of his contract as he is being paid close to $4 million dollars. Since the Heat are already over the salary cap, acquiring House will be a boost for Miami.
Gary Harris
Receiving Gary Harris straight up from the Orlando Magic is not possible because of his huge contract. However, he could likely request for a buyout from the Magic as he is on the last year of his contract, and he is not part of the future plans of the franchise. Harris is another wing that could complement the core of Miami because of his ability to excel even with a low usage rate.
After his career year with the Denver Nuggets in 2018, Harris has been hounded by lingering injuries that has negatively impacted his career. If he is able to suit up for the Heat, the individual pressure and expectations will be low thus raising the chances for Harris to find his niche and rhythm on both ends of the floor.
Harris had a plethora of well-rounded stat lines with Nuggets, and it is not far-fetched for him to have some games wherein he could replicate that kind of success.
Thaddeus Young
Thaddeus Young is another player on a struggling organization that could be bought out in the next few months. He is also on the last year of his deal on a franchise that is focusing on developing their young players. Young was an instrumental piece of the Chicago Bulls last year because of his versatility and multitude of skill sets he could provide for any team.
Miami have Markieff Morris and Dewayne Dedmon as their backup big men, but Young brings a different kind of repertoire that will help head coach Erik Spoelstra utilize numerous lineup combinations. For instance, if Tucker gets into foul trouble in a crucial playoff series, Young could replace him and still be able to contain some of the best forwards in the association.
The best iterations of the Heat franchise predicated their success to their versatility and ability to maneuver with lineups that would cause chaos all over the floor. Spoelstra has the toughness and ruggedness with the composition of their roster adding any of these three talented individuals would enhance their chances of competing in the East. With the Heat wrapping up their long road trip, they will be able to rack up more victories and welcome back more healthy bodies soon
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