Miami Heat president Pat Riley told local reporters on a Zoom call on Friday that his top offseason priority is “to take care of the players that we have.”
Riley was referencing Goran Dragic, Bam Adebayo and Jae Crowder, three key rotational players for the Heat.
Dragic and Crowder become unrestricted free agents this offseason, while Adebayo is eligible to sign a rookie-scale extension.
“We know what our priorities are. It is to take care of the players that we have, that we have to make decisions on almost immediately. We know [center Bam Adebayo] has a decision to make and we do with him. We know the guys that have sacrificed for us that we really like, our free agents, especially [point guard Goran Dragic],” Heat boss Pat Riley said, via ESPN.
In the first year of the Jimmy Butler era, the Heat made it all the way to the NBA Finals, where the team ultimately lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.
Had Dragic and Adebayo not gotten hurt in Game 1 of the Finals against the Lakers, many believe the Heat could have defeated LeBron James and the Lakers. It's unfortunate Dragic and Adebayo had to suffer their injuries, but Miami should still be very proud of what they were able to accomplish in 2019-20.
Multiple reports have stated that the Heat have every intention of re-signing Dragic, who is one of the most underrated point guards in the NBA and has a very strong relationship with Butler and Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra.
As for Bam, if he and the Heat don't agree to a rookie-scale extension, the All-Star big man will enter restricted free agency in 2021.
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