LeBron James won’t be returning to the Miami Heat. The veteran superstar has opted to join the Philadelphia 76ers. As such, Pat Riley must now turn his attention elsewhere as he continues to round out Erik Spoelstra’s roster.
Fortunately for Miami, there are still multiple talented players who are currently free agents. Sure, none of them are LeBron, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be able to elevate Miami’s current roster for the upcoming season.
Here are three free agents Miami could target after missing out on their former superstar.
#1 Heat Could Sign DeMar DeRozan
DeMar DeRozan is currently an unrestricted free agent after being waived by the Sacramento Kings. He would bring secondary playmaking, mid-range scoring and veteran know-how to the Heat’s rotation.
At 36 years old, DeRozan is in the final stages of his career. Nevertheless, he’s still a legitimate bucket who can thrive as a secondary scorer, especially on a roster that has Giannis Antetokounmpo handling most of the on-ball creation.
DeRozan doesn’t bring the floor-spacing that Miami needs, but he’s exceptional at attacking off the catch and finding pockets of space to get his shot off. Last season, he averaged 18.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, shooting 52.7% from two-point range and 32% from deep.
Signing DeRozan is arguably the most logical pivot for Miami right now. Figuring out how to navigate the spacing issues would certainly be a tough ask for Spoelstra, though.
#2 Bradley Beal Makes Sense For The Heat
Bradley Beal is arguably a better fit in Miami than DeRozan is. Beal is more of a pure scorer and can attack all three levels. However, he comes with injury concerns after only suiting up for six games this past season.
Still, Beal can give Miami a catch-and-shoot threat, and he can create his own shot off the bounce when the Heat are facing stringent half-court defenses. Throughout the 2024-25 season, which was the last time Beal was primarily healthy (he played in 53 games), he averaged 17 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists.
More importantly, Beal shot 56.5% from two-point range and 38.6% from deep on five threes per game. Not only can Beal offer the spacing Miami needs, but he can also operate as a secondary creator who can score in a variety of ways.
If Pat Riley wants to roll the dice on health, Beal could be ideal for what Miami needs.
#3 Heat Prioritize Shooting With Seth Curry
Riley could also move away from looking for a true secondary creator and focus on adding shooting. Should he choose to go down that route, Seth Curry is arguably the best sniper on the free agent market right now.
Curry can get hot in a flash and doesn’t need touches to be effective.
If Miami builds its system around Giannis getting downhill and kicking to stationary shooters, Curry fits perfectly.
Of course, by focusing on shooters, the Heat would be placing a lot of faith in their current defensive core, which isn’t a bad thing. Furthermore, if Curry comes off the market before Miami has a chance to reach out, Doug McDermott would be another strong option for Riley.
The Heat still have some moves to make. Missing out on LeBron was a tough blow; fortunately, Riley can still improve the current team ahead of the new season.
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