Miami Heat

Free-agent guard Avery Bradley has agreed to a two-year deal with the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat. 

Bradley's agent, Charles Briscoe, told Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium that the deal will be worth $11.6 million.

Charania noted that Bradley "was sold on the Heat's culture and Pat Riley and Jimmy Butler recruited him to leave Los Angeles."

Bradley averaged 8.6 points on 44.4 percent shooting (36.4 percent from three-point range) and 2.3 rebounds for the Lakers. He started 44 of 49 games played before opting out of the season's conclusion in Walt Disney World because of COVID-19 concerns involving his family.

The stout defender finished 22nd among 233 qualified guards in defensive real plus-minus, per ESPN.com.

Bradley declined his $5 million player option for 2020-21 to become a free agent, per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. The guard also told Charania that he switched representation to Briscoe on Nov. 12.

The 10-year veteran has played with the Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies. Bradley, who turns 30 on Nov. 26, went to Boston as the 19th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft.

Bradley is capable of scoring more than he did in Los Angeles, whose offense heavily revolved around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The guard scored 16.1 points per game in 14 contests with the Grizz in 2018-19. It's a limited sample size, but Bradley could offer more on that end than what he showed with L.A.

We'll see how Bradley's role with the Heat develops shortly, as the season is set to begin Dec. 22. Based on Miami's current depth chart, Bradley will likely split time with Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson.

Swingman Maurice Harkless has reportedly found his next team.

The Miami Heat have agreed to a deal with Harkless for one year and $3.6 million, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. 

Harkless' previous contract paid him just more than $11 million in base salary in 2020. He signed the four-year, $40 million deal in 2016 with the Portland Trail Blazers at a time when contract figures ballooned as the salary cap spiked.

The St. John's product entered the league in 2012 as a first-round draft pick and spent the first three years of his career on the Orlando Magic. 

Orlando eventually traded him to Portland before the 2015-16 campaign, and the Trail Blazers re-signed him and kept him until they traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers before the 2019-20 season.

The Clippers didn't even keep him for a season, though, trading him to the New York Knicks before the deadline in February.

At his best, Harkless is versatile enough to defend multiple positions as a three-and-D impact player who can take advantage of the spacing created by ball-handling guards. That is exactly what he did in Portland playing alongside Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, which helped him hit 41.5 percent of his three-pointers in 2017-18 and score 10.0 points per game in 2016-17.

That was his only career season with double-figure scoring totals, and he also amassed plenty of playoff experience with four postseason appearances in Portland. 

However, Harkless was unable to replicate his impact in Portland when he played for the Knicks and Clippers. He averaged 5.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists a night in 62 games in 2019-20 before play was suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While Harkless is not someone who is going to take over an offense, he can be a valuable role player who can impact the game in a number of ways and help anchor a second unit with his shooting and defense.

Look for him to also be a postseason-tested veteran leader for his new team in a secondary role. 

The Heat continue to stockpile depth after making it to the NBA Finals last season. Harkless will provide depth at the forward position for head coach Erik Spoelstra. At his best, he's an efficient scorer who can serve as a spark off the bench. 

It turns out Goran Dragic had a pretty solid reason for returning to the Miami Heat as a free agent: Jimmy Butler jokingly suggested he'd attack him if he didn't.

Dragic announced his decision to re-sign with the Heat in a tweet posted one minute after free agency opened at 6 p.m. EST on Friday. He'll reportedly earn $18 million over two years, according to Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. 

But it wasn't the money that kept him in Miami. It was a phone call from Butler, per Reynolds: 

More Goran Dragic to AP: Jimmy Butler called him last week and (half-seriously, we think) suggested physical violence could be coming his way if he didn't return to Miami. "Jimmy's a tough guy. ... I didn't want him chasing my ass," Dragic said.

— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) November 20, 2020

That wasn't the only tactic the Heat took with the guard. Miami also placed billboards in Dragic's hometown in Slovenia encouraging him to return to the team: 

Message on poster translated from Slovenian to English: Your other family is always with you.

Free agent negotiations begin tomorrow at 6 p.m. The Heat wants Dragic back. https://t.co/mEMzh7bcGe

— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) November 20, 2020

While the team's method was a great look, it seems Butler's approach was more effective. 

Goran Dragic is back in Miami.

The veteran point guard announced on Twitter that he is staying with the Heat:

🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨I'm glad that I can announce that I'm staying with my #HeatNationFamily 📝❤️🏀🔥 ⁦@MiamiHEAT⁩

Let’s finish the job we started!!!😤💪#LetsGoHeatnation #heatnation #heatfamily #305 pic.twitter.com/ltV769phXF

— Goran Dragić (@Goran_Dragic) November 20, 2020

He reportedly signed a two-year, $37.4 million deal with the Heat on Friday, according to Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic.

The second year is a team option, per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press.

It appeared Dragic would be leaving the Heat last offseason, as it was originally believed he was headed to the Dallas Mavericks in the sign-and-trade that sent Jimmy Butler to the Miami Heat and Josh Richardson to the Philadelphia 76ers. Moving Dragic's $19.2 million salary for the 2019-20 season would have allowed the Heat to absorb Butler's max contract.

But in a weird twist, the Mavericks claimed they had agreed to take on Derrick Jones Jr. and Kelly Olynyk, not Dragic, and didn't want to absorb the veteran point guard's cap hit. The salaries of Jones and Olynyk wouldn't have cleared the requisite cap space Miami needed, nor did the Heat reportedly want to part with Jones, so the deal fell apart. 

However, the Heat eventually pulled off an elaborate four-team trade to get Butler to Miami, trading Hassan Whiteside to the Portland Trail Blazers for Meyers Leonard and Maurice Harkless. Miami then moved Harkless and a protected 2023 first-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers. Clearing off the salaries of Whiteside and Harkless allowed Miami to complete the deal, and it was believed Dragic would remain in Miami. 

And now he is for at least another season.

Keeping Dragic made sense for Miami. The 34-year-old was solid for the Heat last season, averaging 16.2 points, 5.1 assists, 3.2 rebounds per game, shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from three. He was excellent in the postseason, moving into the starting lineup and registering 19.1 points and 4.4 assists as the Heat reached the NBA Finals.

He was also an All-Star in the 2017-18 season.

So Miami is keeping a solid veteran in Dragic who can score on all three levels and facilitate for his teammates.

The Miami Heat have reportedly come to terms on a contract extension with Meyers Leonard. 

Per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press, Leonard plans on signing a two-year deal with the Heat with the second year as a player option. Leonard's agents, Aaron Mintz and Dave Spahn, told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski the deal will be worth close to $20 million. 

Meyers Leonard to AP: “I wanted nothing more than to come back to Miami. Literally nothing more."

— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) November 20, 2020

Leonard spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Portland Trail Blazers. He developed into a solid role player off the bench, carving out a niche as a three-point specialist when he chose to take them. 

The Blazers sent Leonard to the Heat in July 2019. He was part of a four-team blockbuster that resulted in Jimmy Butler ending up in Miami. 

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra used Leonard as a starter for the first time in his career. The 28-year-old responded by averaging 6.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting 41.4 percent from three on 2.5 attempts per contest. 

Leonard was used sparingly during Miami's run to the NBA Finals. He played almost 13 minutes in the Heat's 115-104 Game 3 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. 

One reason teams have had to carefully monitor Leonard's minutes is a robust injury history. He has only played more than 70 games in season once in his eight-year NBA career. 

Before the 2019-20 season was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic, Leonard sat out 16 straight games from Feb. 5-March 11 with a sprained ankle. 

If the Heat are able to keep Leonard healthy for a full season, he could end up being one of the offseason's best signings. The Illinois alum's shooting touch and size (7'0", 260 pounds) make him a matchup problem for opposing teams.  

The Miami Heat are considering re-signing small forward Derrick Jones Jr. "at the right price," according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. 

The 2020 NBA Dunk Contest winner made 16 starts last season while averaging 8.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 23.3 minutes per game. Jackson noted the Charlotte Hornets are among the teams interested in Jones should he reach free agency.

Jones' role in the postseason noticeably shrunk as Miami won the Eastern Conference before falling to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games during the Finals. 

The 23-year-old played just 6.4 minutes per game in the playoffs while averaging 1.5 points and 0.8 rebounds. The decrease in his production likely took Jones' value down with it. 

“Forget the [$9.3 million] mid-level after he was phased out in the playoff," an anonymous NBA executive told Jackson. "If he got even $7 million a year, I would be shocked. If he gets $15 million over two years, his agent should get a bonus. Maybe somebody gives him $4 million or $5 million.”

The Heat apparently agree with that assessment and will go over their options before giving Jones a new contract. 

Should those talks fall apart, Jones will be looking for his third NBA team since he entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Phoenix Suns in 2016. 

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler has agreed to a "significant" multiyear signature shoe contract with Li-Ning, according to ESPN's Nick DePaula.

Free-agent swingman Evan Turner and Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum are among the active NBA players also signed to the brand. Heat legend Dwyane Wade signed a lifetime deal with Li-Ning in 2018.

The 2019-20 season wasn't a career year for Butler by the numbers. He averaged 19.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists, and his 24.4 percent clip on three-pointers was his second-lowest ever.

As the Heat unexpectedly advanced to the NBA Finals, though, Butler saw his already large profile skyrocket.

With Bam Adebayo limited by injuries and Goran Dragic out for most of the Finals, the 31-year-old did his best to single-handedly keep Miami competitive. He averaged 26.2 points, 9.8 assists and 8.3 rebounds over the six-game series.

Butler also subtly burnished his commercial profile while inside the NBA's Walt Disney World Resort bubble.

He operated a "Big Face Coffee" stand out of his hotel room and began wearing shirts to tout his upstart coffee house. DePaula reported he was "closing in on a unique long-term partnership" with Lululemon, which produced the shirts.

Between his newest deal with Li-Ning and the four-year, $140.8 million extension he signed with the Heat at the start of last year, Butler is set financially. All that's left is to lift the Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy.

The Miami Heat appear to be in good shape to make another run to the NBA Finals. 

Miami returns a bulk of its scoring production, and it added depth down low by selecting Precious Achiuwa in the first round of the 2020 NBA draft. 

Miami's biggest offseason question involves the potential return of Goran Dragic. If the 34-year-old was not injured at the start of the NBA Finals, the Heat may have had a chance to knock off the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Dragic is viewed as one of the top unrestricted free agents, so Miami may have to fight off interest elsewhere to retain the veteran point guard. 

Although the Heat have plenty of young shooters on their roster, they should make a run at one of the top experienced perimeter players available. 

Danilo Gallinari is likely leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder, and he could be a perfect fit for the reigning East champion.

            

Players Heat Should Target In Free Agency

Goran Dragic

The top name on Miami's free-agent wish list has to be a player it is more than familiar with.

Dragic was fantastic in the postseason and appears to have a few years left of playing at an elite level. He averaged 19.1 points per game and shot 34.6 percent from beyond the arc inside the Orlando bubble.  

If he returns, the 34-year-old will still be a secondary piece to Jimmy Butler and could lose playing time to Tyler Herro or Duncan Robinson.

But that is a risk Dragic should be willing to take since Miami presents his best opportunity to win a championship at this stage in his career. 

The top teams in the East either have moves lined up to improve their backcourts, or have young players already in place whom Dragic would not supplant. 

Over in the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers do not have the cap space to afford a high-profile guard once they finalize a new deal for Anthony Davis. 

Miami would be wise to give Dragic a deal worth one or two years because of his age. If that occurs, the Heat could still benefit from his veteran presence and not rush the continued development of Herro and Robinson, who can contribute in similar roles to last season.

            

Danilo Gallinari

Gallinari is the ideal target for a team like the Heat that shoots three-pointers at a high volume. 

Gallinari shot over 40 percent from three-point range in each of the last two seasons, one with the Los Angeles Clippers and the other with the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

If the Heat land the 32-year-old, they would upgrade the part of their starting lineup vacated by Jae Crowder's free agency. 

Gallinari may come at a more expensive cost than Crowder, but the upgrade would be worth it with all the moves the other East contenders have been making. 

Milwaukee is in the process of upgrading its starting five around Giannis Antetokounmpo, Boston's young core will get a year better, Brooklyn's stars will be healthy and Toronto will be in good shape if it holds on to Fred VanVleet. 

A potential starting five of Dragic, Herro, Gallinari, Butler and Bam Adebayo would be among the best in the East and should set Miami on the course to repeat as East champion. 

Even if the Heat land Gallinari and fail to keep Dragic, it would be viewed as a successful offseason. In that case, Miami would improve its shooting prowess and answer the upgrades made elsewhere in the East. 

           

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from Basketball Reference.

The Miami Heat selected Memphis forward Precious Achiuwa with the No. 20 overall pick of the 2020 NBA draft.

Bleacher Report Draft Expert Jonathan Wasserman's Scouting Report

Player: Precious Achiuwa

Position: PF/C

Height: 6'9"

Weight: 225

Pro Comparison: Nassir Little

Scouting Report: Precious Achiuwa's physical tools and motor consistently stood out at Memphis, where he made a case to NBA scouts by sprinting past opponents, crashing the glass and playmaking on defense. At 6'9", he's powerful and mobile with a live motor, which make the flashes of shooting and face-up scoring even more intriguing.

Here is a look at how he will fit in the current roster for his new team.

          

Heat Active Roster and Average Salary (Expiration Year)

Jimmy Butler, SG: $35.2M (2023)

Andre Iguodala, SF: $15M (2021)

Kelly Olynyk, C: $12.5M (2021)

Tyler Herro, SG: $3.7M (2023)

Bam Adebayo, C: $3M (2021)

KZ Okpala, SF: $1.4M (2022)

Duncan Robinson, PF: $1M (2021)

Kendrick Nunn, SG: $1M (2021)

Chris Silva, F: $1M (2022)

Precious Achiuwa, PF/C: Rookie scale contract (2024)

         

Free Agents

Goran Dragic, PG: UFA

Kelly Olynyk, C: Player option

Solomon Hill, SF: UFA

Meyers Leonard, C: UFA

Jae Crowder, SF: UFA

Udonis Haslem, PF: UFA

Derrick Jones, Jr., SF: UFA

Gabe Vincent, G: RFA

Kyle Alexander, F: RFA 

     

Achiuwa was a key part of a highly touted 2020 recruiting class at Memphis, considered a 5-star recruit and the No. 15 overall player in the country, per 247Sports.

Though the Tigers floundered overall without James Wiseman, Achiuwa lived up to expectations with a team-high 15.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game on his way to being named the AAC Player of the Year. He also added 1.9 blocks and 1.1 steals per game, making him one of only 10 players in college basketball averaging one block, one steal and a double-double this season, per Sports Reference.

At 6'9", 225 pounds and with elite athleticism, the freshman was able to succeed in all phases of the game. 

"I'd summarize my season as spectacular," Achiuwa said when declaring for the draft, per ESPN's Jonathan Givony. "I think I was able to show NBA teams my versatility on defense and that I am able to adjust to whatever role that is given to me and still find a way to be successful."

Achiuwa's defense has especially impressed; he finished second in college basketball in both defensive rating and defensive win shares. He can guard multiple positions, likely giving him a chance to see early action with the Heat.

If he can improve his efficiency on the offensive end, including his outside shot, Achiuwa can be a difference-maker with his new team.

Kelly Olynyk is staying in Miami for at least one more season.

The veteran big man will exercise his $13.6 million player option for the 2020-21 season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN on Thursday. The deadline for him to make his decision was 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press.

The 29-year-old spent the last three seasons with the Heat after signing a four-year, $50 million contract with them ahead of the 2017-18 season. He's offered the team solid depth at the 4 and 5, averaging 8.2 points and 4.6 rebounds this past season while shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from three.

His ability to hit shots from the perimeter and stretch the floor is a plus, and Olynyk's willingness to mix it up has always matched Miami's hardworking, tough-minded team identity.

He has found himself as largely a depth piece behind Bam Adebayo, though. Losing a starting job doesn't bode well for his long-term future in the city, but the Canadian's ability to play the 4 or 5 makes him a solid player to have for at least one more season.

And given that he was unlikely to match his $13.6 million option on a long-term deal in free agency, exercising it was the logical move for Olynyk, who can now chase a title with the dangerous Heat.