The Miami Heat -- always a contender for top free agents -- have a lot of options this offseason.
There are big questions about Hassan Whiteside, Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng and Chris Bosh that team president Pat Riley will have to answer.
Can the Heat become title contenders again?
Our NBA Insiders debate the future of the Heat.
1. What should the Heat do about mercurial center Hassan Whiteside?
Tom Haberstroh, ESPN Insider: It's a shame Whiteside had to end the season injured. That said, I'd offer him $15 million annually with team options and have Pat Riley regale him with stories of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem and other Heat stars who took discounts in the name of winning. Of course, I don't expect Whiteside to leave money on the table after a huge season. But I also don't view him as a rock-solid franchise foundation worthy of a max contract.
Amin Elhassan, ESPN Insider: That's the four year, approximately $92-million question. The Heat darn near had to beg and plead to get Whiteside to buy in when he was making the non-guaranteed minimum, so I don't see how paying him $20-plus million a year will get his attention. That said, he was really productive down the stretch in the regular season, and if you let him go, you have the instant issue of figuring out how to replace him.
David Thorpe, ESPN Insider: Make him a sizable offer and tell him, "You might be able to make more money somewhere else, but we bet on you, we believe in you and, in addition to this big offer, you will sign another big deal here -- money that will last for several generations." If he wants to just go chase every dollar, let him go. Don't lower the ceiling for your future by overspending on him.
Bradford Doolittle, ESPN Insider: Chris Bosh's situation makes it that much more essential that the Heat throw a max offer at Whiteside and hope he takes it. Maybe you quietly pitch Kevin Durant first, but failing that, you have to keep Whiteside. His numbers are just too immense to ignore.
Kevin Pelton, ESPN Insider: Swallow hard and re-sign him at the max. I certainly understand the arguments for letting Whiteside go, given the questions about his fit with Miami's culture and his inconsistency. Nonetheless, it's going to be difficult to find another player with his talent, and we've seen Whiteside's importance to the Heat since he went out of the lineup with a sprained MCL suffered during Game 3 against Toronto.
2. What should the Heat do about aging superstar Dwyane Wade?
Elhassan: Ideally, Wade is a Heat lifer. I say ideally, because ideally you don't have to pay him $20 million (or more) to keep him. I know this isn't a popular pitch come free agency, particularly given Wade's past sacrifices, but he's really reached the Dirk/Duncan phase of his career, where massive financial givebacks on his part can result in lucrative free-agency flexibility.
Haberstroh: Show a PowerPoint with Tim Duncan on team-friendly contracts playing for championships through age 40. Do the same with Dirk Nowitzki. And then show Kobe Bryant's playoff win total after age 34. Which door does he want? Sign him for $12 million and sell him on lesser burden, longer career and more total money.
Doolittle: The fair and logical thing to do would be to give him a two-year deal with a player option on the second season with an average value of around $18 to $20 million. Ideally, he'd take less money in the first year and more in the second to help free up the cap space to keep Whiteside.
Pelton: Offer him a one-year deal for the remaining amount of cap space after re-signing Whiteside at the max (about $17 million, based on current cap estimates). If Wade wants a second-year player option, I'd be amenable to that. Anything longer would require a discount on a per-year basis.
Thorpe: I'd hate to see him go, but Miami can't do what the Lakers did with Kobe and pay him for work already done. See if he is willing to sign a fair deal. If he wants to go elsewhere, tell him, "When you are ready to retire, we will sign you for one day so you can retire here, and on that night we will raise your jersey to the rafters. This is Wade Country forever."
3. What should the Heat do about veteran forward Luol Deng?
Pelton: Under the scenario I've outlined so far, the Heat would have no choice but to let Deng walk. (Offering him the room exception of $2.9 million would be insulting to Deng.) As terrific as he's been for Miami since moving to power forward, the Heat have Justise Winslow as their long-term solution at the position.
Elhassan: The combination of Deng's stellar postseason play, Miami's other impending free agents and the nature of the new NBA economics all conspire toward a Deng departure. It's not that he's not productive, or even that he isn't worth it, but rather that in order for the Heat to have a chance to make a big splash in free agency, they'll likely have to hold off on re-signing Deng -- during which time he'll probably receive a competitive offer somewhere else.
Doolittle: Deng's situation is also tied to the possibility (or lack thereof) of attracting Durant. A couple of months ago, I would have said the Heat should let Deng walk and find a better shooter to hold the fort until Justise Winslow is ready to play full-time. But Deng has been reborn as a part-time-stretch 4.
Haberstroh: I'd thank him for his services, renounce his rights and hand the keys to Justise Winslow, who will make $2.6 million on one of the best contracts in the league. Deng at the 4 has been everything the Heat wanted and more, but they need the cap space.
Thorpe: Maybe Deng would be willing to make less money and be part of a strong and united franchise. The Heat have a lot to offer in terms of both lifestyle and an organization that has learned to work together and get the most from its players. Few franchises can say that.
4. What role should big man Chris Bosh play in the Heat's plans for next season and beyond?
Haberstroh: Whatever the Heat's doctors say. Whatever he's dealing with, it isn't a sprained ankle. I don't have enough medical information to judge this, so I'll just say whatever is in the best interest of Bosh's health is what should be prioritized.
Thorpe: That's a question for the medical staff. If the Heat think he will be healthy, keeping him is wise. If they are concerned about his health, they might be better off parting ways.
Pelton: None. The Heat should operate under the assumption that Bosh will be medically unable to return to the court. If he is cleared to play next season, it's a pleasant surprise.
Doolittle: That's the $76 million question. But if the doctors aren't advising Bosh to retire, and he wants to keep playing, what option is there but to assume he's one of your core pieces going forward?
Elhassan: Honestly, I don't know. A summit among the medical staff, training staff, coaching staff and front office needs to occur, and decide how (if possible) to craft a plan that minimizes risk. Whether that's limiting his travel, minutes, games played -- whatever it is, they cannot have another repeat of what's happened the past two seasons.
5. Fact or Fiction: The Heat will compete for the East title within the next two seasons.
Elhassan: Fact. Pat Riley might be the best executive of the modern era, and when people talk about Miami being a free agent destination, what they really mean is "Riley is a great recruiter." No one has mastered the art of the overhaul quite like Riles.
Haberstroh: Fact. They could have been there this year if not for Bosh's unfortunate absence. I've learned not to bet against Pat Riley when it comes to free agency. As long as South Beach is above water and Riley is at the helm, free agents will come.
Thorpe: Fact. They have an elite coach. They have an infrastructure that breeds professionalism. They have a gorgeous city to play basketball in. And there is no state tax on income. The idea that the Heat will compete for a title is not a hard one to grasp. They have done so in multiple seasons since Dwyane Wade arrived 2003, and they have built a better organization to move forward than they had when Wade was drafted.
Doolittle: Fiction. The Heat found a new dynamic after signing Joe Johnson, and it would have been great to see them healthy in the playoffs. But challenging Cleveland within the next two years means beating LeBron James while he's still on top of his game. Miami has too many question marks, regardless of if Bosh plays.
Pelton: Faction. I don't think bringing back this core alone will be good enough, given Miami's hamstrung cap situation, but I'd never rule out Pat Riley's ability to lure a top-tier free agent to South Beach in the summer of 2017, and that could easily push the Heat into contention.