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NBA Free Agency: Miami Heat Leading the Race to Bring In Two All-Star Veterans

Published 08/01/2021, 9:36 PM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

Miami Heat reached the 2020 NBA Finals as a #5 team and as complete underdogs. Now, nobody tampers with a winning combination and hence they mostly stayed the same unit in 2020-21. However, this time they battled with injuries, underperformers, and a pathetic postseason to lose the faith in their roster.

So now, one can expect a complete renovation. While the Heat will stick with their star duo in Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, all the remaining pieces are prone to an exit. With the free agency around the corner, who are the top targets for Pat Riley’s front office?

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Miami Heat eyeing Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan

Notably, the organization has already declined the $15 million team option of former FMVP Andre Iguodala. On top of that, they have nine athletes entering the free agency this summer, making it an open ground for huge swaps. So now, this is where the names like Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan enter the picture. 

Thanks to salary cap restrictions, the Heat franchise will most likely have to use the sign-and-trade option to house any one of these names. But getting them both onboard will be quite a task. 

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Why are they interested in one such deal?

Miami Heat, ever since the Dwyane Wade era, has always been a franchise targeting the championship. Now, they can not do that just with their star duo and Slovenian Goran Dragic at their core. True, their acquisition of Victor Oladipo last season was a fantastic move, but it fell short with the star staying injured.

So if they can land former All-Star teammates, it would suddenly bring them back to the Top 3 EC teams. Both DeMar DeRozan & Kyle Lowry have spent six seasons together as Raptors and share 10 All-Star selections between them. The two names can instantly help the Heat with their lagging offense and give them a dangerous starting roster. 

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But if it came down to heavy trade demands, should the Heat be willing to give away big names? Help us know what are your suggestions in the comments below.

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Written by:

Sourabh Singh

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Sourabh Singh is an NBA sports analyst for EssentiallySports, who has been working with the site since May 2020. Prior to this, he functioned as Managing Editor at WittyFeed, followed by a stint at Decathlon. The Sports Management graduate leads an active lifestyle, veering to the mountains for off-trail adventures.
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