Heat rumors: 2 veteran sharpshooter targets to surround Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo

Giannis Antetokounmpo is officially a member of the Miami Heat, but the journey to build a championship roster is not over. Following Miami’s blockbuster trade to obtain the two-time MVP, Pat Riley and his front office face the need to fill several spots around Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo to truly be a contender in the Eastern Conference.

In the latest edition of Clutch Scoops, ClutchPoints senior NBA reporter Brett Siegel laid out the stakes of the offseason for the Miami Heat.

“In the NBA but now the question becomes for the Heat: How do you fill out the remaining roster spots here because they don’t really have much wiggle room…they can still re-sign Norman Powell but they’re going to have to get interesting with how they do these moves. They only have, I believe, $14 or $18 million left to fill four roster spots.”

Despite those financial constraints, Siegel believes Miami will still be an attractive destination for veterans chasing a championship.

“Now the question becomes can they find the necessary shooting around Giannis and Bam Adebayo to actually beat championship contenders? I think that the answer is going to be yes. There are going to be some free agents out there that surprise a lot of folks and are willing to take minimum contracts to go play on this team, not just because they have Giannis and Bam but because there’s an opportunity in the East…

Siegel added, “There’s a clear opportunity here to rise up in the East and become a title threat next to the Knicks, and so the Heat now with this duo in their frontcourt are going to look to do so. I think that the names that were mentioned on ESPN, I believe it was Brian Windhorst and Bobby Marks, both mentioned Anfernee Simons and Khris Middleton being potential minimum options or mid-level exception guys for the Heat. Those would be two fantastic fits there, and I fully expect the Heat to be aggressive once free agency begins.”

Middleton has already been connected to Miami throughout the offseason. Earlier this month, Heat insider Ethan Skolnick suggested the former Bucks forward could ultimately join the Heat, citing his familiarity with Antetokounmpo after the pair helped lead Milwaukee to the 2021 NBA championship.

“I’ll just say this. I think there’s a lot of guys who will slip to the minimum. I think one guy for instance, I think you can just guarantee Khris Middleton is going to be here. He is exactly the type of player the Heat add towards the end of their career,” Skolnick said.

Should Miami ultimately land either Middleton or Simons, the Heat would add experienced perimeter shooting around Antetokounmpo and Adebayo while addressing one of the roster’s biggest needs entering free agency.

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