The Miami Heat brought Jimmy Butler to South Beach last year. Now it appears they have even bigger stars in their sights in free agency next summer.
Heat targeting Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Oladipo in 2021 NBA free agency
NBA insider Shams Charania, appearing on Complex podcast Load Management, shared that “(The Heat) have made it known, ‘We are going to target free agents in that summer of 2021.’ Not only Giannis, Victor Oladipo as well.”
The notion that Miami is trying to find at least one more star to pair with Butler isn’t new. Charania shared that Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal is also on their radar.
So it’s pretty clear that Pat Riley is on a mission to get the franchise back on top.
Regarding Giannis, we know a couple of things. First, we know he has gone on record to state he would prefer to remain in Milwaukee. Secondly, we know that there will be overwhelming interest for his services around the NBA if he does become a free agent in 2021.
Kudos to Riley for swinging for the fences, though. Landing Giannis at this point in his career would be at least as impressive as bringing James to South Beach in 2010.
Heat already becoming a force with strong record in the Eastern Conference
Before the NBA season was suspended in March, the Heat were looking strong. They posted a 41-24 record, good for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. This means they’ll be among the 22 teams competing in Orlando when the NBA restarts at the end of July.
Adding a star or two to team up with Butler would give the Heat a legitimate chance to claim the vacuum of power left in the conference when LeBron James moved to Los Angeles.