The Miami Heat got off to a slow start this year, but a rash of injuries ultimately kept them from making the playoffs. When they're healthy, the Heat don’t believe they’re that far away from being a contender in the Eastern Conference, and they’re looking to add a big free agent or two that can catapult them into that realm.
However, signing the wrong player could send this team in the opposite direction. Here are the players Miami should avoid in free agency:
PF/SF Josh Smith
Don’t be fulled by his partial renaissance with the Houston Rockets. While we trust that Eric Spolestra could work similar magic to what Kevin McHale did with Smith down the stretch, the mercurial Smith seems to always be walking the tightrope between effective scorer and absolutely ineffective head case. For a young team like this one, it’s better to leave such baggage to other teams.
PG/SG Rodney Stuckey
Stuckey is a decent depth piece when you’re looking for volume scoring off the bench, but there’s little else to his game to suggest that the Heat should take a flyer on him. Stuckey is a very poor man’s sixth man, in that his work as a floor general and ball distributor is light years behind most other backup combo guards.
SG/SF Mirza Teletovic, Brooklyn Nets
Teletovic’s reputation as one of the best shooters in this free agency class, and the Heat are looking to fill that need. However, Teletovic is not the answer. He shot just 32 percent from three-point range this season and can’t do much else on the court, ultimately making him a liability for a team like Miami.
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