Miami Heat: 25 free agents who could sign for minimum

Let's look at five minimum candidates from each position!

David Berding/Getty Images

As the 2023 Free Agency period rapidly approaches Friday, the Miami Heat are in an interesting position.

They possess a $176.6 million cap sheet allocated to 10 players—roughly $11.6 million above the luxury tax ($165M), $4.6 million above the first tax apron ($172M) and $5.9 million below the newly-implemented second apron ($182M). They are unable sign anyone sign-and-trades, to use their non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($12.4M) as well as their taxpayer MLE ($5M).

They can use their $4.7 million trade exception which I outlined here, but let’s focus on 25 candidates who the Heat could sign to the minimum this offseason. I did not include players that were on the Heat roster that season, though that list could include Jamal Cain, Orlando Robinson and Cody Zeller, among others.

(Note: List made courtesy of Spotrac as of 5 p.m. EST on Friday, June 30.)

Point Guard:

Jevon Carter

2022-23 stats (81 games): 8.0 PPG |  2.5 RPG |  2.4 APG |  42.3 FG% |  42.1 3P% (4.2 3PA) |  56.0 TS% |  10.9 PER

Ish Smith

2022-23 stats (43 games): 2.5 PPG |  1.3 RPG |  2.3 APG |  39.7 FG% |  40.7 TS% |  6.5 PER

Goran Dragic

2022-23 stats (58 games): 6.3 PPG |  1.4 RPG |  2.6 APG |  42.9 FG% |  35.9 3P% (2.5 3PA) |  10.3 PER

Dennis Smith Jr.

2022-23 stats (54 games): 8.8 PPG |  2.8 RPG |  2.6 APG |  1.4 SPG |  41.2 FG% |  47.5 TS% |  11.6 PER

Michael Carter-Williams

2022-23 stats (4 games): 4.3 PPG |  1.3 RPG |  1.8 APG |  42.9 FG% |  33.3 3P% (2.5 3PA) |  49.8 TS% |  9.0 PER

---

Shooting Guard:

Shake Milton

2022-23 stats (76 games): 8.5 PPG |  2.5 RPG |  3.2 APG |  47.9 FG% |  37.8 3P% (1.9 3PA) |  57.5 TS% |  12.7 PER

Will Barton

2022-23 stats (56 games): 6.8 PPG |  2.4 RPG |  2.0 APG |  37.9 FG% |  36.7 3P% (3.2 3PA) |  45.1 TS% |  9.9 PER

Austin Rivers

2022-23 stats (52 games): 4.9 PPG |  1.6 RPG |  1.4 APG |  43.5 FG% |  35.0 3P% (2.4 3PA) |  56.4 TS% |  7.4 PER

Jaylen Nowell

2022-23 stats (65 games): 10.8 PPG |  2.6 RPG |  2.0 APG |  44.8 FG% |  52.7 TS% |  13.7 PER

Justin Holiday

2022-23 stats (46 games): 4.5 PPG |  1.2 RPG |  37.7 FG% |  32.2 3P% |  49.4 TS% |  6.6 PER

---

Small Forward:

Torrey Craig

2022-23 stats (79 games): 7.4 PPG |  5.4 RPG |  1.5 APG |  45.6 FG% |  39.5 3P% (3.2 3PA) |  56.6 TS% |  11.6 PER

Yuta Watanabe

2022-23 stats (58 games): 5.6 PPG |  2.4 RPG |  49.1 FG% |  44.4 3P% |  63.7 TS% |  12.1 PER

Joe Ingles

2022-23 stats (46 games): 6.9 PPG |  2.8 RPG |  3.3 APG |  43.5 FG% |  40.9 3P% |  61.6 TS% |  10.7 PER

Juan Toscano-Anderson

2022-23 stats (52 games): 3.0 PPG |  2.4 RPG |  1.3 APG |  44.8 FG% |  45.7 TS% |  6.9 PER

Kevin Knox

2022-23 stats (63 games): 6.6 PPG |  2.8 RPG |  45.8 FG% |  34.9 3P% |  54.0 TS% |  12.4 PER

---

Power Forward:

Darius Bazley

2022-23 stats (43 games): 5.2 PPG |  3.2 RPG |  45.4 FG% |  37.7 3P% |  51.5 TS% |  15.5 PER

Keita Bates-Diop

2022-23 stats (67 games): 9.7 PPG |  3.7 RPG |  1.5 APG |  50.8 FG% |  39.4 3P% |  60.9 TS% 14.9 PER

JaMychal Green

2022-23 stats (57 games): 6.4 PPG |  3.6 RPG |  54.0 FG% |  37.8 3P% |  65.0 TS% |  15.5 PER

James Johnson

2022-23 stats (18 games): 2.8 PPG |  1.7 RPG |  44.9 FG% |  48.6 TS% |  8.4 PER

Trenton Watford

2022-23 stats (62 games): 7.4 PPG |  3.8 RPG |  2.1 APG |  56.0 FG% |  39.1 3P% |  62.5 TS% |  13.6 PER

---

Center:

Drew Eubanks

2022-23 stats (78 games): 6.6 PPG |  5.4 RPG |  1.3 BPG |  64.1 FG% |  38.9 3P% |  66.6 TS% |  16.2 PER

Thomas Bryant

2022-23 stats (59 games): 9.8 PPG |  5.7 RPG |  62.3 FG% |  54.7 TS% |  11.8 PER

Willie Cauley-Stein

Did not play in 2022-23.

Gorgui Dieng

2022-23 stats (31 games): 3.9 PPG |  3.5 RPG |  38.5 FG% |  49.3 TS% |  9.9 PER

Taj Gibson

2022-23 stats (48 games): 3.5 PPG |  1.9 RPG |  52.0 FG% |  58.5 TS% |  11.4 PER

---

Which minimum free agents do you hope the Heat sign? Let us know in the comments!