Ranking Celtics among 8 teams that should pursue Chris Paul immediately
By Tyler Watts
5. Miami Heat
The Heat are currently battling the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals, and president Pat Riley is always looking to acquire superstar talent. Miami’s biggest need is point guard as Gabe Vincent heads into free agency and Kyle Lowry enters a contract year. The Heat project to be just $3 million under the second tax apron, but they could move some pieces around to free up space.
Lowry’s $29.6 million expiring contract and Victor Oladipo’s $9.4 million player option are deals Miami could look to dump to clear the way to add Chris Paul along with bringing back Vincent and/or Max Strus.
Duncan Robinson talked about the impact the Heat’s mid-season signing of Kevin Love had on their roster on the Old Man and Three podcast with J.J. Redick where he was clear Miami wouldn’t be in the finals without his leadership. Love will likely head elsewhere in free agency this summer, but the Heat could get a similar boost from signing Chris Paul.
CP3 is still chasing his first championship, and it is the only thing missing from his stellar Hall of Fame resume. The Miami Heat figure to be back in the thick of contention again next season, but their cap crunch pushes them down the list of contenders for Paul to join.