Lakers: Which Heat Free-Agents-To-Be Would Make Sense For Los Angeles? – All Lakers
We’re starting something new here at All Lakers, effective immediately. On Laker matchup days, we’ll explore the opposing team’s roster, find their impending free agents, and decide who would be the best target for the Lakers to sign this upcoming offseason.
The Lakers take on the Miami Heat at 4:30pm in South Beach, so that’s where we’ll start. Here’s a look at which upcoming Heat free agent would be the best fit with the Lakers this offseason, and what it might take to land them.
Free Agents
So first, we need to start with some background information. Who on the Heat will be a free agent at the end of this season? The options aren’t exactly great:
Victor Oladipo, Udonis Haslem, Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Omer Yurtseven, Orlando Robinson and Jamal Cain.
We’ll start by ruling out the bottom three along with Haslem. Yurtseven, Robinson and Cain have yet to show much of a deal, and Haslem has a foot in the door as an assistant coach on the Heat’s bench.
the competitors
So that leaves us with Oladipo, Vincent or Strus. None of them are superstars by any means, but each can contribute in different ways.
Oladipo has the best record of the three, as he was an All-Star in back-to-back years in 2017-18 and 2018-19 with the Pacers. However, he is far from being that player.
This year, Oladipo is averaging 8.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists in nine games. He made his 2022 debut just a few weeks ago, and is still finding his way back. It’s a little early to decide whether he’d be a smart investment next season — he’ll be 31 this offseason.
Next we’ll look at Strus, who has had quite a productive year with the Heat. He has started 19 of 32 games and is averaging 13.1 points on 40% shooting from the field and 33.5% from three. He is a strong candidate to sign an extension with Miami in the offseason.
As for Vincent, when he does play, he’s a fairly prolific goalscorer – but he’s been in and out of the lineup over the past few seasons. In 20 games this season, Vincent is averaging nine points per game, and is struggling to shoot the ball – he’s under 40% from the field and 30% from three. He’s not much more than a backup point guard right now, but he has the ability to score in bunches. His career high is 27 points.
decision
So, with all that said, my pick will be former two-time All-Star Victor Oladipo. I like the idea of Strus, but I don’t see him leaving Miami. There’s a good chance Oladipo will test the open market again and maybe, just maybe, the Lakers can recapture some of his old magic. It won’t cost much, so it could be a fun flyer.
