Charlotte Hornets: Miami Heat to target in NBA free agency

As a part of our series detailing which players the Charlotte Hornets should target in NBA free agency, our attention shifts to the Miami Heat. The Heat finished with a 53-29 record, which earned them a 1st-place finish in the Eastern Conference.

With the main core of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and Kyle Lowry under contract, it may appear as though Charlotte’s Southeast Division rival will not have too many tough decisions to make in the 2022 offseason. Nothing could be further from the truth. P.J. Tucker is scheduled to have the lone player option on the squad, and while he should return to South Beach, there are a load of restricted and unrestricted free agents for Miami to re-sign.

Starting with the restricted free agents, Miami has Caleb Martin, Dru Smith, and Kyle Guy. Although Smith and Guy should not garner too much attention from the Hornets, Martin may find his way back to Charlotte. As an athletic wing defender, Martin could slide right back into the Hornets’ rotation for next season.

On the unrestricted side of things, Udonis Haslem, Markieff Morris, Dewayne Dedmon, and Victor Oladipo are all set to hit the open market in 2022. With the youngest of these players being 30-years-old (Oladipo), Charlotte’s youthful roster probably should not add any of these players in free agency.

Despite many of Miami’s free agents being key pieces to their success, a number of them would not fit with what Charlotte is trying to accomplish with their current roster. If anyone makes their way to the Hornets, Oladipo would be a fit as a backup guard, and Dedmon could fill in as a backup center. Otherwise, not a lot going on here. If the money is right for Oladipo, he could fill in as a 20+ minute per night combo guard in place of Kelly Oubre.