Miami Heat, Sacramento Kings, and Golden State Warriors Off-Season Preview

What will the Miami Heat do this off-season? Will the Kings bring back Malik Monk? Will the Warriors let Klay Thompson go? I am previewing each team’s off-season. Included in this preview are team’s contracts, options, free agents, draft picks, and cap space. I will dive into each team’s top priorities and biggest needs as well as best draft and free agent fits.
 
Check out the links below to see the other teams I have previewed already:
 
 

Miami Heat

Under Contract:

  • Jimmy Butler: 2 Years Left – $101.21M (3 Years – $146.4M), Extension Eligible, Last Year is Player Option
  • Bam Adebayo: 2 Years Left – $71.94M (5 Years – $163M), Extension Eligible
  • Tyler Herro: 3 Years Left – $93M (4 Years – $120M)
  • Terry Rozier: 2 Years Left – $51.57M (4 Years – $96.26M), Extension Eligible
  • Duncan Robinson: 2 Years Left – $39.29M (5 Years – $90M), Extension Eligible, Last Year is Early Termination Option
  • Jaime Jaquez Jr.: 3 Years Left – $13.49M (4 Years – $17M, Rookie Contract), Last 2 Years are Team Options
  • Nikola Jovic: 2 Years Left – $6.91M (4 Years – $11.5M, Rookie Contract), Last Year is Team Option
  • Orlando Robinson: 1 Year Left – $2.12M (2 Years – $3.92M), Non-Guaranteed

Options:

  • Caleb Martin: Player Option – $7.13M, Extension Eligible
  • Kevin Love: Player Option – $4.03M
  • Josh Richardson: Player Option – $3.05M
  • Thomas Bryant: Player Option – $2.85M

Free Agents:

  • Haywood Highsmith (UFA)
  • Delon Wright (UFA)
  • Patty Mills (UFA)

Draft Picks:

  • 15th Pick
  • 43rd Pick

Cap Space:

  • Projected Maximum Cap Space: $32M+ over the cap

Top Priorities/Team Needs:

  • Health: The Heat dealt with a lot of injuries throughout the year. Their big three, Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, and Bam Adebayo, only played 27 games together. With a healthy roster, they could’ve avoided the play-in tournament and had more consistency and cohesion heading into the playoffs. With Jimmy Butler turning 35 before next season, they need to be healthy in order to push for a championship run before his contract ends.
  • Point Guard: Jimmy Butler led this team in assists with 5 per game. The only “point guard” currently on this roster is Terry Rozier, who played half of his career as the two-guard (shooting guard). They need a player that can be the primary playmaker and facilitator for this team. They can acquire one through the draft like Devin Carter or Jared McCain, bring back Delon Wright, and/or with a trade.
  • Financial Situation: The Heat are over the 1st apron financially, meaning they will pay the luxury tax and face more restrictions when it comes to adding players to the roster. For a team that has made the play-in tournament the past couple of years, it’s not worth the financial repercussions. They need to focus on getting under the luxury tax ($171M) to have a little more flexibility this off-season.
  • What to do with Jimmy Butler: Jimmy Butler is extension eligible this summer. He still has two years left on his contract, with the last year being a player option. He turns 35 years old before the start of next season, so the Heat would be gambling on his health when he is 37 years old. I would avoid extending Jimmy and play out the rest of his contract.
  • Extend Bam Adebayo: Bam Adebayo has been one of the best players on this team for half a decade, and one of the best centers in the league. He is only 26 years old and extending Bam should be a priority this off-season.

Draft Fits:

  • 15th Pick:
    • Devin Carter
    • Jared McCain
    • Tristan Da Silva
  • 43rd Pick:
    • Cam Spencer
    • Jamal Shead
    • Keshad Johnson

Free Agent Fits:

  • Delon Wright

Sacramento Kings

Under Contract:

  • Domantas Sabonis: 4 Years – $186.01M
  • De’Aaron Fox: 2 Years Left – $71.94M (5 Years – $163M), Extension Eligible
  • Harrison Barnes: 2 Years Left – $37M (3 Years – $54M)
  • Kevin Huerter: 2 Years Left – $34.82M (4 Years – $65M), Extension Eligible
  • Keegan Murray: 2 Years Left – $19.95M (4 Years – $36.37M, Rookie Contract), Last Year is Team Option
  • Trey Lyles: 1 Year Left – $8M (2 Years – $16M)
  • Sasha Vezenkov: 2 Years Left – $13.63M (3 Years – $19.98M), Last Year is Team Option
  • Davion Mitchell: 1 Year Left – $6.45M (4 Years – $20.95M, Rookie Contract), Extension Eligible
  • Chris Duarte: 1 Year Left – $5.89M (4 Years – $17.7M, Rookie Contract), Extension Eligible
  • Keon Ellis: 2 Years Left – $4.42M (3 Years – $5.1M), Last Year is Team Option
  • Colby Jones: 3 Years Left – $6.75M (4 Years – $8.77M), Last Year is Team Option

Options:

  • None

Free Agents:

  • Malik Monk (UFA)
  • Alex Len (UFA)
  • JaVale McGee (UFA)
  • Kessler Edwards (RFA)

Draft Picks:

  • 13th Pick
  • 45th Pick

Cap Space:

  • Projected Maximum Cap Space: $16.3M+ over the cap

Top Priorities/Team Needs:

  • Malik Monk: Monk was the runner-up for 6th man of the year. He was a vital piece to the Kings this year and losing him for nothing would not be ideal. They would have to replace his offensive production while they’re already over the cap. Trying to agree on a good deal with Monk should be the top priority heading into the off-season.
  • Change up the roster: The Kings ran it back after a successful season last year. It didn’t go as planned as they took a step back while the rest of the western conference got better. They need an upgrade over Harrison Barnes as the starting power forward and they desperately need an upgraded bench unit. There needs to be changes made to this roster, building around De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and Keegan Murray.
  • Financial situation: The Kings are over the salary cap and if they re-sign Monk, they will be over the luxury tax. Changing the roster, as mentioned above, could help their financial situation, but they need to find a way to avoid the luxury tax as a team who missed the playoffs this year.

Draft Fits:

  • 13th Pick:
    • Jared McCain
    • Devin Carter
    • Ja’Kobe Walter
    • Kyle Filipowski
  • 45th Pick:
    • Jamal Shead
    • Tristan Newton
    • Keshad Johnson

Free Agent Fits:

  • Malik Monk

Golden State Warriors

Under Contract:

  • Stephen Curry: 2 Years Left – $115.37M (4 Years – $215.35M), Extension Eligible
  • Chris Paul: 1 Year Left – $30M (4 Years – $120M), Non-Guaranteed, Extension Eligible
  • Andrew Wiggins: 3 Years Left – $84.67M (4 Years – $109M), Last Year is Player Option
  • Draymond Green: 3 Years Left – $77.68M (4 Years – $100M), Last Year is Player Option
  • Kevon Looney: 1 Year Left – $8M (3 Years – $22.5M), $3M Guaranteed, Extension Eligible
  • Jonathan Kuminga: 1 Year Left – $7.64M (4 Years – $24.86M, Rookie Contract), Extension Eligible
  • Moses Moody: 1 Year Left – $5.8M (4 Years – $17.02M, Rookie Contract), Extension Eligible
  • Brandin Podziemski: 3 Years Left – $12.89M (4 Years – $16.24M, Rookie Contract), Last 2 Years are Team Options
  • Trayce Jackson-Davis: 3 Years Left – $6.52M (4 Years – $7.64M, Rookie Contract), Last Year is Team Option
  • Gui Santos: 2 Years Left – $4.11M (3 Years – $5.14M), Non-Guaranteed, Last Year is Team Option

Options:

  • Gary Payton II: Player Option – $9.13M

Free Agents:

  • Klay Thompson (UFA)
  • Dario Saric (UFA)
  • Lester Quinones (RFA)
  • Usman Garuba (RFA)

Draft Picks:

  • 52nd Pick

Cap Space:

  • Projected Maximum Cap Space: $7.2M

Top Priorities/Team Needs:

  • Klay Thompson: While Klay Thompson isn’t the all-star he used to be, he’s still a valuable player. He averaged 17.9 points per game shooting 38.7% from 3. He will be a sought-after free agent, so the Warriors need to try to sign him to a team-friendly deal. Keeping the championship core together would be ideal, but it has to be at a reasonable price.
  • Cut Chris Paul: Chris Paul has one year left on his contract worth $30M, which is non-guaranteed. The Warriors are currently over the luxury cap. Since Paul’s contract is non-guaranteed, they can cut him and get off his contract to have more financial flexibility.
  • Find a trade partner for Andrew Wiggins: Wiggins did not have a good year this year and took a step back from the Warriors championship run two years ago. He is on a bad contract, so trading him might be difficult. The Warriors would likely have to add a first-round draft pick for a team to take on his contract, but it could be worth it to free up some cap space.
  • Secondary playmaker: The Warriors are most likely cutting Chris Paul to free up $30M in cap space. Therefore, they need to find a backup point guard that can be a secondary/tertiary playmaker when Curry is off the floor. If they re-sign Klay Thompson, they won’t have much cap space in free agency to sign a backup, but they could acquire one via trade instead.
  • Extensions: Five players are eligible for an extension this summer: Steph Curry, Chris Paul, Kevon Looney, Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody.
    • Steph Curry: The Warriors can add an extra year to Curry’s contract which would line up with Draymond Green’s contract with 3 years left. He is still one of the best players in the league at age 36, and they could try to keep their championship core together for 3 more years. They should keep the best shooter of all time for as long as they can.
    • Chris Paul: His contract is non-guaranteed, so the Warriors need to cut Chris Paul to save $30M in cap space.
    • Kevon Looney: Looney’s minutes waned in the second half of the season with a drop-off in his performance. The emergence of Trayce Jackson-Davis also makes this decision fairly easy. Don’t extend Looney and either let him play out his contract or use him as a trade piece.
    • Jonathan Kuminga: Kuminga took a big jump in his development this year, and he still has a long way to go. The Warriors should not be willing to sign him to a max rookie extension. A deal worth around $25M/year would be ideal, but if he’s asking for the max or a deal over $30M/year, they need to let him play out his final year and prove his worth. Then, they can re-sign him next summer as an unrestricted free agent.
    • Moses Moody: The Warriors need to figure out if Moody is a long-term piece to their future. He’s a good player, but they don’t play him nearly as much as they should. I think they will try to trade Moody this summer instead of extended him. A deal worth around $15M would be ideal for him.

Draft Fits:

  • 52nd Pick:
    • Jamal Shead
    • Adem Bona
    • Jalen Bridges

Free Agent Fits:

  • Klay Thompson
  • Delon Wright

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