With draft pick Michael Beasley being told he is here to stay, Dwyane Wade being convinced to ignore those ridiculous trade rumors and Shawn Marion being informedhe is still part of the plan, the Heat now shifts its focus to finding someone to get them all the ball.
That process officially began with Tuesday's 12:01 a.m. start of the NBA's free agency negotiation period.
The voids are numerous on a Heat team recovering from last season's disastrous 15-67 finish, which matched the worst record in the 20-year history of the franchise.
It was an eight-month meltdown that ultimately drove Pat Riley from the bench and into the front office to launch Miami's reclamation project solely as team president.
The Heat's top priority is to acquire a serviceable -- if not potentially spectacular -- point guard to navigate the 2006 NBA champion back into contention.
"The moment we made that final pick, we started [moving to] free agency,"
Riley said, referring to Thursday's draft, when Miami chose Beasley second overall and traded for guard Mario Chalmers in the second round. "It's our own free agents plus what's available out there. Obviously, we'll make that a priority position."
"The point guard position, we have to fortify that. And we'll continue to look for bigger and bigger players also."
There also are needs for a defensive-minded center and a versatile long-range shooter. Riley said his staff has a "wish list"
of about four or five targets. But he vowed the Heat would be a bargain shopper. Free agents can't sign new contracts until July 9, when the NBA's moratorium ends and the 2008-09 salary cap and exception figures are set.
SHORT-TERM ANSWERS
The Heat will take a short-term approach to filling its voids. Any potential targets would essentially be stopgap options. That's because the larger plan is to create maximum salary-cap space for the summer of 2010, when Wade, Cleveland's LeBron James, Toronto's Chris Bosh and Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire could be among a crop of elite free agents.
"The hardest thing is to convince free agents to take short money,"
Riley said. "I hate to use 2010 as this abyss. If you make decisions to rebuild early and leave that open, you're not protecting your flank. We don't know what Dwyane's going to do, and we have to protect ourselves. We think we're going to be good enough when he's going to want to extend. We need to show other free agents we have room -- a max contract -- to be taken seriously."
Therefore, the Heat would be reluctant to -- if not dead-set against -- offering any deals longer than two years, with an option for a third season in rare cases.
The challenge is to surround Wade and Beasley with the right pieces, with only the midlevel exception (projected at $6 million) and a biannual veterans exception ($1.9 million) to offer.
That time-and-budget-conscious approach could take the Heat out of play for point guards such as Sacramento's Beno Udrih and Chicago's Chris Duhon, who already have drawn interest from teams willing to offer multiyear deals.
Less-expensive options could include Orlando's Carlos Arroyo, a former FIU standout; the return of former Heat guard Keyon Dooling from the Magic; re-signing Jason Williams at drastic pay cut from the $8.9 million he earned last season; or standing pat with those already on the Heat roster.
Marcus Banks has three seasons left on his contract, Chris Quinn is a restricted free agent, and Chalmers, a rookie, could play on a non-guaranteed deal.
Miami also could expand its options as a potential major player in trades, with Marion's expiring $17.8 million contract and forward Udonis Haslem, with two years left at $13.7 million, as chips. But Riley said intentions are to build around the nucleus of Wade, Beasley, Haslem and Marion instead of blowing it up -- for now. The Heat also must decide which of its own free agents to bring back.
Ricky Davis, the lone player to appear in all 82 games last season, said he would consider a two-year deal. But the interest might not be mutual. That might, too, be the case for Jason Williams, who started at point guard on the Heat's 2006 title team but did not appear to be in the team's plans heading into the offseason.
Center Alonzo Mourning, 38, is recovering from knee surgery but plans to play another season. Forward Dorell Wright, also recovering from knee surgery, was given a $2.4 million qualifying offer and is a restricted free agent.
Reserve center Earl Barron said he was unsure of his future in Miami.
"There are so many scenarios; you never really know what can happen,"
Barron said. "Trades, sign-and-trades. The next couple of weeks, I'll get a good feel for where I'll be or where I'll be going."
ELUDING ERRORS
The goal is to avoid an outcome similar to last offseason, when the Heat's actions and inaction led to some regrettable free-agency decisions. Miami lost league three-point champ Jason Kapono to Toronto on the first day of free agency. It saw defensive specialist James Posey depart to eventual champion Boston after six weeks of on-and-off negotiations.
Perhaps the Heat's biggest mistake was signing point guard Smush Parker, who quickly fell out of favor with Riley and was suspended after just seven games. The Heat bought out Parker late last season, but a chunk of his two-year salary will count against Miami's 2008-09 cap.
"This league is about talent -- and, right now, it's about getting your best players on the court,"
new Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Hopefully, we can add some pieces to what we have and turn this thing around a lot quicker than some teams in our position normally do."
