By: Stephen Patterson
Derek Fisher has helped lead the Lakers to five championships alongside Kobe Bryant. The pair came into the league together and are the only players to be a part of all five championship teams. Fisher has left Los Angeles before, however, when he played with the Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz for three seasons combined. He returned to the Lakers after his only season with Utah to get care for his daughter.The Heat would almost certainly become favorites in the East with the addition of Fisher. While he is getting older, he can still score when he's needed and proved once again this past postseason he can still hit the clutch shots too. Regardless of the situation, Fisher is never afraid to take the late shot, but at the same, he knows when to pass the ball and not take a poor shot. Kobe Bryant has openly said Fisher is one of the most valuable pieces to the Lakers, and his addition to the Heat would certainly help the trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
Miami has also expressed interest in several other veteran free agents. Quentin Richardson, Joel Anthony, Chris Quinn, and Jamaal Magloire all has expressed interest in returning to the team. Udonis Haslem is expected to be back if the team can convince him to stay at a discount, which probably won't be a problem for a chance to win his second title. In my opinion, Richardson and Anthony would be the best fits on the new roster and should be their prime targets of the group. While Quinn is a solid shooter, there are still a few better options available. Magloire has always been overrated and should only be brought back if the team strikes out in their other attempts to lure front court players.
Some other rumored potential free agent targets for Miami include: Juwan Howard, Mike Miller, Raja Bell, Jason Williams, Larry Hughes, Flip Murray, Keyon Dooling, Earl Watson, Tracy McGrady, Matt Barnes, Allen Iverson, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Shaquille O'Neal. Mike Miller has reportedly already signed his deal, but there are also reports suggesting financial arrangements are still being finalized. Either way, Miller will almost certainly be the sharpshooter the team needed most. Juwan Howard and the Heat have mutual interest and have already begun talks. O'Neal, Barnes, Iverson, Ilgauskas, and Bell have all expressed interest in possibly joining the Big Three as well. The other players are rumored to be on the list of players the team will speak with.
Personally, the players I would target first and make the strongest pitches to are: Howard, Williams, McGrady, Ilgauskas, Richardson, and Haslem. Including the second round draft selections (Da'Sean Butler, Jarvis Varnardo, Dexter Pittman), that would give the Heat a roster looking like this for next season:
PG: Fisher, Chalmers, Williams
SG: Wade, Miller, McGrady
SF: James, Richardson, Butler
PF: Bosh, Haslem, Howard
C: Ilgauskas, Pittman, Varnardo
I would not only guarantee that Miami would win the title this season with that line up, but I'd also argue they have the potential to win over 70 games barring serious injuries. Before you laugh, that line up is a very real possibility for the Heat if they wanted to pursue it. Every player on that list has expressed interest in recent days about joining the Heat except for McGrady. And while it has been rumored he won't sign for less than the mid-level exception, he publicly stated he would stay with the Knicks for the veteran minimum to play alongside LeBron if he signed there.
While many experts claim the Heat won't be able to sign enough quality players for the Heat to be considered favorites to win it all, I'd definitely argue that there are plenty of players available that could sign in Miami. I've already stated any free agent would be foolish not to consider the chance to play on this historic team, and I think there will be several big names that realize this is their best opportunity at a championship. While McGrady and O'Neal probably wouldn't sign for $1.1 million with most teams, I think they will strongly consider it for the opportunity to play with the best trio in NBA history.
