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76ers

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Nikola Jokic had 30 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists, and the Denver Nuggets advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in team history Monday night, sweeping the Western Conference finals with a 113-111 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jamal Murray scored 25 points for the top-seeded Nuggets, who overcame LeBron James&rsquo; 31-point first half and a 15-point halftime deficit with a tenacious finish in Game 4 to earn their first conference title in their 47 NBA seasons.
James finished with 40 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists after the highest-scoring postseason half of his career, but even the top scorer in NBA history couldn&rsquo;t keep the deep, dynamic Nuggets from their sixth consecutive victory overall.
James missed two tying shots in the final seconds, with Aaron Gordon appearing to block his shot at the buzzer.
Jokic earned his eighth triple-double of the playoffs by the third quarter, breaking Wilt Chamberlain&rsquo;s 1967 NBA record for triple-doubles in a single postseason. The Serbian big man also led the Nuggets&rsquo; tenacious defensive effort despite picking up his fifth foul midway through the fourth quarter &mdash; and when Denver needed a big basket, Jokic delivered that as well.
The Lakers erased a seven-point deficit and tied it with five minutes to play, but Jokic hit a 25-foot fallaway 3-pointer. After Anthony Davis hit two free throws to tie it with 1:11 left, Jokic muscled his way past Davis for the tiebreaking layup.
James then badly missed a strange fallaway jumper with 26 seconds left. After Murray missed a turnaround to give the Lakers one last chance, James&rsquo; drive at the buzzer was thwarted by Murray and Gordon, who scored 22 points.
The Nuggets will cap their superb season under coach Michael Malone by playing for their first NBA championship. Denver both eliminated the Lakers for the first time in eight playoff meetings and swept a playoff series for the first time, likely earning several days off before the finals.
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Nikola Jokic and Michael Malone celebrate the first NBA Finals appearance in franchise history <a href="https://t.co/Ic7y6hkkeZ">pic.twitter.com/Ic7y6hkkeZ</a>
&mdash; Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) <a href="https://twitter.com/BenGolliver/status/1660851131042414598?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Unless the Boston Celtics make basketball history by rallying from their 3-0 deficit in the East finals, Denver will host the eighth-seeded Miami Heat to open the NBA Finals, beginning June 1.
James scored 21 points in the first quarter and worked desperately to keep the Lakers competitive in the final game of his 20th NBA season. But the Lakers couldn&rsquo;t even force a Game 5, with an apparently exhausted Davis scoring 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and adding 14 rebounds.
Austin Reaves scored 17 points for the Lakers, who were swept in a playoff series for the 11th time in team history, including nine best-of-seven series.
The loss ended seventh-seeded Los Angeles&rsquo; incredible turnaround after starting the season 2-10 under new coach Darvin Ham. After bolstering their roster at the trade deadline and surging into the postseason with two months of strong play, the Lakers then knocked off second-seeded Memphis and eliminated defending champion Golden State to stir their worldwide fans&rsquo; hopes for one of the most unlikely championship runs in NBA history.
Facing elimination for the first time in their remarkable playoff run, James and the Lakers responded with their best half of the series, taking a 73-58 halftime lead on James&rsquo; broad shoulders. He had 21 points in the first quarter, tying his playoff career high for a quarter in his record 282nd postseason game. He then matched his career high for points in any first half.
But the Nuggets responded with a relentless third quarter, taking their first lead less than eight minutes after halftime. Denver pushed its lead to seven before the Lakers rallied, with Davis&rsquo; putback dunk tying it with 5:02 to play.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope converted a four-point play in the first quarter. He finished with 13 points. ... The Nuggets have yet to trail in any series, and they&rsquo;re 8-0 at home in the playoffs &ndash; 10-0 since March. Denver is 12-3 overall in the postseason.
Lakers: James got an accidental 3-pointer in the first half when his lob pass to Rui Hachimura went in the basket. ... Ham shook up his starting lineup for the Lakers&rsquo; last chance, replacing struggling D&rsquo;Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt with Dennis Schr&ouml;der and Hachimura. The moves immediately worked, with the two new starters combining for 19 points in the first half. ... James&rsquo; 21 points were the most by a Lakers player in a playoff first quarter since at least 1997. ... Veteran Tristan Thompson had four points in 10 minutes during the most significant playing time of his Lakers career, which began in the final weekend of the regular season. &hellip; Kyrie Irving watched the game from courtside. The star free-agent guard has been linked to a reunion with James on the Lakers next season. Other fans at courtside included Vin Diesel, Adam Sandler and Aaron Donald.

Nikola Jokic had 30 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists, and the Nuggets advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in team history.

Jokic leads Nuggets to first NBA Finals, eliminating LeBron's Lakers

The New Orleans Pelicans are signing NBA veteran Anthony Tolliver to a 10-day contract, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1475135988104114176" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: This will be Tolliver's 12th team he will have played for in 13 seasons. Tolliver will be just the sixth player in NBA history to play for 12 different franchises, joining Hornets' Ish Smith as the only other active player to do so.

According to The Athletic, the Pelicans are signing veteran forward Anthony Tolliver to a 10-day contract.

Pelicans to sign veteran Anthony Tolliver to 10-day contract

The 76ers are waiving forward Anthony Tolliver, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Tolliver's guarantee date was today.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1431336667194007560" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: At 36-years-old, Tolliver's future in the league is unclear as he can still provide long-range shooting and good on-ball defense, but age is certainly a factor now. Tolliver rarely saw the court for the 76ers last season and if he does end up on a roster before training camp starts, you'd have to believe it would be on a contending team given where Tolliver is at this stage of his career.

According to The Athletic, the 76ers have waived veteran forward Anthony Tolliver.

76ers to waive veteran forward Anthony Tolliver

Hi, hello, and welcome to yet another edition of Roaming The Baseline! This will be a weekly endeavor where I point out some things that caught my eye: a hot or cold streak from a player, a developmental flash, a well-run play, a funny tweet, who knows? There will be film -- it&rsquo;s me, so of course there will be film -- but this will also be a bit looser. It&rsquo;s an extension of my Twitter feed, if you will.&nbsp;
With that said, let&rsquo;s roam the baseline.
RUSSELL WESTBROOK KEEPS ON FLYIN'
There's always a "but..." with Russell Westbrook.
He can get to the rim whenever he wants! But the free throws...
He can make any pass in the book! But the turnovers...
He can hound dudes as an on-ball defender! But when he's off-ball...
Even the triple-doubles -- his teams have won roughly 75% of their games in which they occur -- draw some casternation. How contested were those rebounds? How friendly was the scorekeeper for those assists? How many shots did he take?
As someone who has been on both sides of the fence -- I appreciate his rim pressure and passing chops, not so much a fan of the decision-making and defense on a per-possession basis -- even I find the discourse around him exhausting.
My favorite part of the Westbrook Experience may be the rebounding, but on the offensive end. He's technically tied with Bruce Brown atop the guard list for offensive rebounds (1.7) this season, though calling Brown a guard may be a stretch due to his role.
At any rate, Westbrook's penchant for timely clean-ups are uniquely him. Beating the odds may be underselling the ridiculousness of his adventures.&nbsp;
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That's Westbrook high-pointing a ball with two Pacers in the vicinity, then flinging a dart to Alex Len before touching the floor. That, uh, is not an easy play to make! And somehow, that wasn't even the most impressive board Westbrook snagged.
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Following a Bradley Beal pull-up jumper, there are three Pacers -- all taller than Westbrook -- who have better rebound positioning. Westbrook is able to slither inside of Kelan Martin, dislodge the ball from Martin and Domantas Sabonis, then beat Doug McDermott to the ball. He then caps off that feat by dishing the rock to a cutting Rui Hachimura for an open flush.
Westbrook finished with four offensive rebounds (19 total) in that game, the seventh instance of Westbrook having at least four offensive rebounds in a game this season.&nbsp;
Regardless of how you feel about the man, these things remain true:
1) Westbrook is one of the best guards in NBA history, and will be a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.
2) That man brings it. Every single night. Even when the result isn't great, it's hard not to respect the process.
3) He is the primary reason that the Wizards would be incredibly annoying to play against during the play-in and playoffs.
IS ANDREW WIGGINS... UNDERRATED?
Let's start with a wonky stat query, shall we?
Wiggins is averaging 18.6 points while shooting 37.7% from deep (5.2 attempts), and also blocking a shot (1.0) per night. The only two players <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/traditional/?sort=FG3_PCT&amp;dir=-1&amp;CF=FG3A*GE*5:PTS*GE*18:BLK*GE*1&amp;Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">matching or besting those marks</a> are Kevin Durant and Karl-Anthony Towns.
That means next-to-nothing from a big picture perspective -- Wiggins is no KD or KAT. It's only to point out that it isn't easy to find that combination of scoring, three-point shooting proficiency, and event creation defensively.&nbsp;
But dig into Wiggins' season a bit, and you should come away... mildly impressed. He isn't just flying down the court and operating as a play-finisher alongside Steph Curry. He grades out well in self-created actions, per Synergy: post-ups (51st percentile), pick-and-rolls (71st percentile), and isolation (83rd percentile).
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After an outlier bad start as a finisher, Wiggins is converting a career-high 70.7% of his shots <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/wiggian01.html#shooting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inside of three feet</a>. It's a shame that's coming with a career-low free throw rate (.226), but hey. Baby steps.
More surprisingly, Wiggins has seemingly graduated from the good-when-he-cares class on defense. The Warriors have trusted him with a variety of tough assignments thorughout the season. Not only has he held his own, he's flat-out shut the water off sometimes.
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Who the heck had this on the Bingo! card before the year?
A fun stat to round things out: the Curry-Wiggins-Draymond Green trio without Kelly Oubre on the floor has a <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/wowy-combos/nba?TeamId=1610612744&amp;Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;PlayerIds=203952,1626162,201939,203110" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plus-11.9 net rating</a> in 631 minutes.&nbsp;
WES MATTHEWS, FILLING IN THE GAPS
It's no secret that the Lakers have been injury-ravaged this season, with notable absences from their two superstars. It feels like we've had a microsope on their role players -- sometimes unfairly -- because of how their level of importance has fluctuated. Talen Horton-Tucker shouldn't be the only credible ball-handler the Lakers have available. Heck, I just wrote about Marc Gasol's playing time <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/marc-gasol-should-get-more-minutes-los-angeles-lakers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a week ago</a>.
If we're tossing out hat-tips for recent play, I'd like to nominate Wes Matthews. His per-game numbers won't pop for you -- 7.3 points in 25.3 minutes over the last four games -- but he's doing what's needed.&nbsp;
He's knocking down threes at a high clip; the Lakers will take 37% on five attempts from him. Defensively, he's taken on an assortment of tough matchups recently: CJ McCollum, Chris Paul, and RJ Barrett (boy was he <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1392349962785153028?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">put in a tough spot</a> at the end of that game) are just a few.&nbsp;
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The Lakers have been [checks notes] over 17 points per 100 possessions better with Matthews on the floor over the past four games. That number 1) isn't entirely on him and 2) seems unsustainable, but it's at least a testament to Matthews providing plus-value on both ends.
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO "HMMMM"
<ul>
<li>All-NBA is tough. There are a lot of great players in the league. Injuries/COVID will make those discussions even tougher. But, like, where is the Trae Young buzz for an All-NBA team? He's 15th in scoring (25.6) and second in assists (9.5). He's the&nbsp;creator for a team with home-court advantage, and the Hawks have been 8.5 points per 100 possessions better <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/vs/advanced/#!?TeamID=1610612737&amp;VsPlayerID=1629027&amp;Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">with Young on the floor</a>. I encourage you to look at the same stat for <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/vs/advanced/#!?TeamID=1610612742&amp;VsPlayerID=1629029&amp;Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a guy in Dallas</a>, just for funsies.</li>
<li>Keep an eye on Evan Fournier, now that Jaylen Brown is done for the season with a wrist injury. He's averaging 21.3 points (59/59/75 shooting split) in the four games since Brown went out.</li>
<li>Uhhhh, Kelly Olynyk is #not #slowing #down. He's putting up 18.9 points (56/38/85 shooting split), 8.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists since the All-Star break. Pick-and-pops, herky-jerky post-ups, fake handoffs. I keep waiting for his usual regression and it... just hasn't happened. His free agency should be fun.</li>
<li>Jaxson Hayes' last three games: 19 and 8 with 3 blocks, 18 and 8 with 6 blocks, and then 13 points against Memphis on Monday... and he went 3-of-3 from deep. #2KWasRight.</li>
<li>Speaking of former lottery bigs we don't quite know what to think of: Marvin Bagley is averaging 17 and 8 in May. The pathway to being a high-level play finisher, on the interior anyway, is still there.</li>
</ul>
PLAYS I LIKED
The Butler Did It
It's always a good time when the Heat 1) run some screening action for Duncan Robinson or 2) clear a corner. It's especially fun when they do both.
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An Iverson cut brings Robinson from one side of the floor to another. But from there, the Heat pivot.&nbsp;
Jimmy Butler darts from the left corner to the right block, giving off the illusion of a post-up clear-out. With Marcus Smart top-locking him (a heavy theme from this game), Butler uses Smart's positioning against him, back-cutting him and getting a lob from Goran Dragic in the process.
One might say it was a Smart play from Butler.
Masterful Misdirection
This is freaking hilarious.
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The play initially caught my eye because I was like, "Hmmm, is this a 'Floppy' look? Teams are still doing that?" I like the set up regardless; Kevin Huerter, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and John Collins form this weird triangle and it immediately throws the Wizards for a loop.
Westbrook calls out a switch early; clearly some wires get crossed because of it. Bogdanovic flies through the escape hatch beofre relocating to the left wing. Hachimura starts chasing Bogdanovic for... some... reason. That leaves Westbrook caught between Huerter and Collins, and they win that 2-on-1 pretty easily.
Fun stuff. Confusing stuff. Creative stuff. Effective stuff.
Bringing Down the House
Seems a bit mundane, but I wanted to give a quick shout to the budding chemistry between Tyrese Maxey and Dwight Howard off the bench.
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We get a variation of HORNS Flare to kick things off; Anthony Tolliver (still alive!) ghosts a screen for Maxey before relocating to the right wing. The action then flows into a pick-and-roll between Maxey and Howard.
With George Hill stashed in the left corner -- he's shooting 46% from there over the past three seasons, per InStat -- TJ McConnell can't tag Howard on the roll in good conscious. Maxey does a phenomenal job of driving deep enough to engage Goga Bitadze, then flips a lob over his head for the easy slam.
THE READING LIST
There is plenty of high-level basketball content out here if you know where to look. I wouldn&rsquo;t be where I am as a writer without reading a ton of Zach Lowe or Chris Herring or Caitlin Cooper or Mirin Fader or, well, you get the point.&nbsp;
Anyway, here are some -- not all, but some! -- of the stories I&rsquo;ve read this week that I think you should check out. Their Twitter handles will be linked under their names, so click and follow if you don&rsquo;t already.
<a href="https://twitter.com/ariivory">Arielle Chambers</a> on the <a href="https://twitter.com/SInow/status/1391860599555039235?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">25 greatest moments</a> in WNBA history.
<a href="https://twitter.com/DorothyJGentry">Dorothy Gentry</a> with <a href="https://twitter.com/DorothyJGentry/status/1392119386585042946?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a fantastic feature</a> on WNBA legend Cynthia Cooper.
<a href="https://twitter.com/mellentuck">Matt Ellentuck</a> gives you a guide to help <a href="https://twitter.com/mellentuck/status/1392146591436390402?s=20">pick your favorite WNBA team</a> (if you don't have one already.)
<a href="https://twitter.com/juscarts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Justin Carter</a> gave his <a href="https://twitter.com/juscarts/status/1392493429108744194?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WNBA preseason power rankings</a>. It would appear the Sky is the limit.
<a href="https://twitter.com/MirinFader">Mirin Fader</a> came through with the goods on <a href="https://twitter.com/MirinFader/status/1392476775356108800?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WNBA superstar Breanna Stewart</a>.&nbsp;

In Nekias Duncan's weekly notebook, he shares things that have caught his eye. He breaks down players, teams, plays and stats.

Roaming the Baseline: Russell Westbrook, Andrew Wiggins, Wes Matthews

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 27 points and Khris Middleton had 24 as the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 124-117 on Thursday night in a matchup of two of the Eastern Conference's top teams.
Bobby Portis added a season-high 23 points as the Bucks ended a five-game home losing streak.
Milwaukee never trailed and led by as many as 21 to defeat Philadelphia for the fourth consecutive time. In their only previous meeting this season, the Bucks won 109-105 in overtime at Philadelphia on March 17.
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The MVP played like an MVP: 27 PTS | 16 REB | 6 AST | 2 STL | 1 BLK <a href="https://t.co/0OtXWpkkWt">pic.twitter.com/0OtXWpkkWt</a>
&mdash; Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) <a href="https://twitter.com/Bucks/status/1385416634974674946?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2021</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;We were moving the ball, knocking down shots. From the start, everybody was locked in," Antetokounmpo said.
Joel Embiid scored 24 points for the Sixers. Shake Milton had 20 off the bench.
&ldquo;We were soft tonight,&rdquo; Sixers coach Doc Rivers said. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t put up much resistance.&rdquo;
The Bucks, who hadn't played since Monday, improved to 36-22 and hold the third seed in the East. The Sixers, playing for the fifth time in eight days, fell to 39-20 and into a tie with idle Brooklyn for the top spot. Philadelphia plays in Milwaukee again Saturday.
&ldquo;I think playing teams like this, back to back, it&rsquo;s awesome because it prepares you for the playoffs," Antetokounmpo said.
The Sixers got closer to full strength with the return of two starters. Tobias Harris, who has been dealing with a right knee issue, came back after missing three games. Seth Curry, who missed Wednesday&rsquo;s game with left hip flexor soreness, also returned to the lineup.
Harris revealed he has been dealing with a bone bruise.
&ldquo;I felt good out there in terms of my health and knee," Harris said. "We&rsquo;ll continue to find the right rhythm and timing.&rdquo;
Another starter, Ben Simmons, one of the league&rsquo;s top defenders, missed a third consecutive game with an unspecified illness. Rivers said he's unsure of Simmons' status for Saturday's matchup.
&ldquo;Right now, I'd say it's 50-50, at best,&rdquo; he said.
The Bucks jumped out to 10-0 lead and led by as many as 20 &mdash; at 33-13 &mdash; in the opening quarter. Milwaukee hit its first 10 shots, including five 3-pointers. The Bucks finished the quarter connecting on 14 of 19 shots and held a 40-26 lead.
&ldquo;They didn't feel us defensively," Harris said. &ldquo;They got where they wanted to all night.&rdquo;
The Bucks maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second quarter and led 77-60 at the half on 66% shooting. Middleton had 21 first-half points.
Philadelphia cut the lead to nine with 2:51 left in the third, but the Bucks closed the quarter with a 14-2 run, sparked by three straight 3-pointers by Portis, to lead 108-87. Portis made all five of his 3-point attempts.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve was just trying to do what I&rsquo;ve been doing all year, come off the bench and provide energy," Portis said. &ldquo;It's fun to be on this team. We have a lot of unselfish guys that love to pass the basketball.&rdquo;
The Sixers pulled within six points with 7 seconds remaining in the game against the Bucks reserves, prompting Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer to reinsert his starters to close out the game.
&ldquo;It was a strange game after the big early lead,&rdquo; Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not easy in this league to play with a lead.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
76ers: Former Bucks player George Hill started for Simmons. ... G/F Furkan Korkmaz was inactive after spraining an ankle against Phoenix on Wednesday night. ... Veteran power forward Anthony Tolliver was signed to a second 10-day deal.
Bucks: Reported no injuries before the game. ... Antetokounmpo didn&rsquo;t appear limited after missing the final four minutes of overtime of Monday&rsquo;s game against Phoenix after experiencing what he described as a cramp in his calf. ... Signed F Justin Jackson to a two-way contract. Jackson fills the spot of F Mamadi Diakite, who signed a multiyear standard NBA contract with the team.
3-POINT BARRAGE
The teams combined to make 21 of 33 3-pointers in the first half. Milwaukee shot 13 of 21, with Brook Lopez shooting 4 of 5 from deep.
BENCH BRINGS IT
The bench accounted for half of the Sixers' points in the first half, tallying 30 of the 60 racked up in the first two quarters. For the game, the Sixers reserves scored 58 points, with Milton leading the way with 20. Tyrese Maxey and Mike Scott each had 11 points.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 27 points and Khris Middleton had 24 as the Bucks defeated the 76ers in a matchup of two of the East's best.

Giannis Antetokounmpo: Bucks 'locked in from the start' in win vs. 76ers

Anthony Tolliver is reportedly signing a 10-day contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1380888604868743172" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Tolliver joins his 11th different NBA team as a journeyman veteran who has been in the league since 2008. The 35-year-old has not played in 2020-21, but spent last year with the Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies. He has canned 37.3 percent of his three-pointers over a long career, and provides a short-term sharpshooting boost for Philly.

Tolliver joins the Sixers after a journeyman NBA career.

Anthony Tolliver inking 10-day contract with Sixers

As is usual around All-Star weekend, the National Basketball Players Association held elections for three of its leadership positions. Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes was elected as Secretary-Treasurer, while Portland's CJ McCollum and Chicago's Garrett Temple were each re-elected as Vice Presidents on the associations Executive Committee.
The NBPA said the following in a release:
"Harrison Barnes of the Sacramento Kings was elected as the new Secretary-Treasurer of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) at today&rsquo;s annual winter meeting of the Board of NBPA Player Representatives. CJ McCollum of the Portland Trail Blazers and Garrett Temple of the Chicago Bulls have been re-elected as Vice Presidents on the NBPA&rsquo;s Executive Committee.
A 9-year NBA veteran, Barnes has been active as an NBPA Player Representative since the 2014-2015 NBA season. McCollum and Temple who joined the Executive Committee in 2018 and 2017 respectively will start their new 3-year terms immediately.
&ldquo;This is a great opportunity to get more involved in union business and I am very excited to join Chris, Andre and the rest of the Executive Committee,&rdquo; said Harrison Barnes. &ldquo;Our union has an important role representing all 450 players and I am honored that my peers elected me to this position.&rdquo;
Barnes will begin his 3-year term as Secretary-Treasurer immediately and replaces Anthony Tolliver who has served on the Executive Committee since 2013.
&ldquo;As a respected NBA veteran and a savvy businessman off the court, Anthony has been a key resource for our leadership team and for all players around the league for a long time,&rdquo; said NBPA President Chris Paul. &ldquo;We are extremely grateful for all of his hard work on the Executive Committee, especially throughout the challenges brought on by the pandemic this past year. We are thrilled to have CJ and Garrett back for another set of terms and look forward to Harrison joining us as the newest Secretary-Treasurer.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Anthony has been such an important voice on our Executive Committee and I have been blessed to have had the benefit of his wisdom and guidance throughout my tenure at the Union,&rdquo; said NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts. &ldquo;We thank him for all of his contributions, professionalism and hard work over the years. He helped make us a stronger union. Having CJ and Garrett back for another 3 years is exciting - they have been invaluable, particularly during these most recent trying times, and we proudly welcome our newest addition, Harrison Barnes, to the Executive Committee and look forward to his participation.&rdquo;
The members of the NBPA Executive Committee are:
Chris Paul, President
Andre Iguodala, First Vice President
Harrison Barnes, Secretary-Treasurer
Bismack Biyombo, Vice President
Malcolm Brogdon, Vice President
Jaylen Brown, Vice President
Kyrie Irving, Vice President
CJ McCollum, Vice President
Garrett Temple, Vice President"

Barnes takes over as Secretary-Treasurer, while McCollum and Temple are re-elected as Vice Presidents.

Harrison Barnes, CJ McCollum, Garrett Temple elected to NBPA leadership positions

With training camps starting in a week, the NBA's 2020 free-agency period has moved very quickly. Nearly all of the marquee free agents are off the board, aside from Anthony Davis and Brandon Ingram (RFA). However, both stars are expected to re-sign.
On Day 5, who are the top remaining free agents at each position?&nbsp;
GUARDS: Reggie Jackson, Shabazz Napier, Quinn Cook, Shaquille Harrison, Evan Turner, Dion Waiters, Marco Belinelli, Emmanuel Mudiay, Yogi Ferrell, Jamal Crawford, Isaiah Thomas, Jeremy Lin, Jordan McLaughlin (RFA), Chris Chiozza, Thabo Sefolosha, Jordan McRae (RFA), Courtney Lee, Troy Daniels, Brandon Knight, Andre Roberson, Allonzo Trier, Ky Bowman, Gary Payton II, Naz Mitrou-Long, Treveon Graham, Ian Clark, Marcus Georges-Hunt, Frank Mason, Ty Lawson, Shabazz Muhammad, J.R. Smith, Chasson Randle
FORWARDS: Anthony Davis, Nicolas Batum, Frank Kaminsky, Glenn Robinson III, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Wilson Chandler, Kyle Korver, DeMarre Carroll, John Henson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Taj Gibson, Jared Dudley, Ersan Ilyasova, Bruno Caboclo, Lance Stephenson, Kenneth Faried, Kenrich Williams, Anthony Tolliver, Cheick Diallo, Dante Cunningham, Donatas Motiejunas, Justin Anderson
CENTER: Hassan Whiteside, Kyle O'Quinn, Ian Mahinmi, Noah Vonleh, Skal Labissiere, Tyson Chandler, Thon Maker, Kosta Koufos, Andrew Bogut, Caleb Swanigan, Ekpe Udoh, Miles Plumlee
Who would you like your favorite team to add? Leave a comment below.

Here's a position-by-position look at the top players who remain unsigned on Day 6 of NBA free agency.

Which NBA free agents are still available?

<div>According to a statement released by the NBPA:</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>A delegation from the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) met with Pope Francis at the Vatican earlier today. The meeting, held at the papal library of the Apostolic Palace, provided an opportunity for the Players to discuss their individual and collective efforts addressing social and economic injustice and inequality occurring in their communities.&nbsp; &nbsp; The NBPA&rsquo;s group included five players, each of whom has been active in their own pursuits of various social justice initiatives. The players were:</div>
<ul>
<li>Marco Belinelli</li>
<li>Sterling Brown</li>
<li>Jonathan Isaac</li>
<li>Kyle Korver</li>
<li>Anthony Tolliver</li>
</ul>
<div>NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts also attended&nbsp;the meeting together with Sherrie Deans, Executive Director of the NBPA Foundation and Matteo Zuretti, the NBPA&rsquo;s Chief of International Relations.</div>
<div>&nbsp; &ldquo;We are extremely honored to have had this opportunity to come to the Vatican and share our experiences with Pope Francis,&rdquo; said Kyle Korver. &ldquo;His openness and eagerness to discuss these issues was inspiring and a reminder that our work&nbsp;has had a global impact and must continue moving forward.&rdquo; &nbsp; &ldquo;Today&rsquo;s meeting was an incredible experience,&rdquo; said Anthony Tolliver. &ldquo;With the Pope&rsquo;s support and blessing, we are excited to head into this next season reinvigorated to keep pushing for change and bringing our communities together.&rdquo; &nbsp; &ldquo;This meeting validates the power of our Players&rsquo; voices,&rdquo; said Michele Roberts, Executive Director of the NBPA. &ldquo;That one of the most influential leaders in the world sought to have a conversation with them&nbsp;demonstrates the influence of their platforms. I remain inspired by our Players&rsquo; continued commitment to serve and support&nbsp;our community.&rdquo;&nbsp;</div>

Marco Belinelli, Sterling Brown, Jonathan Isaac, Kyle Korver and Anthony Tolliver met with Pope Francis in the Vatican.

NBA players discuss social justice initiatives with Pope Francis

What an embarrassment.&nbsp;
We have to start there when discussing the way that the Los Angeles Clippers' season ended. A team with legit title aspirations, headlined by a top-five player in Kawhi Leonard and a top-12 guy in Paul George, fell flat on their face in a Game 7 after blowing a 3-1 series lead to the Denver Nuggets. Neither star showed up in the pivotal game; the rotational and schematic decisions of Doc Rivers contributed heavily to his firing. Now, the Clippers have a one-year shot at redemption before their stars have the ability to test the free-agent waters in 2021.
The Clippers are entering the offseason with possibly four of their rotation pieces hitting the market. There&rsquo;s no real avenue to cap space regardless of what they decide in terms of renouncements; the Clippers will operate as an over-the-cap team and have the non-taxpayer's mid-level exception (worth over $9 million) at their disposal. The always-informative Keith Smith has a more thorough breakdown of their cap situation, which you can find <a href="https://www.slamonline.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers-salary-cap-space-2020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
Let&rsquo;s take a look at some guys they&rsquo;ll look to bring back as well as some free-agent targets that could help them come back stronger than ever.
Key In-House Decisions
Marcus Morris: Bring Him Back
The idea of Morris -- a 6-foot-8 power wing that can shoot, get a mid-post bucket, hang in space defensively in a pinch and jostle with post brutes on the block -- is a bit better than the reality. His Knicks sample proved to be anomalous, though he was mostly fine in his Clippers stint, particularly in the bubble.
In short, you typically don&rsquo;t give up a first-round pick for a guy you&rsquo;re going to let walk at the end of the season. You especially don&rsquo;t do that if said guy gives you the lineup flexibility that Morris does.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Montrezl Harrell: Let Him Walk
Make no mistake: Harrell is a good player, one worthy of getting a nice pay day this offseason. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year is a rugged roller with enough paint craft to navigate around larger centers. He&rsquo;s quietly improved his activity rate as a rim protector over the past few seasons, which has helped make him a viable closing option in small-ball lineups... during the regular season.
It&rsquo;s hard to reckon with what we just saw from Harrell in the bubble. There were off-court circumstances that affected his play, and those shouldn&rsquo;t be completely ignored. On the court, he just doesn&rsquo;t have the size or ability to navigate space to hold water defensively. Running pick-and-rolls at him and Lou Williams remains a built-in way for enemies to generate good looks.&nbsp;
While Harrell is good on balance, it&rsquo;s hard to justify giving him, say, the $15 million per year that his numbers may indicate he deserves. There are a few bigs in this year&rsquo;s free agency class that can replicate most of his pick-and-roll value (more on that later!) without being a liability defensively. If the market is tighter than expected, maybe there&rsquo;s a number that makes sense for both sides. If not...
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/harrell_lg.jpg" alt="" width="794" height="AUTO" />
JaMychal Green*: Bring Him Back&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s hard to imagine Green will turn down his player option worth a hair over $5 million, but the Clippers should bring him back if he does. He&rsquo;s settled in as a stretch big now, with roughly two-thirds of his shots coming from beyond the arc. He&rsquo;s converted 38 percent of his triples over the past four seasons and 39.4 percent on increased volume over the last two. He holds his own as a post defender, which makes him an interesting small-ball 5 option late in games.
(He probably should&rsquo;ve played more during the Nuggets series, Doc!)
Reggie Jackson: Circle Back Later
Jackson&rsquo;s snapshot moment of the postseason was an unfortunate one: getting sauced before having a near 40-foot stepback three dropped over his head from Luka Doncic to cap off a 43-17-13 masterpiece. He shouldn&rsquo;t have been in to begin with considering he was picked on and attacked mercilessly in pick-and-roll in the second half and overtime of that game, but hey, what can you do about it now?
Jackson is still a smooth operator in pick-and-roll, and actually shot the leather off the ball during his Clippers stint (41.3 percent from deep in the regular season, 53.1 percent in the postseason). I&rsquo;m not sure either of those numbers are sustainable (the latter definitely isn&rsquo;t), but there&rsquo;s room for Jackson to return as a secondary creator.&nbsp;
Free Agent Guards
Bargains: D.J. Augustin, Tyler Johnson, Austin Rivers
Augustin can fill the table-setter role while occasionally showcasing some underrated pick-and-roll craft. He could also provide off-ball value alongside Leonard and George since he&rsquo;s a career 37.9 percent three-point shooter.
Johnson had a pretty quiet regular-season campaign, kicking things off in Phoenix before finding his way to the Brooklyn Nets mid-season. Johnson performed well in the postseason, averaging a shade under 14 points while unloading the clip from deep (39.3 percent on 7.0 attempts). He&rsquo;s a fearless driver and underrated rebounder; he isn&rsquo;t afraid of mixing it up with bigger players.
Rivers brings a particular brand of energy offensively. He&rsquo;s one of the NBA&rsquo;s underrated drivers, utilizing a quick first step and channeled aggression to generate looks at the rim. He isn&rsquo;t much more than a rudimentary playmaker, but his north-south style would fit with the second unit. He&rsquo;s also a reliable spot-up threat, drilling nearly 38 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes over the past three seasons, according to a source with access to Second Spectrum tracking data.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/hold_lg.jpg" alt="" width="793" height="AUTO" />
Free Agent Wings
Mid-Tier Options: Justin Holiday
Holiday is more 3-and-Decent than 3-and-D, but he&rsquo;s coming off of the best shooting season of his career (40.5 percent from three-point range on 4.5 attempts) while being a credible option against twos and threes. He&rsquo;d boost the Clippers&rsquo; transition attack. His off-ball randomness -- his ability to relocate around the perimeter, or catch ball-watching defenders off guard with hard cuts -- would be a welcome addition to the Clippers&rsquo; half-court attack.
Bargains: Garrett Temple*
Temple would give the Clippers a plus, multi-positional defender with a solid three-point stroke (35.3 percent over the past five seasons). More importantly, he&rsquo;d help bring a calming presence to a locker room that, well... let&rsquo;s just say it would&rsquo;ve helped last year. The asterisk is present on Temple's name because the Nets hold a $5 million team option on him, though it&rsquo;d come as no surprise if they let Temple walk to free up tax room to bring back Joe Harris. 
Free Agent Forwards
Mid-Tier Options: Danilo Gallinari, Paul Millsap&nbsp;
Well, we&rsquo;ve seen this before.
If Gallinari is serious about going the &ldquo;winning &gt; pay day&rdquo; route, then he could slot right in as the starting 4-man. He would immediately boost the Clippers&rsquo; shooting and half-court shot creation. His ability as a downhill creator would be a welcome addition for a team that can get a little pull-up jumper-heavy.
Millsap slipped a bit last season, sometimes laboring while operating as Denver&rsquo;s back-line defender in their aggressive pick-and-roll scheme. Still, he&rsquo;s able to hold his own against power wings and fours -- remember, he actually did a solid job against Anthony Davis in the Western Conference Finals -- and still provides a little bit of everything on offense. He&rsquo;s coming off the best shooting season of his career (43.5 percent from three), though that came on limited volume. He can mash smaller players on the block, and can flow between rolling and popping in pick-and-roll.&nbsp;
Bargains: Lance Thomas, Anthony Tolliver, Luc Mbah a Moute
Thomas has flown under the radar for years as a sneaky-solid forward defender that can knock down open threes. He&rsquo;s converted 38.5 percent of his triples over the past five seasons, though that comes on limited volume. He&rsquo;d be a solid get as a ninth man to get you through the regular season.
Tolliver is a Professional Good Person whose on-court value comes almost entirely from beyond the arc. You can do a whole lot worse than a career 37.3 percent three-point shooter.&nbsp;
Mbah a Moute has fallen victim to his own body, with injuries derailing his last three seasons. It&rsquo;s probably far-fetched to expect his 2017-18 form, but he could serve as a nice &ldquo;break-glass-in-case-of-emergency&rdquo; defender during the season.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/bayne_lg.jpg" alt="" width="793" height="AUTO" />
Free Agent Bigs 
Mid-Tier Options: Aron Baynes
Factoring in money, it&rsquo;s hard to argue against Baynes being one of the most valuable centers in basketball last season. He did the usual grunt work: set bone-crushing screens as a roller or handoff partner, protected the rim with superb positioning and boxed out well enough to help end possessions or grab the board himself. The new, somewhat surprising twist is that he became a legitimate three-point option (35.1 percent on 4.0 attempts per game).&nbsp;
Ivica Zubac is a fine starter, and that might undersell him at this point. Baynes is still a little better right now, and his spacing above the break could help further open up the offense.&nbsp;
Bargains: Meyers Leonard, JaVale McGee, Harry Giles
Leonard&rsquo;s free-agency value will come down to which version of him from last year teams feel they&rsquo;ll be getting. If it&rsquo;s the regular-season version -- where Leonard helped anchor one of the best starting lineups in the NBA with his shooting (41.4 percent from three), screening and vocal quarterbacking defensively -- then you could argue he should command a portion of the MLE. If it&rsquo;s the postseason version, where Leonard looked out of place defensively and his lack of three-point volume really stood out, the vet minimum could be all he musters.
McGee remains one of the NBA&rsquo;s top lob threats, equipped with solid leaping ability and a silly catch radius. That could make him a natural pick-and-roll partner with Williams, assuming he isn&rsquo;t moved this offseason. McGee uses his wild limbs to putback misses and swat shots on the other end. Fouls and an inability to navigate space limit his ceiling, though he&rsquo;d only be needed for 12-15 minutes, if that.&nbsp;
Giles has a bit of an injury history, dating back to his high-school days. Multiple lower-body injuries have sapped some of his athleticism, and he&rsquo;s still a fluid, jumpy big who can feast in transition. The intrigue lies in his on-ball skill; he&rsquo;s quietly one of the better passing big men in the league already. There&rsquo;s some serious &ldquo;throw-it-to-him-in-the-high-post-and-let-him-do-stuff&rdquo; potential waiting to be untapped. If Ty Lue is more willing to play young guys in the regular season, Giles&rsquo; playmaking and athleticism could be a sneaky-good addition to the second unit.

Nekias Duncan breaks down the Clippers' own free-agent decisions and suggests some players that LA should target at each position.

2020 Free Agency Preview: Los Angeles Clippers

If you weren&rsquo;t in the Miami Heat&rsquo;s locker room to begin this season, there&rsquo;s almost no chance you saw their run coming.
This is a team that has believed all along they could win a title. Their initial 24-8 start was a wakeup call for the rest of the league; the bubble run, as weird as the circumstances around it were, further validated their self belief. There were hiccups and changes along the way -- injuries to key starters and trade-deadline deals led to a fundamental shift in the way the Heat played defensively -- but ultimately those changes paid off. Being two wins away from a title in Year 1 of the Jimmy Butler Era is a massive success.
Now, the fun part begins.
The Heat aren&rsquo;t catching teams off guard next season. They aren&rsquo;t a plucky &ldquo;if-things-go-right&rdquo; fringe contender anymore. There are real external expectations now, and Butler is helping fuel those fires. There&rsquo;s obvious room for improvement, but the Heat are going to want to be careful about how they improve. Their trade for Andre Iguodala, Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill gives them the flexibility to generate up to $22 million in space this summer after renouncing cap holds. The always-informative Keith Smith has a more thorough breakdown of their cap situation, which you can find <a href="https://www.slamonline.com/nba/miami-heat-salary-cap-space-2020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here.</a>
So, yeah, the Heat can make a big splash. Will they? I wouldn&rsquo;t hold my breath on it. Most of the players good enough to warrant that kind of money will be looking for multi-year deals, which could cut into the Heat&rsquo;s heralded 2021 cap space. Staying over the cap and mostly running it back would give them a pretty strong roster, while also giving them a more lucrative mid-level exception to add help.&nbsp;
Let&rsquo;s take a look at some guys they&rsquo;ll look to bring back as well as some targets that could help them come back stronger than ever.
Key In-House Decisions
Goran Dragic: Bring Him Back
If you&rsquo;re looking solely at on-court factors, there&rsquo;s an argument for the Heat to let Dragic walk. He&rsquo;ll be coming off a foot injury, one that could hinder his already limited mobility defensively. That&rsquo;s on top of the natural decline Dragic will suffer from as he turns 35 years old next season. With Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro to soak up a lot of on-ball usage moving forward, and Kendrick Nunn having a claim to reps if he returns to form (or isn&rsquo;t traded), there&rsquo;s a case to be made that the Heat should focus more on bolstering their perimeter defense.
Even with those concerns, Dragic is still a good player. He was one of the NBA&rsquo;s most prolific bench players. His pick-and-roll chemistry with Adebayo has become a half-court staple for the Heat. Beyond that: everyone, and I mean everyone, loves Dragic. It&rsquo;s hard to overstate how much Dragic has meant to the Heat as a pillar of the Post-Bosh Era. He&rsquo;s going to be back unless something egregious goes down in contract talks.
Jae Crowder: Bring Him Back
Crowder was simultaneously who we thought he was, but also a little better than expected. He&rsquo;s been a streaky shooter for his entire career; only once, in 2016-17 with the Boston Celtics (39.8 percent), has Crowder shot above league average from three. Crowder converted nearly 45 percent of his triples during the regular season, then shot 40 percent on 8.3 attempts through the first two rounds of the playoffs. Those numbers plummeted throughout the rest of the run (29.1 percent on 7.2 attempts), but he provided his usual brand of gritty defense to offset some of the cold streak. There&rsquo;s mutual interest between the two. I&rsquo;d expect a 1+1 with a team option on the back end.
Derrick Jones Jr.: Let Him Walk
Jones Jr was a fun find. After being exiled by the Phoenix Suns, the Heat gave him a shot and deployed him as a frontcourt spark plug off the bench. He quickly came on as a rim-roller, offensive rebounder and a surprisingly versatile defender. His complete lack of on-ball skill caps his ceiling, and the jumper just hasn&rsquo;t come around. As exciting as he can be, he&rsquo;s an actively harmful offensive player on balance, and the defense isn&rsquo;t good *enough* to justify a consistent role in games that matter. Working a sign-and-trade to a new team for a second-rounder or two could be beneficial for both parties.
Meyers Leonard: Circle Back Later
It&rsquo;s hard to get a gauge on Leonard&rsquo;s market. On one hand, he was a starter for most of the season before an ankle sprain took him out. He provided value as a shooter (41.4 percent), albeit on low volume. He was the vocal quarterback of Miami&rsquo;s drop scheme, and his size helped Adebayo avoid more physically taxing matchups during the regular season.
On the other hand, Leonard was a relative on-court non-factor during the postseason as the Heat went smaller. It&rsquo;s hard to argue for a deal worth more than $10 million, but his proficiency as a starter gives him a little more than &ldquo;vet minimum&rdquo; status. I expect him and the Heat to find a middle ground after they look at some other big man options.
Solomon Hill: Circle Back Later
Hill was the inverse of Miami&rsquo;s other trade acquisitions. He didn&rsquo;t see much of a role during the regular season, then was thrust into the rotation as a small-ball 5 (!) during the Eastern Conference Finals. Hill is a fine defender, spotty shooter and <a href="https://the-miami-heat-beat-podcast-26fdfe0c.simplecast.com/episodes/266-blm-bubble-life-anime-w-solomon-hill-miami-heat-gCO1rj0N">Anime enthusiast.</a> He should still be available once the Heat do their shopping elsewhere.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/melton1_lg.jpg" alt="" width="785" height="AUTO" />
Free Agent Guards 
Cap Space Option: De&rsquo;Anthony Melton*
It&rsquo;s tempting to look into Raptors free agent Fred VanVleet, the best point guard on the market and someone who would solve all of Miami&rsquo;s point of attack issues while adding value as a shooter and secondary creator. Melton is flat-out worse offensively. The jumper isn&rsquo;t there outside of corner looks. There&rsquo;s some pick-and-roll craft worth exploring (54th percentile in passes out of pick-and-roll, per Synergy), but he should firmly be in the secondary attacker role.
However, Melton is an absolute hound defensively. He can shut the water off both guard spots, and has the length (near 6-foot-9 wingspan) to bother some 3s in a pinch. If you have faith in him becoming a reliable spot-up guy beyond the corners, he&rsquo;s the kind of young guy you make the gamble on.&nbsp;
Memphis will look to retain Melton as he&rsquo;s a restricted free agent, but other teams will come calling. There&rsquo;s an obvious fit in Atlanta alongside Trae Young, for example. Offering something like a 4-year, $45 million offer for Melton may be enough to pry him away, while still leaving just enough wiggle room to offer a star a max contract next year, depending on what the cap does.
Mid-Tier Option: Jordan Clarkson&nbsp;
Clarkson is coming off of, by far, the most efficient season of his career. He gave the Jazz a much-needed scoring punch once he arrived, averaging 15.6 points with a 56.9 True Shooting percentage during the regular season. Both of those marks increased (16.7, 57.7) during Utah&rsquo;s first round showdown with the Denver Nuggets.&nbsp;
Clarkson trading out some of his pull-up long twos for threes went a long way to making him a more efficient option. If the Heat end up looking for a Dragic replacement, Clarkson should be at the top of the list.
Bargains: Austin Rivers
Rivers brings a particular brand of energy offensively. He&rsquo;s one of the NBA&rsquo;s underrated drivers, utilizing a quick first step and channeled aggression to generate looks at the rim. He isn&rsquo;t much more than a rudimentary playmaker, but his north-south style would be a welcomed addition to the Heat bench. He&rsquo;s also a reliable spot-up threat, drilling nearly 38 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes over the past three seasons, according to a source with access to Second Spectrum tracking data.
Free Agent Wings 
Mid-Tier Options: Wes Matthews, Justin Holiday
There&rsquo;s a case to be made that Matthews could accept another minimum deal from a contender, either remaining in Milwaukee or going elsewhere. There&rsquo;s an even stronger case to be made that he&rsquo;s earned himself a pay day.
Matthews routinely took on the most demanding perimeter defensive assignments throughout the regular season, while knocking down over 36 percent of his threes on decent volume. He then upped the ante in the postseason, something that the Heat -- and Butler -- got a firsthand look at. There&rsquo;s an obvious Marquette connection at play; adding Matthews would boost Miami&rsquo;s perimeter defense while delivering a blow to the Bucks.
Holiday is more 3-and-Decent than 3-and-D, but he&rsquo;s coming off the best shooting season of his career (40.5 percent from three-point range on 4.5 attempts) while being a credible option against 2s and 3s. He&rsquo;s certainly worth a portion of the MLE if it comes down to it.
Bargains: Garrett Temple*
Temple would give the Heat a plus, multi-positional defender with a solid three-point stroke (35.3 percent over the past five seasons). The asterisk is present because the Nets hold a team option, though it&rsquo;d come as no surprise if they let Temple walk to free up tax room to bring back Joe Harris.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/gallo1_lg.jpg" alt="" width="789" height="AUTO" />
Free Agent Forwards 
Cap Space Option: Danilo Gallinari
Gallinari was pretty close to being a member of the Heat this season, though talks allegedly broke down over a post-trade contract extension. Gallinari is one of the NBA&rsquo;s most underrated scorers, able to get buckets from all three levels and live at the free throw line when attacking mismatches. He may prioritize winning over dollars this offseason <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/danilo-gallinari-says-competing-for-a-championship-is-more-important-than-his-contract-in-free-agency/">per his own words</a>, but the Heat have a pathway to outbidding all non-Thunder playoff teams this summer. A high-dollar 1+1 deal could get things done.
Mid-Tier Options: Jerami Grant, Paul Millsap&nbsp;
Grant was one of the breakout-adjacent ballers of the bubble, providing value as a shooter, cutter and multi-positional defender. Firecracker athletes with off-ball value and defensive versatility are hard to come by. He could realistically cash in with a team with cap space (hello, Atlanta, again), though he&rsquo;ll have plenty of interest from playoff teams. The Nuggets are in the lead, but tossing the full mid-level at Grant would be a smart play. Similar to Melton, a multi-year deal in the $9-10 million per year range would still allow the Heat to have room for a max slot next season.
If not Grant, going for Millsap could be a cheaper but just-as-fruitful option. He did look a bit washed at points during the postseason, but still managed to defend Anthony Davis as well as nearly anyone while filling the gaps offensively. I&rsquo;d argue that Millsap has a bit more in the tank than it would appear; operating as the backline defender in Denver&rsquo;s aggressive pick-and-roll scheme puts a lot of strain on those old bones. He would be surrounded by better defenders in Miami, and there&rsquo;s enough scheme versatility to where his responsibility would be much lighter.
Bargains: Mo Harkless, Luc Mbah a Moute, Anthony Tolliver
Harkless was a member of the Heat for about 27 minutes as part of the Hassan Whiteside trade&nbsp; before getting redirected. He&rsquo;s a credible defender of 3s and 4s, though his jumper has always been the swing skill of his effectiveness. He&rsquo;s never been a high volume guy and even with that caveat, he has shot over 35 percent from three-point range in just three of his eight seasons. He can provide value as an eighth man during the regular season.
Mbah a Moute has fallen victim to his own body, with injuries derailing his last three seasons. It&rsquo;s probably far-fetched to expect his 2017-18 form, but he could serve as a nice &ldquo;break-glass-in-case-of-emergency&rdquo; defender during the season.&nbsp;
Tolliver is a Professional Good Person whose on-court value comes almost entirely from beyond the arc. You can do a whole lot worse than a career 37.3 percent three-point shooter.&nbsp;
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/serge1_lg.jpg" alt="" width="785" height="AUTO" />
Free Agent Bigs 
Big Money: Serge Ibaka
If you&rsquo;re looking for an ideal frontcourt partner for Adebayo, he has to have the size to bang with true centers, or perimeter shooting ability. Both would be preferred of course, but one of those qualities have to be present. Ibaka comes with more of the latter, but he has been a fearsome rim protector for nearly his entire career.
It would likely take a sizable 1+1 deal, but an Ibaka-Adebayo frontcourt could be worth it. Ibaka would operate as the 4 on offense, working pick-and-pops and floating around the perimeter while the other Heatles work downhill. He would serve as the 5 on defense, hanging around the rim in the Heat&rsquo;s drop scheme, or roaming the paint as part of their zone.&nbsp;
Mid-Tier Option: Aron Baynes
Factoring in money, it&rsquo;s hard to argue against Baynes being one of the most valuable centers in basketball last season. He did the usual grunt work: setting bone-crushing screens as a roller or handoff partner, protected the rim with superb positioning, and boxed out well enough to help end possessions or grab the board himself. The new, somewhat surprising twist is that he became a legitimate three-point option (35.1 percent on 4.0 attempts per game). Stretch-ish fives are hard to find; the fit next to Adebayo is pretty darn seamless.&nbsp;
Bargains: Harry Giles
Giles has a bit of an injury history, dating back to his high-school days. Multiple lower body injuries have sapped some of his athleticism, and he&rsquo;s still a fluid, jumpy big who can feast in transition. The intrigue lies in his on-ball skill; he&rsquo;s quietly one of the better passing big men in the league already. There&rsquo;s some serious &ldquo;throw-it-to-him-in-the-high-post-and-let-him-do-stuff&rdquo; potential waiting to be untapped. This would be a smart buy-low candidate to look into.

Nekias Duncan breaks down the Miami Heat's salary-cap situation and impending free agents, plus several players they should target.