This summer will be big for the Miami Heat. According to a report, both Luol Deng and Goran Dragic may leave Miami in free agency after the season.
Deng and Dragic both are expected to use their player options for next season and test the free agency market. According to Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler, Deng will likely be playing for another team next season.
"There is a sense that given Deng's age and his injury history, that he's going to opt for free agency in July and try to secure a longer-term deal," Kyler wrote Thursday. "That may not be with Miami. Deng was signed right after LeBron James opted to return to Cleveland, so the fit in Miami wasn't exactly the best given the situation. ...
"There is a chance the HEAT pony up more money for Deng, but it might be more likely that Deng is somewhere else next season, mainly to secure a new long-term deal. The sense is he's going to be a free agent and trade his remaining $10.15 million for a new deal."
Miami purportedly shopped Deng, 29, around this season for a trade. Although the Memphis Grizzlies reportedly were a strong suitor for him at one point, nothing ending up coming of the trade rumors.
Dragic is also expected to test free agency. Although things seem to be going well in South Beach, landing a big payday reportedly is what's most important to the 28-year-old guard.
"The narrative around HEAT guard Goran Dragic is that he is going to look at the marketplace this summer," Kyler wrote. "The HEAT are said to believe they have the inside track on a new deal, but it's going to cost them a ton and Goran's camp intends to maximize his next deal even if that means leaving Miami."
It's uncertain if team president Pat Riley will offer Dragic a huge deal, but the fact Riley traded away a number of assets to land Dragic suggests he'll at the very least consider it. The Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks reportedly are among the teams interested in pursuing Dragic in July.
