Miami Heat: Kyle Lowry
When free agency gets underway, reports suggest that the Miami Heat could make an aggressive push to acquire Kyle Lowry in a sign-and-trade with the Raptors. Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa appear to be the key pieces included in the potential sign-and-trade scenario.
As for the move for Lowry, the Heat realize they need to find a guard that can shoot efficiently and create for others, relieving some of the pressure off of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. If Miami does land Lowry, re-sign Duncan Robinson, and bolster the rest of their roster, they could be a favorite to win the Eastern Conference next season.
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Milwaukee Bucks: Bobby Portis
After winning the NBA Finals, why wouldn’t the Milwaukee Bucks attempt to run it back with the majority of their roster? Bobby Portis declined his option for the upcoming season and P.J. Tucker is an unrestricted free agent for the Bucks. Both Portis and Tucker played important roles for Milwaukee, and there’s an argument to be had for them to retain both of them.
However, if they have to choose between the two, Portis brings more on the offensive end and he contributes enough on the defensive end to justify re-signing him. With not many glaring holes on the roster, re-signing a fan-favorite player in Portis is one of the best moves the Bucks could make this offseason.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Lauri Markkanen
Back in the 2017 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves took Lauri Markkanen with the No. 7 overall pick out of Arizona. He would never spend a single minute with the Timberwolves as he was involved in the trade that sent LaVine to the Bulls. Markkanen has been an outstanding shooting big that just made a career-high 40.2 percent of his threes in 2020-21.
Health has been an issue for Markkanen, but a ton of teams could use his floor-spacing at the power forward position. After drafting him back in 2017, the Timberwolves could have a shot to add Markkanen, pairing him with Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, and Anthony Edwards.
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New Orleans Pelicans: Lonzo Ball
All signs have pointed toward the Pelicans not matching any ‘significant’ offers for Ball in free agency. While certain people are still skeptical of Ball, he’s one of the best free agents available this summer at 23 years old. Despite coming into the league as a below-average shooter, Ball has improved in that area, making 37.6 percent of his threes in the past two seasons.
There are other point guards that the Pelicans can land in free agency, but Lowry seems poised to join the Heat, Chris Paul could easily re-sign with the Phoenix Suns, and Mike Conley is primed to re-up with the Utah Jazz. Even though it appears his days in New Orleans are numbered, keeping Ball with their core of Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, and Valanciunas would be the best choice the Pelicans can make.
READ MORE: NBA Rumors: 5 stars next to move following Russell Westbrook trade
New York Knicks: Evan Fournier
Just a few weeks ago, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the Celtics were going to be the front-runners to re-sign Evan Fournier. Fast forward to now and the odds of him leaving Boston are increasing every day. Fournier is dominating in the Tokyo Olympics and his stint with the Celtics this season has teams eager to pay him in free agency.
The New York Knicks are a team that makes sense for Fournier as he looks to get a decent contract on the open market. Fournier made an incredible 44.8 percent of his threes in 16 games with Boston in 2020-2021. Outside of RJ Barrett and Julius Randle, the Knicks need someone that can handle the ball and strengthen their shooting. Signing Fournier would address both of those areas of the roster as they hope to build upon what they started this season.
