Miami Heat: 5 trades and free agent signings to rejuvenate the roster

5. Sign Stanley Johnson to a minimum free agent deal

If there’s one thing the Heat have become renowned for, it’s rejuvenating players’ careers. Dion Waiters, James Johnson and Wayne Ellington are some recent examples of players who have bounced around the league before flourishing in their new surroundings with the Heat.

While he has only been in the league for four seasons, Stanley Johnson certainly fits the bill. As the No. 8 overall pick in 2015, Johnson has clearly underachieved considering his lofty draft position and reputation coming out of college. A 6’7″ small forward, the highly reputable Draft Express‘ scouting report on Johnson when leaving the University of Arizona contained the following:

"“Johnson can create his own shot effectively with his outstanding combination of quickness, size and power, even showing some ability to operate at different speeds with developing ball-handling ability….Johnson’s biggest appeal as a NBA prospect likely lies with his potential on the defensive end. He has tremendous physical tools here, including great size for his position, a strong frame, solid length, and excellent anticipation skills.”"

While Johnson is just a career 29.3 percent shooter from 3-point range, you only need to look at the rapid development of Justise Winslow from long distance to understand that the Heat certainly have the capacity to develop elite young talent. Still must 23 years old, Johnson is worthy of a flier under the Heat’s renowned development system.

Overall, the opportunity to join an organization with a proven track record of developing young talent would represent a great career move for Johnson, though it would depend on what the New Orleans Pelicans decide to do with his restricted free agent, and would probably be contingent on no other team offering him a better deal.