Denver Nuggets: 3 potential Paul Millsap free agency destinations
3. Miami Heat
Pat Riley is building a winning culture in South Beach with championship aspirations, and the addition of Paul Millsap to the team would certainly help the Miami Heat strive toward their goals.
The Heat have reportedly been rumored to have interest in pursuing Millsap this offseason, and they should be since he would fit well and transition smoothly into head coach Erik Spoelstra’s system.
Signing Millsap could fill their starting power forward position since Meyers Leonard is also set to become an unrestricted free agent and would form a dominant defensive frontcourt alongside center Bam Adebayo. Adebayo has improved by leaps and bounds during the 2019-20 season, especially defensively, and has solidified himself as an excellent team defender and All-Star.
Imagine a lineup where Adebayo, Millsap, and Jimmy Butler are all on the court together — opponents could be terrified of that since those three elite defenders sharing the floor would cause difficulties scoring in the interior.
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In addition, Millsap would excel on the offensive end with Miami as well. Along with his skill set complimenting both of the Heat’s All-Stars, Millsap would also complement their young shooters such as Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson offensively with his ability to set effective screens, stretch the floor, and grab offensive rebounds.
I could see Miami using Millsap offensively similar to how the Golden State Warriors use Draymond Green’s impact to create open shots for Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Millsap could be utilized in many different ways for the Heat, and that’s why I believe he could serve as a valuable contributor to their squad.
The Heat will also have enough cap space to sign Millsap once free agency opens. In terms of a potential contract, there’s no indication what Millsap will prefer for his next deal, but it’s possible he could prefer a contract that would range from paying him around $9-14 million per year.
Miami could be interested in only signing Millsap to a one-year deal, though, since it’s no secret they have their eyes set on the deep 2021 free agent class. Either way, Millsap could be open to many different options.
Paul Millsap should be a priority target for the Heat in the upcoming offseason, and Miami could identify themselves as the biggest threat to lure him away from Denver.