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The Miami Heat's pursuit of LeBron James ended in disappointment on Friday morning as the four-time champion announced he will be joining the Philadelphia 76ers to conclude his iconic career.
The 41-year-old prolonged his free agency decision and each day that passed made it more likely he would have to sign a cheap contract wherever he landed.
He did just that as ESPN's Shams Charania reported James is signing a two-year deal worth $8 million with a player option for the 2027-28 season.
Despite missing out on James, the Heat are still having a franchise-changing offseason.
Just over a month ago, the team made one of the biggest blockbuster deals of the decade by acquiring Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
However, the team lost multiple players in that trade and must continue to build out the remainder of the roster despite some financial restrictions.
The team is reportedly interested in veterans such as Klay Thompson, DeMar DeRozan and Bradley Beal.
However, here are three low-end, under-the-radar free agent targets who could improve the roster: 1.
Seth Curry, Golden State Warriors The Heat's trade for Antetokounmpo depleted most of the team's youth so why not go all in on having a roster full of veterans? Let's throw Curry into the rotation.
Despite getting older and losing meaningful minutes as his career has gone on, Curry is still lights out from three-point range.
It never hurts to have a guy like Curry off the bench even as a 14th or 15th man.
He won't cost much and is even more reliable from three-point range than most starters in the league.
2.
Drew Eubanks, Sacramento Kings The big man is recovering from a torn UCL in his thumb but still could be a solid piece of Miami's rotation.
He isn't a strong shooter but the Heat already have that aspect covered in a player like Bobby Portis.
Eubanks can be more of an inside threat and take up space down low.
There are far worse options to eye at one of the backup big man positions than Eubanks, who has been around the NBA for almost ten seasons.
3.
Nick Smith Jr., Los Angeles Lakers A former first-round pick, Smith hasn't had the strongest start to his NBA career.
He was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets after a strong season at Arkansas in 2023 but quickly fell down to the bottom of the rotation, getting waived prior to last season.
With the Lakers on a two-way contract, he shot well from three-point range in limited appearances but is still looking to break out at the NBA level.
The team could gamble on Erik Spoelstra being able to unlock some aspects to his game as the guard is still only 22 years old and has loads of potential.
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