5 Miami Heat Free Agents the New Orleans Pelicans Could Pursue

Two Miami Heat wings that fit the New Orleans Pelicans.

Jae Crowder: Small Forward

Crowder probably fits the Pelicans better than anyone on this list. He ticks just about every box of what they are looking for in a backup wing.

Crowder is strong, physical and can body some of the bigger wings in the NBA much better than anyone currently on the Pelicans.

Crowder is not a lights-out 3-point shooter by any means, but he has hit 33.6 percent for his career and has shown steady improvement, hitting 39.3 percent on 6.8 attempts per game in his 13 games with Miami.

Crowder fits the mold of the 3-and-D wing the Pelicans covet and would be a nice fit as the primary backup to Brandon Ingram or playing with him at the four.

The problem is that Crowder is still just 29-years-old and still hasn’t had his big payday (by NBA standards). He is making $7.8 million this season and is likely to get a raise in free agency.

Most teams in the NBA would benefit from what Crowder does, so he will have some suitors, but if the Pels can retain Favors for less money, it might still be an option.

Derrick Jones Jr.: Small Forward

Derrick Jones Jr. is the  most interesting player on this list and the one the Miami Heat are most likely to retain.

Jones Jr. is just 23-years-old and has already evolved into an above-average defender at the wing position, which is exactly what the Pelicans need. He’s also one of the most electric dunkers in the league and would be another alley-oop candidate for Lonzo Ball and Jrue Holiday.

Watch some of these beauties:

He also fits well with the Pelicans’ timeline, as he is a young veteran who could grow with the Pels’ core.

Jones is on the last year of his rookie deal which pays $1.6 million, so he’s definitely getting a pay raise in free agency. It will most likely be from the Miami Heat, who don’t have much depth or youth at the wing.

Some team will almost certainly make Jones an offer that the Heat will have to match or exceed and that number may be well outside the Pelicans’ comfort zone. Jones has a chance to be a lockdown wing defender in the NBA, so he is going to get paid, especially when free agency is so light on wing talent.

The Miami Heat will have a lot of moving parts this fall and will be involved in just about every trade rumor out there.

They will have to decide how many of these players they are going to re-sign, or if they are going to make a splashier move for another star to pair with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.

The Heat’s loss could be the Pelicans’ gain and these five guys will definitely get extended looks from New Orleans.