Miami Heat Face Tough Decision With Young Forward's Contract Extension

The Miami Heat need to be selective with how they spend money this offseason. After missing out on former Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant, all eyes are on Pat Riley to see what moves he makes to strengthen this roster.

Miami does not have a crazy amount of cap space. Many expect the team to position themselves quite well for next offseason when numerous All-Stars are expected to hit unrestricted free agency. However, there is one decision that Pat Riley needs to make regarding one of the younger players on the roster.

Bleacher Report states the toughest decision for Miami this offseason is deciding whether or not to extend Nikola Jovic. They argue they should wait until next offseason to determine his fate when he hits restricted free agency.

"Miami could be a major cap-space player in 2026 when Terry Rozier and Duncan Robinson’s deals come off the books, so it might prefer to let the restricted free-agency market decide [Nikola] Jovic’s rate for them a year from now," the article wrote. "There’s always a risk in letting that happen with a player who has as much obvious talent as Jovic does, especially when he might be willing to take something like a four-year extension with an annual salary below the mid-level exception—say, in the $10-12 million range."

Jovic, 22, has shown flashes but did not take the leap many expected last season. He suffered a fractured hand injury over the latter part of the season. With Riley reportedly excluding Jovic from trade discussions surrounding Durant, it's safe to assume the Heat will attempt to extend the young Serbian forward who still has plenty of potential given his age.

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