NBA Rumors: Miami Heat interested in signing Bobby Portis in free agency

Bobby Portis' string of good performances in the 2021 NBA Finals hasn't gone unnoticed, with NBA rumors suggesting that the Miami Heat are interested in him. Portis' energetic play went a long in helping the Milwaukee Bucks claim their first title in 50 days.

Bobby Portis has a player option worth $3.8 million with the Bucks for the upcoming season but he's expected to turn that down. As per Evan Massey of NBA Analysis Network, the Miami Heat are expected to pursue Portis should he become a free agent.

Per league source to @HoopAnalysisNet, the Miami #Heat are one team expected to have interest in signing #Bucks impending free agent forward Bobby Portis this offseason.

— Evan Massey (@massey_evan) July 23, 2021

Bobby Portis averaged 11.4 points and 7.1 rebounds in just 20.9 minutes of action per game for the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2020-21 regular season. He even shot the ball at 47.1% from beyond the arc.

Bobby Portis got even fewer minutes on the court in the postseason, but he saved his best performance for the series-clinching game of the 2021 NBA Finals. Portis scored 16 points on 60% shooting as the Bucks beat the Phoenix Suns in Game 6.

NBA Rumors: Is Bobby Portis a good fit for the Miami Heat?

Heat GM Pat Riley

Standing at 6'10, power forward Bobby Portis can do most things on offense. He's athletic, can shoot the ball from deep and make free throws. Portis could replace Trevor Ariza – who's also a free agent this summer – in the Miami Heat's starting lineup. He isn't too reliable on the defensive end, but head coach Erik Spoelstra can help iron out some deficiencies in Portis' game on that end of the court.

Giannis celebrating Bobby Portis' hustle 💪 #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/G1jMKKEXdV

— ESPN (@espn) July 18, 2021

The Miami Heat can offer Bobby Portis more money than the Milwaukee Bucks. The Heat can either use their midlevel exception or decline team options to create cap space and hand Portis an eight-figure salary. In comparison, the Bucks can only offer Portis the full taxpayer's midlevel exception amount worth $5,890,000.

The only problem here for the Miami Heat is that Bobby Portis' past actions haven't been entirely dictated by money. He declined better offers to play for the Milwaukee Bucks. He has a cult following among Bucks fans as well. So Portis will have plenty to consider before making any decision.