Exploring Heat’s remaining low-budget free agent options at forward and two guard

In recent days, the Heat has been in a holding pattern while trying to acquire Portland guard Damian Lillard.

But Miami ultimately might need more veteran help at shooting guard, small forward or power forward, based on who was sent away and who is obtained in a potential trade for Lillard.

Miami’s payroll remains too high for the Heat to have any access to the full $12.4 million midlevel exception or the $5 million taxpayer midlevel exception; that very likely would remain the case even after a potential Lillard trade.

That means the Heat can only add veterans with minimum contracts or through trades. The Heat has 13 players signed to standard deals; teams must carry 15 during the season.

A look at remaining shooting guards and forwards who seem likely to settle for salaries at or near the minimum:

SMALL FORWARDS/SHOOTING GUARDS

▪ Kevin Knox: The Trail Blazers declined the 23-year-old guard’s $3 million team option, making him an unrestricted free agent. The ninth overall pick in the 2018 Draft, Knox has played for four teams in five seasons.

He averaged 6.6 points and 2.8 points rebounds per game while shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 34.9 percent on three three-point attempts per game this past season for Detroit and Portland. He has desirable size and length at 6-7.

▪ Austin Rivers: The 6-4 combo guard, who’s 30, averaged 4.9 points and shot 35 percent on threes in 53 games and 10 starts last season for Minnesota, his seventh NBA stop. He averaged 15.1 points for the Clippers in 2017-18, but that seems to be a career outlier.

▪ Terence Ross: His scoring has dropped from 15.6 to 10.0 to 8.3 last season, and the Suns didn’t re-sign him in the first few days of free agency.

He averaged 9.0 points and shot 34.7 percent on threes in 19 regular-season games for Phoenix last season after a buyout from Orlando. At 32, he might have something left. And he has the size, at 6-7, to play guard or small forward.

▪ Will Barton: The veteran shooting guard had a down year last season, averaging 6.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and two assists and shooting 37.9 percent from the field while splitting time between the Wizards and Raptors.

The 6-6 Barton, 32, averaged between 11 and 15 points in eight consecutive seasons, through 2021-22. He’s a career 35.5 percent shooter on threes.

▪ Danny Green: At 36, the 6-6 swingman is nearing the end. But he did make 16 of 37 threes (43.2 percent) in 11 combined appearances for Memphis and Cleveland last season, after hitting 38 percent of his threes in 62 games for the 76ers the previous season.

▪ R.J. Hampton: The 6-5 shooting guard last season averaged 6.4 points and shot 35.3 percent on threes in 47 games and three starts for Orlando and Detroit.

▪ Terence Davis: Davis, 6-4, averaged 6.7 points and shot 36.6 percent on threes in 64 games, including five starts for the Kings last season.

▪ Javonte Green: The 6-5 small forward/two guard started 45 games for the Bulls two seasons ago, but made only 32 appearances and one start last season for Chicago, averaging 5.2 points and hitting 13 of 35 threes (37.1 percent).

▪ Among others also available: Romeo Langford (28.8 percent career three-point shooting makes him unappealing); Jarrett Culver (the sixth pick of the 2019 Draft played in just 10 games last season and is a career 27.6 percent three-point shooter)...

Davon Reed (the former Miami Hurricane made 35 appearances for Denver and eight for the Lakers last season but is a career 40.8 percent shooter); Justin Jackson; Stanley Johnson; Derrick Jones Jr. and Justise Winslow (been there, done that with both; Winslow was limited to 29 games for Portland last season)...

T.J. Warren (injuries have left him a shell of his former self); Hamidou Diallo; Bryn Forbes; former Heat player Rodney McGruder and Theo Pinson.

POWER FORWARDS

Another could be needed, depending on whether Caleb Martin or Nikola Jovic is sent away in a Lillard trade. Among the potential options:

▪ Christian Wood: This is only a possibility if he must settle for the minimum, a notion that seemed highly unlikely a week ago but is no longer out of the question.

Wood’s numbers last season (16.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 37.6 percent on threes), combined with his size (6-10) and shooting touch get some players contracts averaging $10 million or more a year. But the market seems depressed for Wood, who appeared in 67 games with 17 starts for Dallas last season.

If he’s willing to take the minimum at some point, the Heat looms as a strong candidate. His agent declined to comment.

After ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins said Wood must humble himself and other questioned him on social media, Wood tweeted Wednesday: “Worked my [butt] off for everything I got AND went undrafted AND still made it through... [trying to] figure out when I developed haters lol.”

▪ Darius Bazley: The 23-year-old, selected 23rd overall by Utah in the 2019 Draft and then traded to Oklahoma City, has good size (6-foot-9 and 216 pounds) and has 232 career threes (but just 31 percent shooting on threes). He averaged 5.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game in 43 games and one start with the Suns and Thunder last season and has started 118 games during his four-year NBA career.

▪ Wenyen Gabriel: A role player whose game is built around effort, Gabriel, 26, averaged 5.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting 59.6 percent from the field in 15.1 minutes per game in 68 appearances last season for the Lakers. But he’s not much of a floor spacer; he’s 37 for 116 on threes (31.9 percent) in his career.

▪ JaMychal Green: The 33-year-old veteran brings physicality to the position at 6-foot-9 and 227 pounds and also can space the floor; he has shot 36.8 percent on threes in his career. He averaged 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 rebounds in 57 games for the Warriors last season.

▪ Dario Saric: While the 29-year-old Saric is reportedly likely to sign with the Warriors, he remains an unrestricted free agent, and Yahoo reported he might end up with Miami. His combination of size (6-10 and 225 pounds) and ability to hit threes makes him an intriguing power forward option.

He has shot just 31.1 percent on threes during his NBA career but made 39.1 percent last season (45 for 115), while averaging 6.4 points in 57 games and 12 starts for the Suns and Thunder.

▪ Trendon Watford: The Trail Blazers waived Watford on June 30 despite a solid showing in his second NBA season, and he’s worth exploring. Watford, 22, averaged 7.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 56 percent from the field and 39.1 percent on one three-point attempt per game in 62 games (12 starts) with Portland. He also brings size to the position at 6-8 and 237 pounds.

▪ Among others also available: Derrick Favors, Taj Gibson, Montrezl Harrell, Blake Griffin, Markieff Morris and James Johnson (been there, done that on both), Serge Ibaka (Heat bypassed him in February), Tristan Thompson, Noah Vonleh, Juancho Hernangomez. Only a few of those are the type of stretch fours that the Heat likes alongside Bam Adebayo. And one who is, Griffin, is in steep decline.