ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported on Friday (Twitter video link) that LeBron James‘ agent, Rich Paul, believed his client would eventually sign with the Heat for much of his free agency. Instead, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer decided to sign with Philadelphia, his fourth team in the league.

While it’s unclear if it factored into James’ decision, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints hears Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t make an “all-out recruiting pitch” to the 41-year-old forward. Miami officially acquired Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee on July 6, after the moratorium period ended.

With James no longer an option, the Heat are expected to turn their attention to DeMar DeRozan, Siegel confirms. Bradley Beal is another name multiple reporters — including Siegel — have connected to the Heat.

DeRozan and Beal have been linked to Miami in previous transaction windows, and rival teams believe the Heat are the favorites to land both players, according to Siegel, who says Miami is “very likely” to sign “at least one” of the multi-time All-Stars.

Still, Siegel acknowledges it’s unclear if the Heat want to add both veteran scorers to their roster.

DeRozan, who turns 37 years old in a couple weeks, has spent the past two seasons with Sacramento, which waived his partially guaranteed contract earlier this month to save money. Former Clippers guard Beal, meanwhile, missed nearly all of 2025/26 due to a hip injury and became a free agent after he declined his player option at the end of June.