NBA Rumors: Heat May Need To Choose Between Scrappy Forward, 2021 Free Agency

The Miami Heat are trying to come up with a winning formula, and it all starts by identifying who stays and who goes. After seemingly admitting that their previous investment did not exactly turn out the way it should be, several players with massive deals are on the block. And while he was not mentioned before, Kelly Olynyk could be an interesting case.

The 13th overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft is reaching the home stretch of his four-year $50 million deal and could opt out next season. Normally, players who reach this point would either get a new pact or be dangled to interested teams. In the case of the 28-year-old player, it gets a bit more complicated for the Heat.

Should Miami opt to retain his services, it could come with repercussions. With several names such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bradley Beal, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Blake Griffin, Jrue Holiday and Victor Oladipo possibly available by the summer of 2021, keeping Olynyk would cut off the Heat from trying to make an acceptable pitch to any of them, the Sun-Sentinel reported.

Hence, Olynyk's performance for the coming NBA season may not be enough for the Heat to decide on what to do next. The 7-footer has been an amiable contribute for coach Erik Spoelstra the past years and is seen as a perfect complement to the new face of the franchise, Jimmy Butler. He averaged 10.0 points on 46.3 percent shooting from the field and 35.4 percent from 3-point range last season and started in 36 games for the South Beach squad.

His future could also hinge on whether the Heat can deal off some of their high-priced stars. In a previous article, it was mentioned how the likes of Hassan Whiteside, Goran Dragic, James Johnson, and Dion Waiters are likely to be offered to NBA teams that would be willing to take them in. So far, only Whiteside has been unloaded and is now with the Portland Trail Blazers. Dragic almost went to the Dallas Mavericks before talks bogged down.

Olynyk is set to make $11.7 million for the 2019-20 NBA season and $12 million for the 2020-21 season if he opts in. But knowing he can possibly earn more if he tests free agency, the consensus is that he will opt out -- unless the Heat decides to hand him a contract extension earlier.