Miami Heat: Signing Justise Winslow to an extension is the right move

The Miami Heat should make the smart play of signing Justise Winslow to an extension before the start of the 2018-19 NBA season

Even though Justise Winslow has left much to be desired from a former top 10 NBA Draft pick, the Miami Heat should still do what they can to lock him up before the extension deadline later this fall.

The real gamble that the Heat need to make is whether or not they truly believe in Winslow. If they let him play out this season without an extension, they could be forced to pay him even more. If Winslow has a breakout season, he will likely demand big money on the open restricted free agent market.

That could leave Miami in a real tough spot, having to decide to match any offer he gets on the open market or letting him walk in exchange for nothing. Should the Heat re-sign Winslow this offseason, to a potential team-friendly deal – perhaps even similar to the one that they signed Josh Richardson to last season – they could avoid that decision and potentially save money in the long run.

And if the Heat really does believe in Winslow, they should try to lock him up now, and from the sounds of things it sounds like that’s the plan.

The bigger question falls on the shoulders of Justise Winslow himself. Will he elect to sign an extension this summer, or opt to bet on himself and potentially put himself in line for a big money grab next summer?

If the Miami Heat want to play it safe – and, for the most part, smart – signing Winslow to an extension this summer should be the move that they should explore and probably get done.

As for Winslow, it’s probably best for him to get a deal done, too. And if he feels comfortable in Miami, there might not be a better place for his development. Winslow is coming off a season in which he averaged a career high in both overall field goal percentage and 3-point percentage.

He could be in for a big year in 2018-19.