The Miami Heat were one win away from reaching the Eastern Conference Finals and are going to be a threat once again next season. Pat Riley knows that he will have to attack free agency in order to get the missing piece they needed in the playoffs last season. There are a lot of potential targets for the Heat, we will focus on one player in particular at this point.

John Buhler of FanSided opined that the Heat could look at signing Chandler Parsons when free agency opens up this offseason. He would be a perfect fit for the Heat’s starting small forward spot and would be an immediate upgrade over Luol Deng.

Dallas is going to try to bring him back, but Parsons has made it clear that he is going to consider all his options before making a decision.

Throughout the course of the 2015-16 regular season, Parsons ended up averaging 13.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. He shot 49.2 percent from the field overall and knocked down 41.4 percent from the three-point line. Parsons struggled with injury problems all season long, playing in 61 games.

[AP Photo/Brandon Wade]

At 27-years-old, Parsons is in the prime of his career and will be a hot commodity in free agency. Miami will have to be aggressive in their pursuit of him if they want to get a deal done.

Parsons would add a much needed three-point shooting threat for the Heat. It was obvious against the Toronto Raptors in the postseason that the Heat didn’t have enough shooting. Joe Johnson didn’t get the job done, and Miami has to find an answer to the issues.

Miami will have to figure out a way to balance their money between re-signing Dwyane Wade and Hassan Whiteside and adding another sizable piece. Parsons isn’t going to be cheap, but there are ways the Heat could come up with a way to sign him.

It will be interesting to see which teams show interest in signing Parsons when free agency opens. There has not been a preliminary list of teams that are expected to pursue him put out yet. Miami will be one, but there is no telling what their competition will be at this point.

Looking ahead at free agency, there aren’t many teams that would fit better for Parsons than the Heat.

[AP Photo/David Zalubowski]

He would be able to fill a role and wouldn’t have to put a team on his shoulders. It would be a very similar role to the one that he had during his days with the Houston Rockets. The situation he had in Dallas asked a lot of him, and he wasn’t able to fill it entirely.

There is no telling what kind of contract Parsons will want this offseason. A max contract is likely a bit high, although he opted out of a year that would have paid him just over $16 million.

Expect to see a lot of interest in Parsons immediately in free agency this offseason. Every team can use a player with Parsons’ skill-set, and he still has the potential to grow. Miami would immediately become one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference if they find a way to sign Parsons, and their biggest weakness would become a strength.

Riley has always been an aggressive general manager and that will not change this offseason.

Do you think the Miami Heat should try to sign Chandler Parson in free agency this offseason? Would he be the missing piece that makes them a serious championship contender again? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below!

[Photo by LM Otero/AP Images]