After a series that went pretty much as expected — OK, it did get out of hand at the end — the Miami Heat’s season is over at the hands of the much better, more efficient and more appealing Cleveland Cavaliers.
In fairness, this team never stood a chance. Not really. It fought valiantly through the play-in tournament, and it seems to have found something in Davion Mitchell, but nothing about this team screams high ceiling, especially after trading Jimmy Butler at the deadline — and maybe even before that.
Despite the eternal presence of #HeatCulture, this team lacks quality and depth to make a real run in the playoffs.
For crying out loud, Swedish guard Pelle Larsson got first-quarter minutes in the deciding Game 4. Skämtar du med mig?!
Miami appears to be stuck in the middle, with very little flexibility moving forward. The Heat don’t have their own pick this year, and while Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Andrew Wiggins are rock-solid players, combined they’re unspectacular.
More than ever, the nuclear option is enticing. Well, for anyone but the Heat. We’ll get back to that.
The Heat can ask for the moon for Adebayo and probably get it. Herro would also bring in a fairly significant haul. Wiggins is outproducing his contract, meaning he too is an asset.
Standing in the way of a full teardown is the culture itself. The Heat are adamant about not tanking and wish to remain competitive until they’re forced into a corner where that’s no longer sustainable.
While many would argue the Heat have painted themselves into a corner, the organization itself isn’t likely to look at it that way, and that’s despite stumbling onto a future building block in rookie big man Kel’el Ware.
So, uh, expect much of the same next season.
2024-2025 record: 37-45
Highlight of the season
While the improved play of Herro deserves recognition, it’s the revelation of Ware. It’s not every day you find a legit 7-footer with an inside-outside game and defensive upside.
Biggest offseason need
The Heat, assuming they wish to keep this current train running, need a no-nonsense No. 1 guy who can be the primary playmaker. That’s a tall task, as Tyrese Haliburton, Tyrese Maxey or any other Tyrese isn’t walking through that door. The Heat can try to trade for one by relinquishing the two remaining tradable picks they have, but unless that player is a legit Tier 1 star, that’s just kicking the can down the road.
Projected draft picks (pre-lottery)
No. 20 (via Golden State)
Draft focus
With Ware in the fold, it’d behoove Miami to find an impactful defender at the four spot who can switch effortlessly, do the dirty work and even function as a bit of a hub. That description fits South Carolina forward Collin Murray-Boyles, who likely will be out of reach for the Heat at 20. If anything, a trade up would be intriguing.
Key free agents
Davion Mitchell (RFA)
Duncan Robinson (ETO)
Salary-cap breakdown
The Heat aren’t in bad shape in regard to the luxury tax, but they don’t have money to spend, and Terry Rozier’s $26.6 million deal is laughably bad at this point. Searching for outside help is fine, but they’ll be limited in what they can do with the cap projected to be $154.6 million, especially as virtually no team can absorb money. Don’t expect Miami to be a buyer.
Next season’s goal
One can hope the Game 4 massacre will force the organization to alter its course, but assuming it sticks with the philosophy of never tanking, it’ll more than likely look at ways to strengthen the current roster in whatever capacity it can. What the goal should be is to initiate a major overhaul, but that seems unlikely.
