30 Teams in 30 Days: Miami Heat's grip slipping in the East

Last year

Re-signing: Bam Adebayo, Thomas Bryant, Haywood Highsmith, Kevin LoveAdditions: Alec Burks (free agent)Draft: Kel’el Ware (No. 15 pick), Nikola Djurisic (No. 43, traded to Hawks), Pelle Larsson (No. 44, via trade)Departures: Jamal Cain (to Pelicans), Caleb Martin (to 76ers), Patty Mills (to Jazz), Orlando Robinson (to Kings)Unsigned Free Agents:

Miami couldn’t overcome 62 combined absences by Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro and once again found itself digging out from the belly of the East. That makes for a tough road in springtime, and while Miami managed to emerge from the SoFi Play-In Tournament and reach the NBA Finals in 2023. The end came quicker this time as the Heat fell in the first round to the Celtics, the team Miami upset during its 2023 playoff run.

Summer summary

Miami’s lack of salary cap/roster flexibility made for a relatively quiet offseason. Essentially, all the Heat could do was extend Bam Adebayo and re-sign a handful of rotational players on the cheap, assuring that if nothing else, the roster will remain intact for the most part.

Miami did have enough spare change to add Alec Burks, one of the league’s more underrated players. And its first-round pick yielded Kel’el Ware, an energetic 7-footer who looked solid (18 ppg, 8.3 rpg) in the Las Vegas Summer League, where he led Miami to the title.

Spotlight on

Butler has been this franchise’s most important player since the departures of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, but this feels like the end of his time in Miami. Contract issues aside, Butler’s unavailability hurt the Heat down the stretch and in the playoffs, after which team president Pat Riley expressed reluctance to extend him. “Jimmy Buckets” remains a solid player, but at what price? And is Miami willing to pay it?

How far can the Heat go?

There’s the sense that the Heat have been passed by in the Eastern Conference, with a handful of contenders loading up on assets and/or enjoying growth from talented young prospects. Meanwhile, they have none of those advantages and could pay the price for that in 2024-25.

This also appears to be Adebayo’s team as he’s signed through 2029 and brings a level of performance that, should it continue, will deserve All-NBA consideration. If Butler is focused and he and Herro are healthy, the Heat should be right in the playoff hunt. After that, lots must go right for them to travel deep into May.

Up next: Atlanta Hawks | Previously: Orlando Magic

30 Teams in 30 Days: Complete schedule

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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.

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