We are over one month into the 2025 NBA Free Agency period. We are also in the dog days of summer.
Outside of drafting Kasparas Jakucionis No. 20 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Miami Heat added both Simone Fontecchio — by virtue of Duncan Robinson’s sign-and-trade — as well as Norman Powell in a three-team trade. They also re-signed Davion Mitchell, who signed a two-year, $24 million extension.
They have still yet to add someone in free agency, but that was never the actual plan.
Miami does have a handful of players who are extension-eligible this offseason, including Heat guard Tyler Herro, who will be eligible to sign a $150 million extension in October. Miami is nearly $2 million above the luxury tax with one available roster spot and north of $60 million in expirings contracts.
How would you grade the Heat’s offseason up to this point? Vote in our poll below!
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Hanifan’s Take: B
Outside of re-signing Mitchell, two big wins were drafting Jakucionis and acquiring Powell.
They acquired Powell at a very cheap price and were able to get a top-8 player at 20. While Jakucionis struggled in Summer League, I still have high hopes for him as a rotation player over the next 3-4 years. Re-signing Mitchell was always a no-brainer, and they also got him at a cheap price tag.
However, I think the Heat could’ve done more before the market became dry — such as exploring trades for both Tyler Herro and Andrew Wiggins. As time ticked, we saw more teams trading “Tyler Herro variants” — one-way scoring guards with either small frames or small arms whose ceiling is capped.
We’ve seen Jalen Green, Anfernee Simons, Jordan Poole, Collin Sexton, Cam Whitmore, CJ McCollum, Bradley Beal and Jordan Clarkson all change teams this offseason. I think the Heat waited too late because the market for that prototype has depreciated. I would’ve been on the phone after Bane was flipped, even though he’s the better player than Herro.
In Wiggins’ case, it would not have been quite selling high, but there was a market for him.
Nevertheless, I think Miami’s had a solid offseason, all things considered. But there are a couple things I would’ve done differently, even though there’s zero guarantee that the outcome would’ve been different.
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- How Kel’el Ware, Jahmir Young performed in 2026 Rising Stars game
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Anyway, a lot of dung flying around. While I have been a Herro fan, I believe it would be best to trade him sooner rather than later. And I strongly believe that exceeding $40m a year would be a huge mistake. $35-37.5m would be reasonable, but NBA salaries are out of control, as are the valuations of the franchises.
I keep hearing people say “trade Herro”. I think there must be a misconception of his trade value.
Guards that don’t play defense have almost zero trade value in this league. Look at Jordan Poole or Anfernee Simons. D’Aaron Fox got a huge contract, but he got traded for Zach LaVine and a couple middling picks. Tyler Herro plus picks wasn’t enough to trade for Dame Lillard, who was 33 years old and never got the Bucks past the first round.
Tyler Herro is a good player, don’t get me wrong. But I think his highest trade value would be next season, when he’s an expiring contract.
As far as the mythical Tyler Herro “contract extension”, I think it’s about as likely as a Tyler Herro trade. Which means we’re probably just playing this season out with Tyler and re-evaluating next offseason
I had mentioned previously that Herro’s one chance is to become a better playmaking point guard, even if it means scoring a few less pints. He also needs to pick his defense up a few notches. Mitchell and Powell should be his role models. If he can do that, he would be worthy of consideration for an extension. If not, he should be traded for the best possible return, even if it includes a young player or two and draft picks.
I think Donovan Mitchell or Jalen Brunson should be the goal for Tyler. It’s not good enough to be a good player that can score and rebound. Even if he improves his passing and defense, I don’t think that’s the thing.
The thing that makes Mitchell and Brunson stand out is that they can elevate their game in the 4th quarter and be better than the best player on the other team. And then their team wins. That’s the most valuable skill in the NBA. And if the Heat don’t have a player like that on their roster, then the ceiling is first round exit.
Tyler Herro is the closest thing the Heat have to that type of player. If he can do that, then they don’t need to trade him. If he can’t do that, then he really doesn’t have much trade value. Just let the contract expire after two years.
Powell is known for being a clutch scorer in stressful late game situations.
Yup, canāt disagree. He has shown flashes of taking over a game. I believe he went through a period where he was one of the leading scorers in the last 5 or so minutes of the 4th quarter. But he has not shown that consistency.
Good post. The man from Oregon making good points.
I donāt know what his trade value may be. But what I do know, and everyone should know, is that this player will likely be paid $35-42m or more by the Heat or another team. Therefore, he definitely has monetary value, so he should have trade value as well.
In a league of about 400 players, and approximately 150 starters, Herro was #17 in scoring. Of the 16 player ahead of him, his 3p% was better than 8. Of the 16 players ahead of him, his fg% was better than 9 of them. Even if, as hfl suggests, that he scores 20 and gives up 20 (an exaggeration imo), that would mean that heās at least neutralizing his opponent with that net zero.
Herro is a crafty 3 level scorer. He has his flaws, but he would be a solid third option or sixth man on most teams.
His value is incredibly hard to determine. That’s I believe, because there are different values.
-Current value for Heat is around 30 mill a year, which is basically current contract.
-Future value for the Heat. He will want an extension in the range over 40 per year. I dont believe Heat will offer much more then 37 per year. This will be unacceptable for him ,so there might be a problem in the future, in worse case quitter like, in best case, Kuminga or Giddey situation. The landing spot would be around 40 mill/year.
-future Value for the Heat fans. I dont think a lot of fan thinks that he should get a lot more then the current contract.
-Trade value for Heat. I think they would trade him only for a very good player, if possible an all star player.
-Free agent value for other teams. Around 30, I believe.
-Trade value for other teams. A solid young player, a filler, maybe a first pick.
-trade value for other teams fans. Less then that above.
What is to learn from that above?
The best interest for both Herro and Heat is to extend him. But the process will not be smooth and it will take time, probably till the end of his contract.
Herro wont be traded, because there is a lot of discrepancy with how Heat value him and how other teams value him.
That Fox contract wont help. What is wrong with SA to give him such contract?
Agree 100%
Excellent assessment. I agree that the score twenty give up twenty is overstated. I like him as a player too, just donāt want to pay his bag.
Thanks. I have recurring nightmares about Whiteside, Waiters, Johnson, Lowry. All received contracts disproportionate to their contributions.
Rozier.
De’Aaron Fox just signed an extension with Spurs that will pay him $229M over 4 years. Maybe Herro has a case for $50M per year. Their stats are very similar.
Fox Stats 2024-2025
36.1 mpg, 23.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 6.3 apg, 46.3% fg, 31.0% 3pt, 1.5 spg, 114.9 defensive rating
Herro Stats 2024-2025
35.4 mpg, 23.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 5.5 apg, 47.2% fg, 37.5% 3pt, 0.9 spg, 114.9 defensive rating
De’Aaron Fox Salary Next 5 years
2025-2026 Salary: $37.1M (current contract)
2026-2027 Salary: $51.0M
2027-2028 Salary: $55.1M
2028-2029 Salary: $59.2M
2029-2030 Salary: $63.3M (player option)
Total: $266M
Tyler Herro Salary Next 5 years if he signs a $149.7M 3-year extension
2025-2026 Salary: $31M (current contract)
2026-2027 Salary: $33M (current contract)
2027-2028 Salary: $49.9M (first year of extension)
2028-2029 Salary: $49.9M (second year of extension)
2029-2030 Salary: $49.9M (third year of extension)
Total: $213.7M
Total:$192.1 (if paid 3 years @ $42 M)
Compared to Fox, Herro would be a bargain at $49.9M per year beginning in 2027-2028. @ $41-42M per year he sounds like an even bigger bargain.
ļ»æ$266M vs $192.1M, you make the call.
Itās very hard to equate Herro with Fox. Sometimes the stats donāt tell the whole story. I know Iād rather have Fox, especially at crunch time.
But, what do I know? Maybe we should pay Ty 42 million, invest all our hopes on him, center our team around him as our number one option. And feel good doing it knowing that after paying him it will be hard to have money to do much else. But, I guess that would be all right because heās worth it and just as good as Fox. And the only reason I canāt see it is because I am not insightful enough.
do u watch herro play d sun.a bargain lol.i know u dont watch much fox on d.hes not on the tube a whole lot.i guarantee the spurs dont give him that type of $$ if he plays d like herro.
Fox playoffs ppg game 25
Herro playoff ppg 14
exactly reg season means squat every friggin team gets in.(where u been your posts are missed)
Fox was even better than that, even though itās a small sample size of 7 games.
De’Aaron Fox has averaged 27.4 points, 7.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds in 7 games in the playoffs in his career.
Herro has played in 50 with 15 ppg average, although in his last 2 playoffs, he averaged 17 and 18 ppg. Thatās not good enough.
Nice try. I see what you did there. You are comparing a buttload of apples and one orange.
In six (6) seasons, Herro has played in fifty (50) playoff games. His team has been to the Eastern Conference Finals three (3) times and the NBA Finals two (2) times. Herro was a rookie the first time his team went to the finals, and was the third option after “Quitter” and Bam for most of his early years. It wasn’t until “Quitter” left the team for greener pastures, that Herro was able to shine. In 2024-2025, he averaged 23.9 ppg. Since his third season, 2021-2022, Herro has been the Heat’s most consistent 20 ppg+ scorer.He has been selected as an all-star once in 2025.His defensive rating was 114.9 in 2024-2025.
In eight (8) seasons, Fox has played in only one (1) playoff series in 2023, which Sacramento lost in 7 games.Because he has played on crappy teams, he was allowed/expected to shoot bombs away, which he was happy to do.Despite his inflated stats, he was selected only once as an all-star.Once Fox went to a better team, San Antonio, and was no longer the “top dog” his scoring dropped considerably. It went from 25.0 ppg to 19.7 ppg.He has been selected an all-star once (the same as Herro).His defensive rating was 114.9 in 2024-2025, (the same as Herro).
My point is there is not a great deal of difference between Herro and Fox. If Fox is worth $229M for four years, Herro can’t be worth much less than that.
Should Miami pay him $50M per year? No! Is Fox worth $229m for 4 years? No! Is the NBA’s salary structure way tf out of whack? yes!
If Miami can find a good trading partner for Herro, they should jump on it. Again, I would like to see Dejounte Murray in a Miami uniform. He is currently recovering from a torn Achilles tendon and is expected to return by or shortly after the start of the 2025-2026 season.
He is a natural two-way point guard. He has 3 years left on his contract totaling $96.7M (the third year is a player option). In the last 4 years, he has averaged 20.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 7.3 apg.
New Orleans might be willing to take a bird in the hand (Herro) rather than banking on Murray returning at 100%. It’s a risk for Miami, but a risk well worth taking.
Murray, Powell, Wiggins, Bam, Ware and Mitchell would be one of the two best six man defensive groups in the NBA (along with OKC). The team’s scoring would also be very respectable. Until Murray is good-to-go, Mitchell can fill in as starting PG.
fox 4 for 229 mil wow
tyler sees that hes gonna want his 50 mil.
With the way everyone is getting paid these days, maybe he’s worth it.
āTyler Herro is expecting to seek $41M-42M per year in his contract extension.ā
If he becomes a very good point guard (ppg & apg) and improves his defense, maybe. Otherwise, trade him while his value is high. I’m sure there are teams out there ready to talk.
what has herro ever done in the playoffs.who can he guard.does he make players around him better.overall you weigh everything i got him as an average player
What has Fox done?
hes been on the sacramento queens not his fault.havent seen enough to judge his d.hes not a great shooter but got great quickness.tyler had a career year last year before last year never shot above 45% or has never shot more than 40% on 3s.if he can have the same type of offensive #s as last year i could put up with his dunc d,if he shoots like previous years not a very good player
So, which players have shot 45%+ and 40%+ on 3s? Do you even know?
For reference, career 3p% –
Herro – 38.2
Lillard – 37.1
SGA – 35.5
Haliburton – 39.2
Brunson – 38.9
Maxey – 38.1
And Fox – 33.0
Some players have seasons of over 40%. Very few average 40%+ for their careers. And not all of the above are known as good defenders.
please dont mention sga hali lillard brunson maxey with ty all are bette players eas\ily sga brunson come on rc you figure one year ty would be above 40% on 3s and one year above 45 on 2s which is not a big ask…he was really going good before all star break then faded in 2nd half and playoffs sucked.im sure pat is trying to trade him but not getting back in his mind enough.with dunc gone and maybe ty our d will be so much improved it will make our team much better rc.with dav wiggins bam ware all plus defenders no weak links anymore.im sick of watching ty and dunc try to guard good riddance herro
There are two sides of the game. Heat are already among the lowest scoring. Take Herro’s 24 points away and you need a similar scorer just to stay even. Btw, Fox’s productivity went down after the trade to San Antonio.
34.0 mpg, 44.6% fg, 27.4% 3 pt, 4.3 rpg, 6.8 apg.
Again, Fox is no better defender than Herro and got $229M. San Antonio overpaid, as several teams seem to be doing these days. Herro’s position is if it’s good enough for them … it’s good enough for me.
Have u really seen fox enough to say he is a bad defender.not sure how they measure these defensive #s with switch offs.help.zone d etc,just watch the games ty suks for sure not sure about fox
So you are saying SA paid him $229M without knowing what kind of defender he is or how well he can function in high pressure playoff games? If so, that was a stupider move than I thought. Btw, he, like Herro, has only been selected to one all-star team (2023).
hes played on sht teams his whole career.hes better than herro.herro cant play d sun give it up.ship him out we got powell whos better.need 2 way players.at least jjj pelle and even shnoz can guard pretty good
That’s why his ppg was so high. His ppg dropped over 5 pts since traded to SA.
But you specifically set the mark at 45% fg% with 40% 3p%. I asked you to name which players achieved that. Still waiting for you to answer that.
w/o looking it up dwade shot over 45% every year. i would say kd lebron embid joker .i know not to many shot 40% overall on 3s but ty never did it one season .powell is a better player sun and rc he will get tys pts get something for herro hopefully kuminga
Have to laugh! You point out the greatest Heat player ever and some of the greatest players in recent times who donāt even play the same position.
off top of my head theres 100s players that have shot at least 45% on 2s and 40% on threes at least 1 friggin time.for me tys an average player when u factor in his defense and his body breaking or wearing down by end of season.as pointed out hes 14pts in playoffs or hurt,with his d its hard to win with him rc
Hundreds, but you arenāt naming any. And Iām talking about players in this period, 2020-2025, not 20 years ago. And sg and pg, not forwards and centers.
like ive always said he will get u 20 and give up 20
Herro would be ok at 20 million. He isnāt worth more. He is a nice complimentary piece. He has made a few last second shots but mostly fades as a number one option in crunch time. SGA, Halli, Brunson, and Maxey are far better in that regard, as are several other players in the league.
But, what do I know? Our GM, who is so much smarter than I, apparently feels that a big three of Bam, Herro, and Powell matches up well with the top threesome options in the league and he is so knowledgeable that he has to be right. Perhaps he feels Jovic will emerge and we donāt need another power forward. And, he is so great at team building that if we need another player, he will surely get him. Who am I to question him?
30 your right 99% of the time brother.pats right maybe 70% of the time lately
Exactly. Iād even go down to 60%. And basketball is hard and no GM is right all the time.
But, this town has two fantastic GMās, and compared to Bill Zito and now Peter Bendix, Pat is clearly not as good. Those two are two steps ahead and their moves reflect that. Zito has built the Panthers into a dynasty, in a sport where the complexities of team building are at least as difficult. And, donāt downplay Bendixās efforts just because the Marlins have not even made the playoffs yet. The guy took a team not unlike the Wizards and made them relevant in one year on a shoestring budget.
And, Iām not saying Pat was not great at one time, and even has occasional moments of genius now. But, I only wish we had a real sharp cookie like those two GMās and how they are performing as of right now, not three years ago. There is no mistaking the difference.
I donāt know for how long, but the Heatās personnel decisions are made by committee these days, though Iām sure Riley still has a lot of influence. However, there was a report around draft day that he was overruled on something by Arison.
bendix YESmaybe even grier pat could be 4th best gm down here now
If Herro is worth $20M, Fox is worth $25M…maybe. SA screwed the pooch for Miami and other teams looking at less than maximum contract extensions for players who are marginal all-stars.
Your sarcasm meter is redlining šš
Iām just screwing around. I find talking from a position of feigned ignorance allows me to make some points I canāt otherwise make. I do find some of Pats moves and especially these long quiescent periods of nonmoves over the last few years hard to comprehend. But, Iām serious when I say he knows better and I actually do defer to his wisdom. I just wish I understood him better. .
Riley plays things close to the vest. I’m sure his brain is constantly working on ways to improve the Heat. There was no indication the Butler trades (2019 with Philly & 2025 with Golden State) or the Powell trade with the Clippers would happen until they happened.
Unfortunately, teams aren’t exactly waiting in line to get fleeced by him (like the Clippers did). At least they had a method to their madness as evidenced by their signing of Beal.
I don’t always agree with Riley’s decisions, but it does no good for me to bitch and whine. It is what it is. I try to look at the positive side of things and hope for the best.
I still think he will pull a rabbit or two out of his hat by training camp or by the trade deadline at the latest. I’m looking forward to the upcoming season and next year’s playoffs.
Your right. No need to bitch and whine, it is what it is. But, if we go 41-41, lose in the play in, which is my prediction for this team as it currently stands, we may need to discuss things here.
SGA is a very good defender. The rest, not so much.
In the 2024-2025 season, Gilgeous-Alexander has been noted for his strong two-way play, with impressive defensive statistics such as leading the league in deflections and loose balls recovered, according to Sports Illustrated. He also held opponents to the second-lowest field goal percentage in the league. His defensive rating in the 2024-25 regular season was 107.4. It was 107.9 in the playoffs. In the 2024 playoffs, it was 103.6.
w/o dunc and ty defense will be so much better wont need to score as much does that make sense?
Not entirely. You have to have a balance of offensive and defensive players. Many players are not 2 way players.
Ask Orlando how that worked out for them. OKC on the other hand had both offense and defense. That’s the goal.
I’ve mentioned more than once I would like to see Herro traded straight up for Dejounte Murray. However, Murray is injured now and there’s no telling if he will come back as healthy as before. He is not happy in New Orleans so I expect they will be trading him somewhere once he is healthy. If he is good to go by then, maybe Miami can trade for him at the trade deadline. While they are at it, maybe they can swing a trade for Williamson too.
I agree. Iāve been saying this for awhile. To me, heās not worth that contract and trading him now while healthy and coming off a solid season is our best move on the chessboard. But, there are times when it appears the GM sees things very differently and often seems to not respond proactively. Heās much more knowledgeable and smarter than I and I just have to accept that somehow I am wrong about this.
powell has made him expendable also 30
And perhaps Kaspar, even Simone, also make him more expendable. Besides, we could get back a Kuminga quality player for him, or close to it. But, perhaps we really are just better off doing nothing else and perhaps our GM knows this and is sitting Pat because this team is much better than I think. I guess that is possible. Iām doing like the Beatles, and trying to see it his way.
powells a known commodity kaspar not.kasper a pg tylers a 2g
I am not allowed to say I have serious doubts about Kaspar as a PG. It would be really stupid of me to say that as he is only 19 and his shaky handles on display in the summer league have nothing to do with the superior player he is sure to become. So, Iām not saying that Kaspar will also likely turn out to be a #2. I would never say something like that.
Silly, but true. How much video of his college career have you viewed? Any? But you want to judge him on what, 6 games? In Las Vegas, he was 15/4/3, 1.7 steals, 45% fg, 35% 3p.
He should be a little more seasoned and confident by training camp. I would reserve judgment until then. He definitely has potential.
I saw Nash and Dragic in Phoenix. They were both raw to start. Nash didn’t hit double digit assists until his 9th season. Dragic didn’t reach double digit scoring until his 4th year.
Jakucionis will have time to develop while he is on his rookie contract.
Dragic at 19 was one trick pony, unable to play well in Slovenian league. Later that year went to Spain, where he wasn’t good enough to be a third playmaker in one of the Spanish teams, so he came back home.
He continued to be mostly a bust for another year or two before leaving in NBA.
KJ is much better player then Goran was at his age.
Thatās encouraging.
Yes, one never knows where a player will go with his potential. There was a period where Goran was our best player, arguably even over Jimmy.
I agree.
True. And true above from RC. I get myself in a pickle when I cast these doubts. But, he is pretty tall, not your typical body type for a PG. OTOH, donāt miss that I have high hopes that he may become a better version of Ty, more closer to Giddy, better playmaking, better defense, and when required, better ball handling, while possibly not having quite the offensive explosiveness of Tyler. I have high hopes for Kaspar too, just hard to envision him as a starting PG. But, again, hopefully Iām wrong.
Like a boxer, he doesn’t have his “man strength” yet. His true potential should be apparent in year 3.
The situation relative to 2026 free agents has changed to the point that there is no longer good reason to target it. Doncic, Lillard, and Bridges are off the board. My toes donāt tingle much for Durant, Young, Harden, Daniels, Draymond. I still like LeBron, but not at any big number. Fox is solid, but could be had potentially through a sign and trade. Iām starting to feel that a key move this offseason is the way to go.
I agree. Things have changed, especially with the injuries to Haliburton and Tatum and the buyout of Lillard. The unexpected addition of Powell also helps in visualizing a light at the end of the tunnel.
If Miami has the chance to pick up a clutch scorer and a good back-up PF/C, they should do it. In addition, if Miami does not intend to give Herro a $40+M extension, it is better to trade him now or by the trade deadline, while his value is still high, rather than wait for his frustration to build, as it did with “the Quitter.” There are several possibilities on that front.
jim mandich reference nice love the mad dog,kuminga makes my toes tingle.no room for him on gsw.herro and terry for k man
Yes, he was great. Good guy. I agree about Kuminga 100%.
Kuminga should go to Sacramento.
u a kings fan now?he reminds me of the brazilian guy with the magic.hes a better offensive player than our max big.him bam ware would be heckuva front ct with powell herro dav(wiggy will be in sf).if u can add a demar and a vuc like youve mentioned your talking about a chance to be in the ecf vs nyk.
Warriors can only take back a player for half as much as Kuminga commands. Nobody has cap space.
this cba deal needs to be revamped its hurting the game
So are these outrageous salaries. Who can afford to go to games any longer.
After Luka’s current 3 year/$165M extension expires, he will be in line for a $400 million-plus contract in 2028. He would become the first player in NBA history to make over $80 million annually.
Greedy owners and greedy players are ruining the game. It’s really disgusting when you think about it.
Last season, the Heat had the fifth most clutch games in the league (42). Clutch games are defined as games within 5 points in the last 5 minutes. Miami went 14-28 (33.3%) in those games and was 23-17 (57.5%) in the remaining non-clutch games, for an overall record of 37-45.
SOLUTION(S) FOR CLUTCH SITUATIONS IN 2025-2026 SEASON
Norman Powell (SG) is considered a very good clutch player. He ranked second in the NBA in 2024-2025 in clutch field goal percentage (58.3%). He averaged 3.5 points and 84.6% FT’s in clutch situations and is considered a reliable and effective scorer in high pressure situations.
Although Powell will be a welcome addition during clutch time (both offensively and defensively), he alone will not be enough to substantially improve last year’s poor clutch game record.
DeMar DeRozan was one of the top NBA players in clutch scoring in 2024-2025, in a group which included: Jalen Brunson, Anthony Edwards, Nikola Jokic, Trae Young and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He was second in Clutch Player of the Year voting in 2023-2024. In 2024-2025, he was again easily one of the most clutch players in the NBA, especially from the mid-range area. He has made the most clutch shots in the NBA in the past decade (465).
The Kings are currently rebuilding. DeRozan has two years left on his contract with Sacramento. $24,643,031 in 2025-2026 and $26,643,031 (partially guaranteed) in 2026-2027. He is the same age as Jimmy Butler.
TRADE PROPOSAL
Terry Rozier + second round pick for DeMar DeRozan -OR-
Terry Rozier + Jaime Jaquez for DeMar DeRozan and throw-in
The addition of Powell and DeRozan could help turn Miami’s clutch time performance around in 2025-2026. Furthermore, with the addition of a quality back-up big man such as Nick Richards from Phoenix (who is on an expiring $5M contract) for Haywood Highsmith, the Heat could be in an excellent position to contend in the East. Phoenix has shown interest in Highsmith in the past.
Starting Unit: Herro, Powell, Wiggins, Bam, Ware
Second Unit: Mitchell, DeRozan, Jovic, Fontecchio, Richards
Reserves: Jakucionis, Larsson, Johnson, Goldin, ?
Closing unit in clutch games:
Option !: Mitchell, Powell, DeRozan, Bam, Ware
Option 2: Mitchell, Powell, DeRozan, Wiggins, Bam (remove Ware and insert Wiggins) with Bam as center.
Note: If Herro’s defense and lack of clutch shooting prevent him from being a reliable closer, he is not worth an extension agreement (especially not in the $50M per year price range). I would prefer to trade Herro at the deadline for a comparable value player (such as Dejounte Murray) and sign Powell to a 3 year $77M extension. Herro is scheduled to make $31M in 2025-2026 while Murray is scheduled to make $31.6M with 3 years left on his contract. The third year of the contract (2026-2027) has a $31.6M player option.
Heat can still keep center options open if Vucevic is bought out by Chicago.
One of the reasons, that DeRosan never won anything, and mostly played in average teams.
Thats because he is an average player.
Sure, he will win you a game or two games at the end, but for every of those there are five or ten of bellow average shooting, bad defence, no playmaking, ball hogging….
The answer for the Heat right now is internal development, and trade for a really good and relatively young player in a year.
was lebron bosh quitter timmy zo shaq ray internal comeon ..your above post describes herro also,demar is a one on one 2 pt specialist.not a team player true.heckuva scorer and shooter but maybe hard to win with him
Thats my opinion based on what I saw watching Chicago games when Goran and DeRozan were there.
And yes, there is similarity with Tyler in how he impacted the team success. The players at the beginning of your post are very different players.
Chicago had scorers but no defense. LaVine, Vucevic, DeRozan etc., are not the best defensive players. However, both Vucevic and DeRozan could be very good off the bench going against other teamsā second unit players. I think DeRozanās clutch offense can work late in games if he is surrounded by 4 good defensive players (such as Mitchell, Powell, Wiggins and Bam.
Would you rather have Rozier or DeRozan coming off the bench in 2025-2026? Asking for a friend.
I would rather have any of NBA players in the place of first one and most of in the place of the second one.
DeRozan is not an average player. He’s one of the best clutch and mid-range players in the NBA.
No doubt about that. But mid range players are not what you need to win those days.
You guys are always so optimistic. Itās nice to be. I guess Iām not as nice. I gave them a C. They need to do more. How can they get a good grade unless they do another trade, or acquire someone who improves this team more? As it now stands, a lot of things are going to have to go right for this team to go far.
My way of grading is:
A: Blockbuster Trade(s) for ss or 2 all-star caliber players
B: Increase of one or more all-star caliber players and good draft selection
C: Status Quo/Nothing Good/Nothing bad (no harm/no foul)
D: Got ripped off in a trade and/or made mediocre draft decision(s)
F: Really screwed up trade and/or draft (entire management team should be fired)
There is a serious temptation, to make moves which could slightly improve now but hurt the team in the long range.
For example, the team need a backup center badly. .
There are three options:
-get a player like Bryant to fill the hole
-trade for a decent backup center
-Try to survive first half of the season with what we have and then try to find a decent solution.
From those options, the last one is the best. It might cost the team a game or two, but its mostly irrelevant this year.
In my opinion, doing nothing now is a good thing. Playing youngsters heavy minutes till all star weekend could bring mixed results, but it should be enough for PO or at lest play in. If there will be a chance to do something in PO, then is the time to improve. If not, its next summer.
I agree Vagi, this is the way
I don’t know if you got the memo, but the paradigm has changed. A team makeover in 2026 is no longer looking as promising as it did a few months ago.
When conditions change, a team needs to be flexible enough to change with the times. Right now, Miami has a pretty good 7 man rotation. Herro, Powell, Wiggins, Bam, Ware, Mitchell and Jovic. With a good back-up center and a reliable scorer off the bench, the Heat could do some serious damage in the playoffs.
P.S. If Miami plays the youngsters as you suggest, which of the players mentioned above should they sit on the bench next to Rozier?
I did. The one, which says that the league is unpredictable. who knows, what will be in a year from now.
That rotation, aside from Powell, was driven out of the court not that long ago.
Jovic and Ware are two of the youngsters, JJJ, KJ and Simone should play too.
a plus the worse defensive player ive ever seen no longer on team.also sht and slo mo for powell what a one sided trade,still need a pg ja morant for herro and rozier.works.a 5 of ja powell wiggy bam ware with a top 15 coach should be able to win the east
Good choices for additional front court help.
Highsmith for Richards
Rozier + 2nd for Vucevic
Achiuwa sign as free agent for Vet minimum
***Rozier plus a second for DeRozan and Highsmith for Richards works for me.
Solid B. so far.
There is still plenty of time for good trade opportunities before training camp and still more before the trade deadline. Time for patience and optimism. So far, so good.
“Optimism is the one quality more associated with success and happiness than any other.”
~ Brian Tracey ~
Lol, I think our next vote should be who gave the offseason an F?
I will piggyback off the Oregoner comment and say āIā for Incomplete. Seems like some nice upgrades, but more is needed, particularly a backup center. It is one of the reasons why I am against signing Dru to a regular contract until a move is made to clear another roster spot. At the moment, we have 6 guards on the roster and one true center.
Solid B. They made the team better and saved money, so it’s tough to say they didn’t do a good job. But in the end, they don’t feel that much better than the team that got bounced in the first round last year. Maybe they make the second round this year? I dunno. This team still needs to make a trade to be a real contender.
B for what they did… A+ for what they didnt.