With free agency nearly three weeks old, the bulk of the 2026 Miami Heat offseason has officially concluded. However, there is still work left to do for the Heat, who have three open roster spots (two of which are expected to be used).
As the Heat move forward with Giannis Antetokounmpo in the fold—and LeBron James now headed to Philadelphia—what are the biggest questions still left for Miami to answer?
The NBA offseason isn’t just about blockbuster trades and free agency. Fans often spend the quieter parts of the summer exploring different forms of sports entertainment, and those curious about sweepstakes gaming can compare PA sweepstakes casinos, available promotions and how these platforms differ from traditional online casinos.
1. How will they pivot after missing out on LeBron James?
Skinny: Miami landed its biggest offseason target in Giannis Antetokounmpo, but its pursuit of another major name ended when LeBron James signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.
James would have brought another experienced ballhandler, high-level passer and dependable half-court creator to a roster that remains short on each outside of Davion Mitchell. Even at 41, his ability to organize an offense and create advantages would have made him a natural complement to Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
Now the Heat must determine whether those responsibilities can be addressed collectively or whether another move is necessary.
Miami does not need to find another player of James’ caliber—there obviously isn’t one sitting on the open market—but it could still use another guard or wing capable of initiating offense, settling possessions and creating shots late in the clock. The Heat could use one of their remaining roster spots on a veteran free agent, explore the trade market or enter training camp expecting Mitchell, Andrew Wiggins and Nikola Jovic to assume larger playmaking roles.
Antetokounmpo immediately raises Miami’s ceiling in the Eastern Conference. But missing out on James leaves the Heat with an important question: Do they have enough creation around their new superstar duo, or is there still one more meaningful move to make?
2. Can they find at least one more floor spacer?
Skinny: Miami finished just outside the top-10 in 3-point percentage for the third consecutive season last year. However, their 3-point attempt rate (3PAr) dropped from No. 12 to 18, while their per-possession attempt rate dropped from No. 16 to 18.
Now, after the Antetokounmpo trade, it is faced with replacing four of its best long-range shooters in Norman Powell, Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware and Kasparas Jakucionis.
Re-signing Simone Fontecchio, extending Andrew Wiggins, drafting Ryan Conwell and acquiring both Bobby Portis and Tim Hardaway Jr. is a good start. Though Wiggins, Portis and Hardaway are all coming off career seasons.
Portis’ 45.6 3-point percentage from a year ago is unsustainable; he shot 39.2 percent over his previous six seasons on low volume, which is respectable, but makes his aforementioned 45.6 percent look more like an aberration than anything close to the norm. Neither Wiggins nor Hardaway ever eclipsed 40-plus percent from deep before last year.
Can Miami find one more quality 3-point shooter to provide the requisite space around Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo? With James no longer available, finding another dependable shooter may be the biggest roster question that remains.
3. Will they get a bounce-back season from Nikola Jovic?
Skinny: This won’t be a question that’s answered until the season starts. But it’s still one that looms.
The 2025-26 season was a catastrophic one for Jovic. The recently-turned 23-year-old averaged 7.3 points and 3.3 rebounds on a mere 36.6 percent shooting from the floor. To contextualize, Jovic shot 38.3 percent from 3-point range over his previous two seasons — highlighting how inefficient of a season it was for the fourth-year pro.
Development isn’t linear. Jovic is beginning the first year of a four-year, $62.4 million extension he signed last offseason. The unique playmaker has improved light years as a defender, but Miami was playing 4-on-5 offensively with him on the floor. Should he rehabilitate some of his value in 2026-27, he becomes one of their more attractive playmakers, as well as one of their most scalable wings off the bench.
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- Why Heat still believe Nikola Jovic may have bounce-back season
- Heat star states that there is zero “disappointment” in failing to land LeBron James
- Heat star isn’t concerned with team’s lack of shooting entering new year
- Heat release 2026-27 preseason schedule, will begin in Quebec
- Former Miami Heat guard, 10-year veteran Josh Richardson retires
- Analyzing where this offseason ranks in Miami Heat history
- Bam Adebayo shares his excitement to team up with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the Heat
I checked the list of free agents still available. Its a sad list.
I wonder if the best path forward would be keep the team as it is till the end of the year (just fill empty places with the placeholders, who wont play).
East improved a lot, so that could be dangerous. But the chances to get bigger fish via trade or in buyout market would be better then.
Players like DeRozan, LaVine, Beal, Thompson (and Hathaway) are not long time solution, those are fillers for holes the current team has. There are all too expensive or not even available for that role.
The rest of the list is a list of bad players, with 3-4 good players late for signing the contract.
theyre all better players that niko though
I remember Goran was known as Goran Tragic…, the worst player in the league.
Thing changes fast. Especially in NBA.
Click bait that may be true or not from Clutch Points. But I did feel trying to buy out someone making $49m was going to be difficult and not financially sensible..
According to Siegel, Sacramento still believes LaVine has value both on the court and as a potential trade chip.
“The Kings plan on keeping Zach LaVine as one of their stars on this young kind of rebuild roster that they have, and they do see value in keeping Zach LaVine,” Siegel said.
”They’re not going to be looking to buy him out,” Siegel said. “That’s not going to be happening this offseason.”
Arguing about DeRozan is wasting time. Hes not coming here. He wants $ and that’s his right. I’ll do a mea culpa if he signs here for vet minimum to play 6th man. Wake me when that happens lol
Don’t sweat it. Riley has had everything planned out long before he traded for Giannis. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have done. Just sit back and relax.
The trade for Giannis was planned out well in advance, was the reason Herro etc was not dumped at the trade deadline for second round picks as people here wanted. Now it seems clear they are waiting for a buyout, so what is the issue – why fill roster spots ASAP in July/August, rather than wait to see who is available later?
Forgive Sunny. He’s been very passive aggressive since the Giannis trade since he didn’t want it.
I think he and I felt very similar on the matter. It wasn’t that we didn’t want Giannis (I have the utmost respect for him), but rather we didn’t want to see the team and much of the future gutted. That ship has sailed, so time to move on. Even before filling the last 2 spots, this team is going to be very competitive. I hope whoever they get is through straight up deals without giving up any more assets.
You are correct. I didn’t want it. However, I’ve accepted that Riley has traded away 4 of the team’s younger players (3 still on rookie contracts), 4 unprotected draft picks plus pick swaps and allowed Powell to walk…in exchange for acquiring Giannis and Portis. That’s 9 players when you think about it, 4 first round players, 4 first round draft picks and Powell.
As a Miami Heat fan, I really do hope it all works out. If it does I’ll be the first one to apologize for my criticism and congratulate Riley for his wisdom. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll be the first one to condemn him and accuse him of gross mismanagement.
Only a person with Riley’s knowledge and experience would have been willing to take a huge risk by trading away the team’s future for short term elite status. Therefore, I must presume he knows what he is doing and had a plan for transforming Miami into an elite team after the trade. If he didn’t and is flying by the seat of his pants, it will be revealed sooner than later.
Stay tuned.
I’d take DeRozan over Thompson. When Klay goes cold it’s cringeworthy to watch. Who’s to say Demar would even take the minimal crumbs Heat would offer him. He always seemed to give us fits whenever he played. Every guy doesn’t have to be a 3point specialist.
That’s my opinion too. And I think you are right about DeRozan wanting the most money he can get, which is another factor in the equation, probably just as big of one as the Mavs wanting to trade and not buy out Thompson. But, there are a lot of factors people look at and it is to be expected that people on these threads and around the league see things different.
has anybody noticed what caitlin clarke is doing lately in the w.40 pt game triple double.u go girl.what a baller she is best player skill wise in w.bring it on sisters shes saying u cant stop me btchs.love watching her play even in college she was so electric.
She is a terrific player, one of the better ones around the league. The WNBA is getting more and more popular, which is a good thing.
NBA Scout Says Heat Should Pass on Klay Thompson for 6-Time All-Star (Heavy on Heat)
The Miami Heat have identified Klay Thompson as their top remaining offseason target. One longtime NBA scout believes they should reconsider.
While Miami Heat insider Anthony Chiang reported that the Heat continue to prioritize Thompson over other available veterans, the anonymous scout told South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman he would rather add DeMar DeRozan if Miami can’t land the four-time NBA champion.
Thompson remains under contract with the Dallas Mavericks and is owed $17.5 million in the final season of his deal. That leaves Miami needing either a trade or a buyout if it hopes to add one of the NBA’s greatest shooters.
Last season, DeRozan averaged 18.4 points, 4.1 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 31.2 minutes across 77 games, showing he can still shoulder a significant offensive workload. Those numbers help explain why the scout believes Miami should give him stronger consideration.
“With him, Bam and Giannis, there would be no spacing. And he’s ball dominant.”
Even so, the evaluator believes DeRozan could thrive in a reserve role. “But if he could accept the role as a six-man type, he would bolster their bench and maybe finish games, too, I guess. No doubt, he can do that, as a finisher.”
“But as a sixth man, considering the other options, he’s a cut above Thompson, for sure.” Miami’s preference for Thompson isn’t necessarily about who is the better overall player at this stage of their careers. It’s about fit.
It’s nice to know that sportscasters who know the players best can see exactly why DeRozan would be a far better asset for the Heat than Thompson. Then there is the fact that you will probably have to trade for Klay, and this decision seems like an obvious one if your objective is to maximally improve the Heat’s chances from the available players in our price range. And, btw, the use of Demar as a sixth man and closer is his best usage, although he could take on other roles too.
id like to have both prefer dd.closing times hes option 2 bam 3
Derozan def a good closer, he’s one of my preferred options too, along with klay, and lavine. If we get any 2 of the 3, then watch out.
Absolutely. Plus DeMar has had a very good “attendance record” throughout his career, unlike some of the other players being considered.
If Riley does priortize availablity, DeRozan is the most available, by far.
DeMar DeRozan has a much better career availability history than Bradley Beal and Zach LaVine, thanks to his elite durability and high regular-season game totals.
DeMar DeRozan
Games Played: Over 1,260 regular-season games across 17 seasons.
Availability Trend: Rarely misses extended time, routinely playing 74 to 82 games a season and regularly logging 60+ appearances even in his later years Overall, he has averaged 74.1 games per year in his career.
Bradley Beal
Games Played: Over 800 regular-season games across 14 seasons.
Availability Trend: Dealt with numerous lower-body and facial injuries early in Washington and multiple nagging injuries after joining Phoenix and the Los Angeles Clipper, leading to several seasons under 60 games played.
Zach LaVine
Games Played: Under 700 regular-season games across 12 seasons.
Availability Trend: Suffered major injuries—including a torn ACL early in his career and subsequent foot, knee, and hand surgeries—that frequently cut his seasons short, frequently leading to several seasons under 60 games played.
If Miami can get DeRozan, then it can focus on a 3 point shooter and possibly a big at vet minimum salaries.
Yes, and if they do sign DeRozan, I’m sure there would be discussions about his role, that he would be coming off the bench to provide his scoring punch. If he didn’t want to do anything but start on his next team, he’d be better off looking elsewhere. However, looking at teams that may be interested – Denver, Washington, Toronto, Cleveland, or even Golden State – I don’t think he would start on any of them.
I didn’t see any indication that they felt DeRozan would be a better fit, just that getting Klay will prove to be more difficult because of his current contract. I think Klay would be the better fit with his 3 point shooting. I wouldn’t mind having both.
15 seconds left down by 1 do u want klay shooting a 3 or a dd 2 at the elbow.10% better chance with dd.down by 3 rather have klay on ct.bottomline get both id believe were right with phily and nyk in the east.w/o both of them no shot to compete with phily nyk.with just dd still might be able to compete with said above.dds a really good player.prob still top 30 player.man is the definition of a bucket getter
I agree with both of those scenarios.
Don’t get the all the interest in DeRozan here, he is a HOF player but this isn’t the right fit. He can’t play with Giannis and Bam as the article acknowledges, because he operates in the same areas of the court and needs the ball. He’s also never been a 6th man in his life, 1264 games and 1252 starts, but now he is a good 6th man option? Taking the ball out of Giannis and Bams hands at the end of games to give to DeRozan is not a recipe for success.
You have a right to your opinion. I think you are wrong. Miami doesn’t have a ton of choices. What good is a gunner if he’s out 30 games a year and not available in the playoffs. Like Embiid. As Riley said, the most important ability is availability. Time will tell
DeRozan is a defensive liability, benched in 2018 playoffs for defense. Been out of 2nd round once in his career, 2016. Toronto was -4.8 in 2016 playoffs with DeRozan on the court, -13.2 in 2017, -19.9 in 2018
What good is availability if DeRozan’s game doesn’t fit with Giannis and Bam to begin with, because he doesn’t shoot threes. Its like looking at individual abilities/stats in isolation like ppg and concluding they add up to a team when the fit is all wrong, the reason the Heat have 3PT shooters instead as their #1 target with remaining money, it’s about the fit.
The scout also says in the article that Heat should look at D’Angelo Russell, who is not someone who will help a contender at all.
when has bam ever wanted the last shot.at end of games the balls a hot potato in bams hands,when greek is not on ct im more comfortable knowing demar is on the ct than bam.bam is a complimentary player demar is an alpha.i want all 3 on the ct closing time with dd as option 2.dds value to us is when greek is not in the game and at end of games when u need a bucket.id sya hes top 10 in that category.hes just about unguardable at the elbow has a way to get off his shot versus anybody.seen it for 15 years from a distance hope to see it close up every night dudes a baller.
What makes the Heat dangerous as a contender is the Giannis and Bam two man game and how they potentially can play off each other. Giannis is close to unguardable 1 v 1, Bam also has an advantage 1 v 1 in many matchups. Both are underrated handlers and passers. You want to go away from that at the end of games so DeRozan can take midrange jumpers, not a winning formula or something I’d bet the Heat are interested in. DeRozan by advanced stats is not a top 300 player in NBA let alone top 30.
Report out now that the Kings told Lavine he’s pretty much not in their plans. Hopefully that gets him to want a buyout. #WaitingSeason
Did you noticed, that the least valuable player type in todays NBA is an offensively minded shooting guard. Count in Herro, Beal, LaVine, DeRozan, Cam fom Nets, Russell…
Solid observation. I know he is not your type of player, but for this specific roster he is what they need. An athletic guard who can make plays on his own and shoot the 3. Younger than any other option discussed, as well as healthy.
LaVine might be the best option of all. He definitely put the screws to the Kings by opting in to his $49m. That’s a tough nut to crack. And they definitely won’t find a trading partner for that.
All true, but wildly overpaid. I doubt LaVine will make a buyout.
After that its a veteran minimum for him till the end of his career, which could also end sooner then later. He is just not a good player.
But surprisingly, he might fit much better to that Heat starting lineup then DDR, Clay, Westbrook, Beal…
harden prob caused goat to sign with phily.my opinion.going out in phily instead of cleve doesnt seem the right thing to do
LaVine, Beal, Hardaway Jr., Cam Thomas, Harden, Young, Lillard, Keyonte-George, McCollum, Jamal Murray, Caldwell-Pope, Schroder, Steph, D’Angelo Russell, to name a few.
Some of those are minimum money vets or with one foot out of the league, some of them well paid players. Sometimes is hard to find why.
DeRozan has played SF since he left Toronto in 2028.
LaVine the last 7 years has avg 7.3 3PA per game and 39.8% from three. Get one of LaVine or Klay with the remaining money and that is the starting SG. Wish Norm was still on the team but being able to extend Wiggins and adding one of LaVine or Thompson at a third of the cost of Norm would be a great offseason.
wigg did not help us out with his contract.little on the selfish side.how many millions does one need to have in a lifetime.i got two fingers that need to be fitted andrew my jewelers not very happy with u
You can say that about any NBA player making $20M+ per year. Owner and player greed is destroying professional sports in America. Now they are even getting college players addicted.
Heat FO is probably very happy with that contract. $23m aav for Wiggins next two years, incl just $17m in 2027. Will never understand the Wiggins skeptics, literally the most unselfish player on the court, does the dirty work, makes winning plays.
Lavine and DeRozan would add offense in the starting unit and off the bench. I would take them if I can get them.
Mitchell, LaVine, Wiggins, Giannis, Bam
Larsson, Hardaway, DeRozan, Fontecchio, Portis
Smith, Gardner, Conwell, Jovic
If we can get that, I think that would be a dream scenario for some of us, with at least a top 5 bench. Also top 10 in defense and offense.
I agree with you. Not everyone here does.
id say everyone but stat man his stat sheet disagrees with my stat sheet alot.my stat sheet always aligns with yours sm and most of the time with rcs.
There are 3 kinds of lies, white lies, damn lies and statistics.
Some don’t think their opinion is an opinion. Kind of like when the great George Carlin asked “Have you ever noticed that their stuff is shit and your shit is stuff?”
What did I do on here to make you think I’m not expressing an opinion? I post factual stuff, for example how DeRozan does not make sense for this team, reasons why etc., that usually gets down voted for whatever reason.
That’s a perfect example. While I agree that DeRozan would not be a fit as a STARTER, he could be valuable off the bench. And I believe, as I stated, that if he goes to one of the other rumored teams, that he will likely come off the bench with those teams. Players often transition to lesser roles as they get older.
You recently wrote that DeRozan is not even top 300 in the NBA. If you mean now, and you are using stats that suit your position, that doesn’t make it a bona fide fact. There are definitely not 300 players currently in the league better than him. I did research after you wrote that and found, depending on the source, he is ranked between 50 and 80 currently.
Before the trade, you wrote many times that if Herro was traded, it should be for a top level return. It turns out Herro was traded for a top level player only because a ton of assets were included in that trade. For the record, I was never one to suggest trading him for much lesser players or just a second round pick. In fact, I always noted that he had an impressive offensive skill set. Defense? Not so much.
i have stated in the past that you rarely acknowledge that someone with a position different from yours may be right. You always have a retort with your opposing viewpoint pointing out how that person is wrong and you are right.
You make some good points that anyone can agree with, but so do many others here as there are many knowledgeable basketball fans on this site.
There’s no track record for DeRozan not starting, he plays >30 minutes per game every year, almost never misses games.
Reporting says he is looking to rebuild his value on a $8-10m contract with his next team. It’s an assumption being made that DeRozan scoring 18-24 ppg as a starter would work the same off the bench, would work on any team and would lead to team success. The biggest issue is on this particular team he can’t space the floor, the #1 need for an offense around Giannis. Spending the rest of the cap on someone who doesn’t address the spacing issue for this team doesn’t make sense. Otherwise ignoring spacing the Heat would already have the starting 2 guard in Larsson.
Advanced stats have DeRozan lower than 300th, which was all I said, never said this proves anything. https://www.nbarapm.com/player/demar-derozan
On Herro, the Heat’s long stated position was to trade Herro only in the event of getting an All-NBA player in return, which was accomplished. Herro was essential to the trade, no Herro and the Giannis trade doesn’t happen.
Not sure what I am supposed to acknowledge (that people who say Herro is not an NBA player, has no value in a trade etc may be right?) This a site to talk/discuss basketball, I keep my comments focused on that and respectful and will leave it at that.
Don’t even consider Jovic turning it around. The 2024-25 season was a fluke. Riley made up for his dumb decision to extend Jovic by getting Giannis. Now we have to wait until the 2029-30 season to get rid of him.
We will see soon enough.
Correct. We will hand out tickets for people to get in that long line to apologize haha. At least if we are wrong, the apology line will be much shorter.
Apology? Isnt that something only weirdos does?
That ticket sale wont bring you back enough to buy yourselves a coffee, believe me.
I’m giving him one last chance to prove me wrong. So I’m hoping he balls out.
Guilty until proven innocent? Last year sucked but he was on rookie contract. If he still sucks a year from now then you can convict and sentence him.
problem with that hes been given so many chances and others not(keshad garder to name a few)
The difference between them is that Jovic was a first round draft pick with huge potential. This is the reason he is going to get another chance
Despite our hopes that we would quickly answer missing out on LeBron with the best possible alternative, that appears not to be the case. We are going to need a little patience now, and a little keeping the faith. Anything that will happen will happen when it’s supposed to, in its good time. And that could be anytime between now and the start of the season. Some of these negotiations are complex, involving salary matching and offers from many different teams. We can take solace in the reality that our roster is incomplete and at least two more moves are coming before the season starts. So, keep hope alive. Things are good, and we have so much to look forward to.
#3. Now or never for Jovic with Heat plain & simple. No more impersonating a NBA basketball player.
he looks like an nba player got nba body.he plays like a euro player where he belongs.bros to quick for him theyre pick pocketers he’d be first team all serb but those american $$$ to good to pass on.being a heat fan gotta hope he finds his jumper hes taking up 16mil of our salary cap
It looks like DeRozan wants to play in Miami. But you know how that goes. Don’t believe anything you hear or half of what you see.
who the f wouldnt greek hot weather hot u know what top 15 coach.im beginning to think your related to yogi berra sm?
Nobody goes to that restaurant anymore because it’s always crowded. You 3 guys pair up.
i like to avoid crowds so i wouldnt go.i like to eat alone any ideas?
Pick any bad and expensive restaurant.
90% fit that category theyre all too expensive and food aint as good as it was back in the day
Try McDonalds drive-thru and eating in your car.
derozan klay richards westbrook beal.need 3 of 5
Heat likely to only fill 14 positions, so figure on 2 until they can pro rate salary to fill the 15th spot during the season. Yup, your favorite cap stuff.
Since last 3 spots only get mop up minutes, no need to be in a hurry to fill spot 14 or 15, unless the “right” player is available on a buyout. We have at least a top 6 roster now
They are required to have at least 14. Filling the last couple of spots is different this season however. The players they’ve been talking about – Klay, LaVine, DeRozan – would be in the rotation and possibly even starting. The mop up guys are already on the roster – Gardner, Conwell, Smith.
More than likely it’s Derozan, Beal and Richards.
ring chasers dream those 3
I believe they will only fill 14 slots until early in the season due to cap issues. They can then add a player during the season on a pro rated basis to avoid penalties.