The main course of the offseason has still passed, headlined by the Miami Heat acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo in a late June blockbuster. It’s not quite complete, with them needing to fill at least two roster spots over the next two months. Still, it was quite a successful offseason for Miami, who enter the season with increased expectations after four-straight play-in berths.
That said, as currently constructed, what does the Heat’s rotation look like?
Starters (Locks):
Bam Adebayo:
Skinny: Coming off the first 20-point, 10-rebound season of his career, Adebayo is one of the best defenders on planet Earth, and will be better suited in a scaled-down role now that Antetokounmpo is in town.
Giannis Antetokounmpo:
Skinny: Is there really anything else to say other than the Heat now have a two-time MVP and 10-time All-Star? As critical as I have been (and still am) about the Heat’s roster management, they have a guy.
Andrew Wiggins:
Skinny: I still have plenty of questions about Wiggins’ fit offensively, even though he’s a good 3-point shooter. But he’s not coming off the bench. And he’s a dynamic multi-positional defender who will take a lot of pressure off Adebayo and Antetokounmpo.
Davion Mitchell:
Skinny: I don’t envision a scenario where Mitchell doesn’t begin the season as the team’s starter. He’s one of their best passers, ballhandlers and point-of-attack defenders. He averaged 9.3 points and 6.5 assists last season and should be prime for another big season.
Compete For Final Spot:
Pelle Larsson:
Skinny: Larsson took a sizable leap with extra opportunity in his sophomore NBA season, and oozes the malleability and competitive fortitude the Heat salivate over. I’m very high on his prospects heading into 2026-27.
Tim Hardaway Jr.:
Skinny: Regardless if he comes off the bench or not, Hardaway’s volume shooting and sheer gravity will be needed. He’s extremely streaky, but the threat of him shooting opens up the floor for everyone else, especially if he’s coming off pin-downs, flares and DHOs.
Bench (Locks):
Bobby Portis:
Skinny: While last year’s shooting was an aberration, Portis’ size, rebounding and touch from distance are quite critical to the Heat’s bench unit. Miami is still lacking another big, but acquiring Portis in the Giannis trade was a good move, defensive concerns notwithstanding.
Simone Fontecchio:
Skinny: Miami re-signed Fontecchio to a one-year minimum earlier this summer. He’s shot 37.5 percent from 3-point range over the last three seasons and is one of the Heat’s best volume shooters. Plus, he’s an underrated offensive rebounder and a passable on-ball defender in space.
Should be a lock, but may not be right away:
Ryan Conwell:
Skinny: The Heat traded up four spots to draft Conwell with the No. 37 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. His path to playing time will start with his defense, which was quite good in Summer League. But he’ll be allowed to stick in the rotation if he’s knocking down shots. Conwell shot north of 38 percent from beyond the arc, where he attempted nearly 64 percent of his shots, over his final three collegiate seasons.
Compete for back-end of the rotation:
Dru Smith:
Skinny: We know how much Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra loves Dru Smith. I do, too. I expect him to begin the season in the rotation. He’s one of the NBA’s most disruptive point-of-attack defenders, but he shot just 29.5 percent from distance in his first fully healthy season. Spoelstra is going to experiment with several combinations, but, ideally, he fits best with at least one more ballhandler.
Myron Gardner:
Skinny: Entering the new season, I’m higher on Gardner’s potential impact in the rotation. The 25-year-old was an above-average defender and canned 40.6 percent of his 3-pointers. He attempted 5.4 per 75 possessions, and was a good 3-point shooter in the G-League, so I’m not expecting a huge drop-off in efficiency in a slightly bigger role.
Nikola Jovic:
Skinny: Coming off the best year of his career, Jovic had a disastrous 2025-26 season after signing a four-year, $62.4 million extension. He’s still young, but this is a make-or-break season with the Heat for the fifth-year pro. I’m expecting a progression back to the mean, though time will tell.
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Wizards had a two year deal on the table for Westbrook. Rumor is they will turn their attention to DeRozan. Right now teams with interest are the Wizards, Nuggets and Heat.
Highsmith back to Phoenix
Ending the speculation. Phew.
Now the Klay news is heating up as Mavs prepared to move on but on their terms, so still holding out hope for a trade. lol
Nikola Jovic should have every opportunity this year to secure a key role in the rotation. We have a solid big rotation with Bam, Giannis, and Portis so Jovic won’t be forced to play out of position as much. Plus we need playmaking on the wing with Tyler Herro gone. Also, with Jaime gone there’s no excuse for Jovic not to be able to play himself into a key role in the rotation.
There will be 4 man PF/C rotation of Giannis,/Bam/Portis/Jovic, probably the two of them always on the court and one of Bam/Giannis always on the court.
Wiggins is a lock, and THJ and Mitchell along.
Dru replace Mitchell, Pelle THJ.
This should be the main rotation. Convell, Simone and Gardner will fix holes and covers injuries.
There is no quality players available, so Heat should fill the rooster with prospects, which is not necessary a bad thing, till somebody, who can fit in, become available.
Giannis should get 30-35 min
Bam should get 30-35
Portis around 20
Jovic around 15
Wiggins 30-35
Pelle 25-30
Mitchell 25-30
Dru 10-15
THJ 20-25
Gardner, Convell, Simone gets 15-30 minutes a game.
Way to early to tell what the rotation might be. The Heat should be able to bring in at least one more rotation player. I believe Gardner and/or Conwell may surprise some people and possibly earn a rotation spot.
Jovic still needs to prove himself as a solid rotation player. Based on his history and ball handling skills, I think his true calling is as a point forward (SF) not a physically assertive PF. However, its up to him to prove his true value. Spo made the mistake of giving him a starting position last year without his having earned it. He won’t make that same mistake again.
Best Case Scenario:
Jovic gets his mojo back (and then some) and fits in seamlessly as starting SF, allowing Wiggins to slide over to SG.
Worst Case Scenario:
Jovic has no mojo and is reduced to reserve status. Wiggins could again be used as the starting SF and as a back-up PF, as he was last year.
I think there are only 6 definite rotation players right now.
Giannis
Bam
Wiggins
Mitchell
Larsson
Portis
Everything else is wide open, depending on which players are brought in and how new and returning players perform in preseason practices and games. I believe what the Heat’s 8 man rotation lacks are a solid two-way three point shooting guard (SG) and a reliable back-up rotation big PF/C. Theoretically, if the stars all align properly, those two players could be Jovic and Conwell.
P.S. Hardaway Jr. is considered a below average and inconsistent defender with lapses in concentration who is frequently targeted by opposing offenses in isolation or pick-and-roll switches as a weak link. I see him more of a reserve sharpshooter (Buddy Hield type) rather than a reliable two-way rotation player. I think Fontecchio is a better all around player than Hardaway. He did well in Miami’s defensive system last season. Before that, he played for defensively weaker teams.
Dark Horses:
Conwell
Gardner
Donaldson
Smith
Goldin