After shocking the league with their bubble playoff run to the NBA Finals in 2020, the Miami Heat’s hopes of defending their Eastern Conference title proved too grueling this year to overcome. The Milwaukee Bucks made short work of a team that looked fatigued and out of sync, sweeping the series 4-0 and avenging a 4-1 loss to the Miami Heat the previous season.
While there were several factors contributing to Miami’s shortage of efficiency on both ends of the floor, the bottom line was that the team was clearly outmatched and outworked by the more talented Milwaukee team.
If Miami has any chance of competing with the NBA Champion Bucks next season or another Eastern Conference contender, such as the star-studded Nets, they will have to make some changes that put them in a better position to win. Here are five things they can do to remain or put themselves back in title contention, not ranked in order of importance.
1. Keep Udonis Haslem Around
After 18 seasons with the Miami Heat, there is, perhaps, no one that embodies Heat Culture as much as Udonis Haslem. The Heat captain is likely to retire soon and he will be greatly missed by fans.
The energy and motivation he brings to every game is unmatched and irreplaceable. Pat Riley should do everything in his power to keep UD around the organization.
Could an assistant coaching role be in his future? Well, not next season, as he apparently plans to give it another go.
Miami Heat: 5 Things They Can Do To Contend Again- Sign Kyle Lowry
One criticism of Jimmy Butler this postseason was that he wasn’t being as aggressive of a scorer as Miami needed.
2. Sign Kyle Lowry
As the Heat’s primary playmaker, Butler struggled with the balance of when to score and when to involve teammates. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith was one critic who did not hold back:
"“In the case of Jimmy Butler, yo bro, you the star. You the face of the franchise. You the face of the franchise. Enough of this, okay? This is the franchise that Zo (Alonzo Mourning), and Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal), and D-Wade (Dwyane Wade), and LeBron [James] and those cats were at. You the new standard, and the reality of the situation is that Jimmy Butler, Jimmy Butler has to show up and be Jimmy Butler. Enough of this passive stuff. Enough of this fitting in. You a star.”"
Another issue is that when Butler left the floor, the ball was in the hands of either Kendrick Nunn, who is more of a volume scorer than a playmaker for others and Goran Dragic, who has been very productive for the Heat for the past few seasons.
The issue with Dragic, however, is that as he grows older, his likelihood of injury also goes up. The Heat have the option to either keep him rostered for the next season or to move on.
If they decide to look for another veteran point guard, Kyle Lowry would be a great fit. Although Kyle Lowry is also aging, his playmaking and leadership make him a valuable asset for nearly any team.
Lowry put up a respectable 17 points, seven assists, and five rebounds last season. He also has proven he can be a primary ball handler on a championship team, as he helped the Raptors earn their first NBA title in 2019.
Lowry has been rumored to join the Heat for several years, so this could be the year it finally happens. With Fred VanVleet continuing to improve and the Toronto Raptors falling out of upper-echelon of Eastern Conference teams, it would make sense for Lowry to part ways with the organization he has poured his heart into.
If Lowry wants to contend for a title and Miami is looking for a proven leader who can arrange the offense, Pat Riley will find a way to make it work to sign the veteran guard. That’s number two.
Miami Heat: 5 Things They Can Do To Contend Again- Add Another All-Star Guy?
The Heat have an exciting young core in Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and Kendrick Nunn. It would be wise to keep some, if not all of these players and let them develop their talents in the Heat culture.
3. Trade for another All-Star Caliber Player
While Adebayo has emerged as a legitimate star in the NBA, the young guards have only shown sparks of greatness. It also seems like the Heat are just one piece away from becoming true contenders in the East.
Historically, the Heat have been crowned champions after making a move for a big star (Shaq in 2004 and LeBron in 2010). If the right offer is there, it might be worth pulling the trigger on a trade to land another star.
C.J. McCollum is an underrated talent that may be on the move. He could be a great scoring option for the Heat.
If the 76ers are ready to move on from Ben Simmons, the Heat may want to make a move for him despite the shooting woes. In fact, the Heat’s culture of hard work might just be exactly what Simmons needs.
Some riskier options could be to work out a deal for Kevin Love or Kemba Walker, both of whom have struggled to stay healthy. However, when they are active, their talent is undoubtedly present on the floor.
Miami Heat: 5 Things They Can Do To Contend Again- Shoot Shot At Kawhi
Speaking of star talent, Kawhi Leonard is easily the best player on the market for next year.
4. Acquire Kawhi Leonard
Landing the two-time finals MVP would make nearly any team an instant contender, even if that team has to wait because of the injury he suffered in the Western Conference Finals against the Jazz.
Pairing him with Butler and Adebayo in Miami would certainly be a nightmare for opposing teams. The dominance on both ends of the floor would make the Heat very difficult to beat.
The pairing of Butler and Leonard would be a huge matchup problem for teams; not only would teams have to scheme how to score over the two, but their midrange game would be special together, perhaps even comparable to the Suns backcourt in Chris Paul and Devin Booker that no team seemed to have an answer for until the final games of the NBA Finals.
A potential starting lineup of Herro, Butler, Oladipo, Leonard, and Adebayo would be one of the scariest starting lineups in the whole league. This one might just be wishful thinking though.
It is unlikely that Kawhi leaves his hometown team after they reached their first Conference Finals in franchise history without him. However, if there is one thing we have learned about Kawhi Leonard over his career, it is that he is unpredictable.
Acquiring Kawhi would be a very difficult deal to complete, but Heat fans can hope for a miracle this offseason. As the slogan “In Riley We Trust” suggests, fans should need no reassurance that Riley will make the best moves possible for the organization.
Miami Heat: 5 Things They Can Do To Contend Again- Health Is Wealth
After facing each other in the 2020 NBA Finals, a short 71 day offseason proved to be too much for the Heat and Lakers to handle this season, as both teams were eliminated in the first round.
5. Stay Healthy
Both teams struggled with injuries and COVID-19 protocols all year, leaving their stars sidelined for several games. While it is unlikely that all of these injuries were due to lack of rest, the short offseason may have played a role, as former Miami Heat star LeBron James recently pointed out:
They all didn’t wanna listen to me about the start of the season. I knew exactly what would happen. I only wanted to protect the well being of the players which ultimately is the PRODUCT & BENEFIT of OUR GAME! These injuries isn’t just “PART OF THE GAME”. It’s the lack of PURE
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 16, 2021
He would go on to lay out many more great details, including facts about rest and the human body that he has learned across his long, great, illustrious and most importantly here, healthy career. The guy, famously, spends a ton of time and money on taking care of his body, so while there may not be agreeance universally, the man’s opinion has weight on the topic.
He isn’t the end all be all though, so there’s that too. Nevertheless, both teams looked exhausted by the time the playoffs were reached.
Keeping the Heat healthy next year would help the offense gel together better. Injuries are inevitable, but keeping the number of them low would help the Heat stay more organized and maintain an identity throughout the season.
That ideal will be harder for some players to achieve than others. Victor Oladipo is a player that has recently been struggling with staying active and missed in this year’s postseason after only a few regular season appearances for Miami.
As previously mentioned, Dragic has been battling more injuries now than in the past too. However, if the Heat can keep most of their players active for the regular season and heading into next year’s postseason, they can be a tough playoff matchup for any team.
Ensuring that a few of these five things happen will mean a lot towards those chances.