The Miami Heat Have Watched Others Improve, While They Haven’t Done Much
While the Miami Heat are getting worse, everyone else in the East is improving.
Everyone Else Improved
If the Heat did not make the NBA Finals last year, then they will have no chance to win the East this year without improving their roster. Beginning with the Eastern Conference champions, the Boston Celtics traded for Malcolm Brogdon.
Brogdon is the type of point guard the Celtics needed last year to control the tempo of their offense, especially in close games. With a defense as formidable as Boston’s, this improvement could be the key to unlocking their championship potential.
The Milwaukee Bucks brought back nearly everyone. They even added Joe Ingles, a more than serviceable role player.
The Bucks were arguably a healthy Khris Middleton away from becoming back-to-back champions, so they will be prepared to compete next year. Even the 76ers are improving.
As previously mentioned, they took P.J. Tucker from the Heat. Tyrese Maxey is going to become a better player.
In addition, they will have a full year to incorporate James Harden into their offense. At this point, the Heat’s only improvement will come from the development of their young stars.
That is not going to be enough. The East is becoming increasingly competitive.
Miami has a big problem on their hands. The easiest way to solve that problem is to bring a third star into the mix.
The Heat have been unable to add quality role players to their roster this offseason because they are trying to keep their flexibility to trade for a star. That is a huge risk because if they do not land a star, they will be getting worse than they were last season while everyone around them gets better.