The Miami Heat ended last season with the best record in the Eastern Conference, falling just short of their second NBA Finals appearance in three seasons. While it was expected that the Heat would have a busy offseason making improvements based on things the team lacked in the postseason, Miami ended up having a pretty quiet offseason.
They didn’t really acquire any new players aside from their draft assets. In fact, you could argue that they have an even bigger hole to fill now since they lost P.J. Tucker.
Trade rumors got in the way of the Miami Heat acquiring any key role players this offseason if you want to choose a main culprit. They say to go big or go home and the Heat certainly tried to go big this offseason.
When Kevin Durant requested a trade, the Heat were one of the leading teams trying to put together a trade package for him. Miami was also involved in the Donovan Mitchell sweepstakes.
The Heat were unable to acquire either player. Kevin Durant rescinded his trade request, while Mitchell was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Miami Heat had a quiet offseason but kept most of their players from last season. What position does that put them in for the upcoming season?
The Heat were left with nothing and their main goal this offseason ended in failure. Now, the Miami Heat have no choice but to enter the 2022-23 NBA season with the same roster as last season.
As previously mentioned, that was a roster that finished with the best record in the East and was one win away from reaching the NBA Finals. It’s still a very talented one and they should be able to do some damage in the East.
The Eastern Conference is going to be very competitive this season. However, the Miami Heat should still be one of the top teams.
With improvement expected from Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry, and Victor Oladipo, the sky is the limit for this team. You also can’t forget about Jimmy Butler.
He is coming off the best postseason of his career. He is feeling confident in himself, as he has expressed his belief that he is in the prime of his career right now.
Butler can help take the Heat to high places. If the team stays healthy and puts in the effort like they usually do, it should not matter that the Heat had an unsuccessful offseason, by some standards.
They will still compete in the East and they still have a chance to win a championship this season. And that’s really all that matters.