The Miami Heat have been one of the more storied franchises in the NBA. A least that became the case once the team hired Hall of Fame head coach Pat Riley to become the team’s president in 1995. Since then, the Heat have won three NBA finals (tied for the fourth-most in the league) while making a total of six trips to the championship.
A storied franchise that has become known as a free-agent destination, Miami has seen many franchise alternative players come via free agency. From diamond in the rough Hassan Whiteside to Lamar Odom to the sign-and-trade for Jimmy Butler. Then, of course, there is the signing of two of the biggest free agents in NBA history, Chris Bosh and LeBron James.
That’s quite an impressive list of talent, but it hasn’t been all sunshine for the team over its history. While many have taken their talents to South Beach, there are some who, instead, left their talents behind.
The Miami Heat, like all teams, have their share of free agency blunders.
They’re more well-known for their free-agent successes, but the Miami Heat have had some blunders over the years, especially as of late. Some were projected to raise the team’s ceiling and ultimately fell flat; others were replacements the team was just hoping could produce to some level of comparison to lost stars. In each case, though, the players performed below both expectations and their pay grade.