8 Players Miami Heat chose to hold on for way too long

In their existence, the Miami Heat have been one of the better franchises in player development. However, there have also been times when the Heat has fallen in love with a player a bit too much, at times resulting in keeping players on the roster a few years too long.

For this list, we take the feelings out of it. Talking about basketball talent and production, we explore eight players that the Heat probably held onto for too long.

8 players the Miami Heat kept for too long

Keith Askins (1990-99)

In some ways, Keith Askins was Udonis Haslem before Udonis Haslem. After going undrafted in the 1990 NBA Draft, Askins signed with the Miami Heat. He would go on to make the team, serve as the team captain for four seasons, and remained with the Heat for his entire nine-year NBA playing career.

During his best season with the Heat, he averaged six points and four rebounds on 42 percent shooting from 3-point range. From a pure basketball standpoint, there’s an argument to be made that because of his lack of consistent production year over year, he shouldn’t have played nine years in Miami.

From an intangibles standpoint, he was an invaluable player in the eyes of the Heat. So much so that after his playing career, he slid into an assistant coaching role and then into a front office role in 2013. Askins continues to hold a position in the Heat front office today.

Not to take away from the importance that he’s played for the Heat in his post-playing career, there’s an argument to be made that he was a player the Heat held onto for a few years too long.