Well, 2024 is nearly over and it was filled with surprises. As we get prepared to ring in the New Year, here are five increasingly wild Miami Heat predictions for 2025.
1. The Heat roster won’t be the same by the end of February.
We already saw the Heat make a minor deal by sending Thomas Bryant to the Indiana Pacers for a 2031 second-round pick swap, but they probably aren’t done. The Heat are aggressively mediocre, which is no place to be in the NBA. They need to do something. They could add reinforcements for a playoff push, or they could trade away more veterans for assets. But something has to give, and they know it.
2. Tyler Herro will make his first All-Star game.
Herro is averaging roughly 24 points, five rebounds and five assists per game while shooting 40% on 10 3-pointers per game. That’s All-Star caliber stuff! But will he actually make his first All-Star team?
The way I see it, there are seven locks for the 12 All-Star spots in the East. In no particular order: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson, Donovan Mitchell, Damian Lillard and Jaylen Brown.
After that, there’s a short list of about a dozen players competing for the final five spots. Those names include Herro, LaMelo Ball, Trae Young, Cade Cunningham, RJ Barrett, Jalen Johnson, Franz Wagner, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
Because of name recognition, Butler and Adebayo could theoretically receive votes over Herro, but Herro has been more deserving.
Here’s my guess for the final five spots: Johnson, Wagner, Ball, Young and Herro.
3. Bam Adebayo will get back to 50% shooting.
It’s been a rough start to Adebayo’s season. He’s posting his lowest scoring numbers since becoming a full-time starter, averaging just 16.5 points on 45% shooting. But after making less than 40% of his total field goals in his first seven games, Adebayo is already turning things around.
Over his last 10 games, Adebayo is averaging 17 points on 48.6% shooting. He’s reclaiming his sweet spot with his free-throw line jumpers and finishing at a higher clip.
Adebayo has made more than 50% of his shots in every season for his career, so there’s no reason to believe that his powers have been completely Space Jam-zapped away.
4. The Heat will trade Jimmy Butler.
This team is going nowhere fast, and the market is heating up for Butler. Too many contenders can use his two-way efficiency and ability to create his own shot.
The Warriors could use him as a no. 2 scorer next to Stephen Curry. The Rockets could use him as a no. 1 scorer at the end of games. The Suns would love to have him flanking Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
As difficult as it is to concoct a trade that (a) works under the new salary cap rules and (b) satisfies what every team wants in a deal, the Heat need to strike while the iron is hot.
Waiting for the summer, when Butler is older and needs a new contract, and teams are less desperate, could backfire. Trading Butler now is the best way to prepare the Heat for whatever comes next…
5. The Heat will trade for a new star over the summer.
If the Heat do pull the trigger on a Butler trade, it shouldn’t signal a full rebuild. Adebayo and Herro are All-Star caliber players at 27 and 24 years old, respectively. For as disappointing as youngsters like Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic and Kel’el Ware have been to start the season, there’s still a lot to like with Miami’s last three first-round picks.
The Heat will be able to trade two of their own first-round picks in the offseason, Terry Rozier’s expiring contract, Duncan Robinson’s partially guaranteed contract and an assortment of young players to include in a deal. (Plus whatever they get in return for Butler.)
Will that be enough to land a star over the summer? The Rockets, Spurs and Thunder have the assets to beat a Heat offer, but they should at least be in the mix. Looking ahead, De’Aaron Fox might be the next star domino to fall if Sacramento’s season continues to go south. Kevin Durant is always worth monitoring, as is Giannis Antetokounmpo.
It’s tough to see exactly how the Heat could land a star so quickly after trading one away, but that’s why this is the wildest of our predictions. Stranger things have happened.