Hopefully, things have changed by the time you're reading this, but so far, it sure seems like the Miami Heat are coming up empty in 2025 NBA free agency. They did decent work bringing Davion Mitchell back at a relatively reasonable price, but sharpshooter Duncan Robinson left (via sign and trade) to ink with the Detroit Pistons. Maybe they take a flier on the recently waived Damian Lillard, but there's only so much excitement one can muster up for a soon-to-be 35-year-old who's still in the early stages of recovering from a torn Achilles.
It's entirely possible that, given the silence in Miami and the noise throughout the rest of the Eastern Conference, the faithful might be running short on...well, faith.
If nothing else, Heat fans could use a distraction to snap them out of this silence. Luckily, the league already has one cooked up, as Summer League play will soon tip and provide this forlorn fanbase with a welcome look at a potentially bright future.
Miami's summer league roster is loaded with intrigue.
Summer league results may not technically matter in terms of the official standings, but it's always good for an organization to instill a winning mentality within its younger players. And based on how Miami's roster looks, the Heat have a real chance to do exactly that.
The co-headliners are Kel'el Ware, who opened his first NBA season out of the rotation and finished it as an All-Rookie second-teamer, and Kasparas Jakučionis, who already looks like a draft steal after falling to Miami at No. 20. There's a non-zero chance these two comprise one of the most dynamic duos on this year's summer circuit.
Or maybe Ware looks like he doesn't belong in summer league (for the best reasons) and shuts it down early after a few dominant performances. Given how productive he was down the final stretch (12 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks over his last 16 outings), he might be too much for summer-league defenders to handle.
Drop down to the supporting cast, and there's still so much to like here. Pelle Larsson, last summer's 44th pick, typically impressed as a rookie when given the opportunity. During the 14 games in which he logged 20-plus minutes, he averaged 10 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. Keshad Johnson, another sophomore-to-be, could fill up the highlight reels.
Vladislav Goldin, who spent the bulk of his college career at FAU, Oumar Ballo, and Dain Dainja are all bigs who generated some degree of draft buzz despite going unselected. Kira Lewis Jr., a speedy lead guard, was once the 13th pick of the 2020 draft. JC Butler, son of Heat assistant coach Caron Butler, is on the roster. So, too, is Steve Settle III, a 6'10" forward who shot 41.6 percent from three for Temple this past season.
While the primary focus will be on Ware and Jakučionis, the hope is the Heat could find as many as a handful of potential contributors for the big-league roster at some point. The mere prospect of that happening already sounds exciting, and it's obvious Miami fans could use some excitement right about now.