Miami Heat fans are moving on from the LeBron James mini-saga, hoping their former two-time champion would return for his final act. James has made his decision, which means the Heat will have to go against him and the Philadelphia 76ers a few times next season, instead of playing with him.
In that light, the Heat now have to return to their roster and address the remaining needs. Defensively, the Heat will be formidable; a trio of Bam Adebayo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Andrew Wiggins presents a solid defensive game plan. That said, offense is where the Heat need to focus.
James would have given the Heat at least 20 points per game, give or take a point or two. So, Miami needs to fill that hole with another double-digit scorer, and more recently, DeMar DeRozan's name has come up as a likely target. There is another name recently connected to the Heat, but if Pat Riley wants to avoid a mistake, he may be better off settling for DeRozan and not this injury-prone star.
The Miami Heat's rumored interest in Bradley Beal could wind up hurting them
Granted, the Heat don't have a ton of options that are on the same level as James. In fact, there are none at all. The one player currently available to sign is DeRozan, who, while not a superstar, is still a consistent scorer, a player who can create his own shot, and a mid-range expert.Â
DeRozan dipped below the 20 points per game average last season for the first time in his career. Whether it was due to the situation in Sacramento or if he's declined, we'll find out next season. If he lands in Miami, though, they could use his scoring touch nevertheless, not to mention his consistent availability.Â
The same cannot be said for Bradley Beal, whom the Heat reportedly also have interest in. Unlike DeRozan, Beal can't stay healthy and hasn't played a 60-game season since the 2020-21 season. Last season, he played in just six games for the Los Angeles Clippers. Beal has fallen far since his peak with the Washington Wizards.Â
The Heat could get a much-needed scoring punch from Beal, yes. However, his injury concerns are heavy, and the Heat would be gambling on someone who may not play half the season for them. The risk in going with Beal could be costly, making DeRozan the better option, even though he's not a player who would automatically vault the Heat into a championship-contending team.Â
At the end of the day, the Heat will be taking a risk no matter who they bring aboard, and that includes Russell Westbrook, who is also on Miami's radar. Losing out on James hurt and changed the trajectory of Miami's season. That said, what they can't do is panic-sign players who are large in name but not necessarily large in impact. Beal resembles the latter.Â
Add us as a preferred source on Google