As training camp for the Miami Heat is just around the corner, there is some reason for optimism for the 2025-26 campaign. One can squint at the roster and play with enough rotation combinations to envision a squad that could take advantage of an ever-weakened Eastern Conference this season.
But even without the injury to Tyler Herro, that vision is still going to be an uphill climb, and NBA insiders aren't convinced 2025-26 is going to be much more than a gap year for the Heat.
NBA insiders ignore Miami Heat
ESPN ran a piece where it surveyed 20 "coaches, scouts, and executives" on an array of topics.
Only once on this list, "Where will LeBron James wind up in 2026-27?," did the Heat make an appearance with a single vote.
Topics such as MVP, Best Player, Best Player in 2030, Best American Player, Best American Player in Five Years, Rookie of the Year, Best Offseason, and Conference Champions all looked elsewhere than Miami.
Translation:
NBA insiders don't think the Heat have a top-end superstar, don't see one developing anytime soon, don't think Miami did much to help themselves this offseason, and don't think that if everything goes right, the Heat can win the Eastern Conference this season.
Not that any of this is surprising or unexpected, but it is a reminder of the lowered ceiling the Heat are faced with heading into the new campaign.
If one is looking for a bright side, the Heat managed to avoid getting tabbed for Worst Offseason and Worst Move, even after missing out on Kevin Durant and trading away Haywood Highsmith in a straight salary dump.
No man's land
The real potential problem the Heat finds themselves in is the potential to wind up in NBA purgatory for the foreseeable future, where the roster is just good enough to compete for a playoff spot, but doesn't have enough elite upside to make a genuine run, while at the same time not being low enough to bottom out and get some needed draft capital to reload and make a run.
So, for now, it seems like the Heat could wind up being the hamster on the wheel if the insiders are right.