The Miami Heat were in the NBA Finals just two years ago, but if you were to take a quick glance at their roster now, there's little resemblance to that. That's because the Heat has quietly nearly turned over that entire roster from 2023.
By allowing Duncan Robinson to leave in free agency and then trading Haywood Highsmith, the Heat only have three players from that NBA Finals roster. But, really, it's just one. Tyler Herro was injured during the team's playoff run that season and didn't log a single minute for the team in the NBA Finals, and Nikola Jovic played a total of three minutes as a rookie.
Really, it's only Bam Adebayo that remains on the roster from that team. In many ways, it does give a greater indication of the crossroads the Heat currently finds itself at.
The Heat's recent roster teardown
Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Robinson, Kyle Lowry, and Jimmy Butler played key roles for the Heat during their NBA Finals run. All of them are now gone, including Victor Oladipo, Highsmith, and Kevin Love.
The fact that the Heat has undergone that much roster change in just a couple of seasons is pretty astonishing. Generally speaking, you don't see that much change from usual NBA Finals teams. Nevertheless, it does help paint the difficult situation the Heat finds themselves in.
Figuring out the best course of action moving forward for the Heat won't be easy. It's clear that more change is coming, especially considering how their roster stands at the moment, but the big question for the fan base revolves around what that may possibly mean for the future.
With the trade of Highsmith, you can't help but question what other big changes could be next. Is a complete rebuild on the horizon? Are the Heat going to sell off any more veteran assets before the start of the season?
Was this just one tax-cutting move to place themselves in a better position to make another move in the future? Was this a move to make way for the signing of Dru Smith, Kai Jones, or perhaps another free agent that they may have their eye on?
Especially with how close to the vest the Heat operates, all of these questions are nearly impossible to answer.
One thing is pretty clear: the 2023 NBA Finals team is pretty much nearly all gone. It's now a distant memory for many Heat fans.