The Miami Heat need a superstar to win an NBA title. That's not unique to them. Go look through the hoops history books and try coming across many (if any) championship clubs that didn't have one.
That's one reason why Miami is being careful to keep the asset collection stocked and the finances as flexible as possible for the 2026 offseason. Here's the other: As this league reminds us time and again, a superstar can shake loose at any moment. Just when it seems like the superstar shuffle has settled, suddenly Giannis Antetokounmpo—Miami's dream get for years now—is saying he'll "probably" stay with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Granted, he also said, "I love Milwaukee" while discussing his plans. Still, "probably" is a lot different than "definitely." There's leeway with the former that allows Miami to dream about its next "taking my talents to South Beach" level of landscape-altering acquisition.
Heat's quiet summer could lead to loud splash at some point.
Maybe Miami fans are tired of hoping for Giannis. When a dream gets dashed time and again, it's admittedly hard to keep it alive.
Some sections of the Heat faithful might be ready for the franchise to abandon the whale-hunting business altogether. That's an understandable stance, particularly given the limitations forced upon rosters stacked with established stars under the collective bargaining agreement. And it rings especially true during the doomiest and gloomiest times of a relatively sleepy summer.
Yet, none of this means Miami is wrong for what it's doing. In fact, the Heat have managed to quietly raise hopes for the 2025-26 season without spoiling their biggest dreams for next summer.
Getting Norman Powell for less than a bargain-basement price point was a no-brainer. A few shaky summer league showings shouldn't shake anyone's faith in the wide-ranging belief that the Heat heisted Kasparas Jakučionis with the draft's 20th pick. And don't sleep on the potential that they'll help revive Simone Fontecchio, acquired in the Duncan Robinson sign-and-trade, a 6'8" forward who averaged double-digit points and shot 40.1 percent from three (on decent volume) just two seasons back.
The Heat have made progress this offseason. They also haven't limited themselves at all going forward. Powell and Fontecchio are both on expiring contracts. Same goes for Terry Rozier, Haywood Highsmith, and perhaps Andrew Wiggins, depending on how he handles the $30.2 million player option he holds for the 2026-27 season, per Spotrac.
If everything breaks right—a big if, but not an impossible one when Erik Spoelstra is at the helm—the Heat have a chance to compete right now in a wide-open Eastern Conference and still have the resources needed to chase a star (or maybe more than one) at some point between now and next season. Oh, and if they're not competitive, they can always pull the plug early and look to sell off veterans for assets ahead of the trade deadline.
Fans who were hoping to see bigger, more substantial change this summer might be wondering what's going on, but the Heat have reasons for proceeding this way. Their ceiling only reaches so high with the roster as it is. They'll need to nab an elite to elevate all the way into championship contention.
Staying ready and poised to make that mega-move is the smart way to handle this. Because you never really know when the league's next superstar—be that Giannis or someone we're not even thinking of right now—decides they're ready to test out the greener grass (or maybe sandy beaches) in a new NBA home.