The Miami Heat quietly crushed the 2025 NBA offseason. While they didn't add a star, they made smart, subtle upgrades that give them ample flexibility going forward.
They didn't have to pay a fortune to see whether Davion Mitchell's late breakout was real. Their bargain-priced trade for Norman Powell looks even more vital in light of Tyler Herro's foot and ankle surgery. They filled their backup big man void with former Heater Precious Achiuwa and potentially solved their playmaking problem by drafting Kasparas Jakucionis.
It was the kind of front office work that should be celebrated. So, where are the celebrations? When ESPN recently published a poll of 20 coaches, scouts, and executives on a variety of topics, the Heat weren't among the seven teams to receive votes for having had the best offseason. Even if you don't think Miami was a runaway winner of the summer, to leave it out of the conversation entirely is a joke.
The Heat filled needs and found great values throughout the summer.
The Atlanta Hawks received the most votes for having the best offseason, which sort of makes sense. They brokered a cheap trade for Kristaps Porziņģis (which only matters if he can stay healthy), signed Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and inexplicably gained an unprotected 2026 first-round pick from the New Orleans Pelicans, who for some reason deemed it necessary to pay that steep a price for the right to select polarizing prospect Derik Queen.
The Denver Nuggets were up next, which feels a bit generous. Swapping out Michael Porter Jr. for Cameron Johnson made financial sense, although the on-court difference figures to be minimal. They did, at least, bulk up their bench by adding Bruce Brown Jr., Tim Hardaway Jr., and Jonas Valanciunas. Still, that's not a slam-dunk better summer than the Heat, let alone the Houston Rockets, who finished third despite addressing their half-court offensive issues by adding Kevin freakin' Durant.
The Oklahoma City Thunder and Orlando Magic got two votes each. This is where I'm frustrated if I'm a member of the Heat front office. The Thunder kept their championship core intact, but that feels a lot more like doing what they had to do than winning the summer. And while the Magic needed a perimeter scoring lift, they still paid a fortune to get Desmond Bane, who cost them four first-round picks, a first-round pick swap, Cole Anthony, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
That's really better work than turning Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love into Powell, a 21.8-point scorer for the 50-win Los Angeles Clippers last season? Speaking of the Clippers, they and the Los Angeles Lakers received one vote each for having the best summers. The Clippers added depth pieces. The Lakers extended Luka Doncic, took a flier on Deandre Ayton, and replaced Dorian Finney-Smith with Jake LaRavia. Maybe these were your typical, mandated mentions of L.A. teams? On that note, the Lakers also received a vote for having the worst offseason, so make sense of that what you will.
While the Heat probably didn't need more bulletin board material than they've already received, at least head coach Erik Spoelstra should have an easy time building the "Us Against the World" mentality.