Opening night for the Miami Heat revealed that its lack of size on the roster could be an Achilles' heel, even after Tyler Herro returns. The Heat actually rebounded well for 3 1/2 quarters, but eventually were worn down by the Magic, and a string of backbreaking offensive rebounds doomed the Heat.
Bam Adebayo had a solid game rebounding, but he needs help if he is going to hold up for 82 games. Miami tried to incorporate Precious Achiuwa, but his preseason was so bad the Heat pulled the plug.
So given that Miami does have a roster spot to play with, and potentially two depending upon what happens with Terry Rozier, there is a potential solution floating around in the free agent market to add some size, the Heat should at least kick the tires at.
And no, none of these are perfect solutions, but they would fill a needed void on the roster.
Bol Bol is availble
For whatever reason, Bol Bol hasn't been able to find a home to start the 2025-26 campaign in the NBA. Bol is still just 25, averaged over six points a night last season while getting 12 minutes a night.
And while there is no disputing that he is a flawed player who, at best, would be relegated to 10 minutes a night, he is the type of player Miami needs to at least take a look at, especially if they can land him on a cheap contract.
Vladislav Goldin
The solution for Miami might already be on the roster. Vladislav Goldin was their UDFA from the offseason and looked decent during his summer stint.
His preseason didn't go so great, but there was a potential combo that emerged in the summer that could unlock a lot for Miami.
Goldin came in as a true center while Ware moved to the 4 spot. This is where we saw Ware start to flourish with his three-point shooting, and his rebounding was cleaned up in a heartbeat.
Rotations matter
Whether it's Bol Bol, Goldin, or some other random big man that is out there, there is a pathway for this to all come together if Miami can just get even six minutes out of a random big man.
Consider the following rotation:
1Q Minutes 12-6: Nikola Jovic and Bam Adebayo together
1Q Minutes 6-3: Jovic subs off and Kel'el Ware comes on
1Q Minutes 3-0: Bam subs off, random big man comes on, and Ware moves to the 4 spot
2Q Minutes 12-9: Jovic back on, big man off, and Ware moves to center
2Q Minutes 9-0: Ware subs off, Bam back on
From there, Miami could mix and match between Ware and Jovic to close out the final nine minutes of the half and could easily repeat this cycle in the second half.
This would ensure Ware gets at least 18 minutes and should help Bam with the pressure of having to grab everything.
Miami has a clear problem, but a pretty obvious path toward fixing it. The question is, how will they handle it?