With better-than-the-rest head coach Erik Spoelstra running the show, it's no surprise to see the Miami Heat manage to maximize every inch of their roster through the early goings of the 2025-26 NBA season. It's also entirely fair to question how much higher this club can climb, given its still unaddressed need for a certified superstar.
Hoops history might reveal multiple different paths to the championship podium, but virtually all of them include at least one top-shelf megastar on the roster. The Heat just don't have that player. And as long as that remains the case, Miami projects to be more of a pesky playoff opponent than a legitimate title contender.
The Heat can't become an elite team without an elite player.
Discussions like this are difficult because you never want to undersell a team's accomplishments. Norman Powell has been even more of a steal than everyone thought. Bam Adebayo has checked a slew of important boxes, including adding the outside shot we all waited so long to see. Jaime Jaquez Jr. has recovered from a rough sophomore season to perhaps regain building-block status.
And even if there are questions of how Tyler Herro will adapt upon his return, Heat fans should still be thrilled to get their All-Star guard back soon.
Miami's start should be celebrated. And, yes, there are ways this group can still improve.
It's just the degree of that improvement that warrants scrutiny. And that will be the case for as long as team president Pat Riley fails to reel in his next whale.
Miami's front office should have options. Anthony Davis feels imminently available with the Dallas Mavericks facing a lengthy recovery from last season's disastrous Luka Doncic deal. The New Orleans Pelicans can't have too tight a grip on Zion Williamson, and the same probably holds for the Memphis Grizzlies and Ja Morant. Trae Young's future with the Atlanta Hawks has long felt tenuous. And the trade market is always capable of putting a surprise star or two up for grabs.
The Heat, as Spoelstra likes to say, aren't a fit for everyone, so the front office needs to find the right player. They have to be willing to work. Their conditioning must meet this squad's rigorous standards. And their offense better be powerful enough to give Miami both a prolific point-producer and someone capable of consistently coming through in the clutch.
It's a lengthy wish list, to be sure, but it should be when considering the caliber of player the Heat should be going after. They might only get one crack at this, too, since their trade budget certainly isn't the richest around the league.
Still, this is something they should be doing and doing right. Being pretty good in this league is never nearly good enough. If Miami wants to elevate to greatness, it must add a great player to make that possible.