The Miami Heat have completed the most important step toward competing for a championship by acquiring a true superstar in Giannis Antetokounmpo. Unfortunately, Miami has depleted its resources to do so, thus leaving the roster with significant question marks in regard to spacing and general shot creation along the wings.
Though those concerns are entirely valid, the criticism the Heat have received for their offseason moves fails to align with the quality of their decisions. A prominent figure isn't so skeptical.
Miami entered the offseason as one of several teams preparing to go all-in on Antetokounmpo. Though it cost them greatly, it was a price that most expected them to pay. And yet, ESPN, for instance, gave Miami a B- for the trade—a solid mark, yet quite an underwhelming figure considering the caliber of player they acquired.
David Aldridge of The Athletic not only believes Miami's trade for Giannis was a success, but ranked them as having the second-best offseason of any team in the NBA. Aldridge's reasoning included the following:
"Miami gave up a lot for the 31-year-old Antetokounmpo, who’s had all manner of injuries the last couple of years. But respect for taking the swing. Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo will be a terror defensively. The spacing on offense will certainly challenge Erik Spoelstra — yes, Adebayo can shoot it, but a steady diet of his jumpers isn’t optimal. Spo, though, always figures out the best way to use whatever he’s got every season. He’ll do so again."
As Aldridge noted, the Heat must resolve their spacing and find an ideal role for Adebayo. Even still, they have a superstar player coming to play for an all-time great head coach.
David Aldridge ranks Heat as having the second-best offseason in NBA
Miami gave up quite a haul for Antetokounmpo—and, for that matter, two-time Sixth Man of the Year finalist Bobby Portis. That includes All-Star guard Tyler Herro, their own Sixth Man of the Year finalist in Jaime Jaquez Jr., 2025 first-round pick Kasparas Jakučionis, and promising big man Kel'el Ware.
Replacing four players who averaged at least 17.8 minutes per game, let alone four arguable cornerstones, has inevitably become a tall task.
The harsh reality facing Miami entering the 2026 offseason is that its depth and promise have yet to lead to anything tangible. Since reaching the 2023 NBA Finals, the Heat have won a grand total of one playoff game and have been stuck in the middle of the pack at 46-36, 37-45, and 43-39.
Considering Adebayo is 29 years of age, the question was simple: Would they stay the course and risk remaining aggressively average during his prime or swing for the fences with an all-time great in the late stages of their athletic prime?
Heat chose ambition over complacency after three mediocre seasons
If the offseason were to end today, Miami would enter the 2026-27 season with a starting lineup that consists of Adebayo, Antetokounmpo, Pelle Larsson, Davion Mitchell, and Andrew Wiggins. All five rank among the better, if not outright best, defensive players in the NBA.
If nothing else, the Heat should thus be one of the best defensive teams in the NBA—especially with a renowned defensive mind like Spoelstra running the show.
Miami also has a considerable number of resources to add to its current rotation. It has $8,979,000 from the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, $5,477,000 from the bi-annual exception, and a $5,616,000 traded player exception from the Haywood Highsmith move.
With those exceptions in tow, the Heat could realistically improve their roster—particularly with free agency stuck in a holding pattern due to the drawn out signing processes that revolved or continue to revolve around the likes of Jalen Duren, LeBron James, and Peyton Watson.
The truth of the matter is, however, that 2026-27 isn't the barometer for the success of the Antetokounmpo era. It's important, of course, but Miami brought him in to anchor multiple seasons of their championship ambitions. They will therefore be judged by how they build around him over time.
Thankfully, Aldridge sees the vision and understands how rare it is for a team to land a two-time MVP, NBA champion, Finals MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year.
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