1 Player from each decade the Miami Heat gave up on too soon

2020s: Derrick Jones Jr.

After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, Derrick Jones Jr. got picked up by the Phoenix Suns. After a year in Phonix, Miami signed Jones to a two-way deal. Jones had athleticism that jumped out of the gym. Jones has a lot of potential on defense due to his athleticism.

Jones didn't have a consistent jump shot, which led him not to be on the floor late in games. Jones had moments in Miami but couldn't find his jump shot consistently. In the 2020 off-season, Miami couldn't afford Jones, who signed with the Portland Trail Blazers for two years at nineteen million. After Jones bouched around to the Chicago Bulls for a couple of seasons and this past year with the Dallas Mavericks, where Jones had one of his better seasons.

Jones was a pivotal piece to Dallas's finals run. Jones got rewarded a three-year thirty million-dollar deal from the Los Angeles Clippers this past off-season. Since leaving Miami, Jones has slowly improved his three-point shooting. I wish Miami found a way to keep Jones. Every year he was in Miami, he just enhanced as his career had gone. Since leaving Miami, Jones has improved his game each year.

Does Jones help Miami beat Denver in the finals or Boston in the Eastern Conference finals back in 2022? No, but who doesn't want an athletic wing who plays good defense and has improved his three-point shot? It's nice to have a guy like that in the lineup.