5 Heat players who won’t be back next season after playoff defeat
By Wes Goldberg
One of Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier or Duncan Robinson
Even more than Miami’s disappointing season, the main agent for change this summer could be the team’s payroll. In many ways, the two are related. Regardless of the Heat’s postseason heroics of the past, no owner wants to pay tens of millions in luxury taxes for a team constantly in the play-in (where there is a risk at missing out on playoff-related income).
The Heat have the sixth-highest payroll in the league going into next season with five players owed more than $19 million next season (Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier and Duncan Robinson).
Between Herro, Rozier and Robinson, the Heat are spending more than $73 million on a position where they are something short of elite and even a bit redundant. If the Heat are looking to cut costs, they’ll probably start here.