The Miami Heat have 14 players on standard contracts and it looks like their big offseason moves could be over… for now. The All U Can Heat staff got together to discuss the biggest themes of Miami’s offseason.
1. Would you consider yourself disappointed with the Heat’s offseason?
Daniel Riccio: I would consider myself disappointed in the Heat’s offseason, for sure. With Jimmy Butler not getting any younger, this was Pat Riley’s true last chance to maximize his window and this build. It isn’t hard to come to the conclusion that maybe their current core has run its course together. Even if it wasn’t a league-altering move (Donovan Mitchell), it could’ve been as simple as getting DeMar DeRozan done, who had interest in signing with Miami. Although this current core may very much have the talent, their track record shows that what they don’t have is health. Not having health leads to consistency issues with that talent, by not having the proper chemistry and cohesion of playing all together as a unit. But who knows, maybe this is the year this team somehow goes from one of the most injury-prone in the entire league to the least.
Alex Villasis: No. Going into the offseason, I knew the Miami Heat were limited with draft capital and had no cap space to acquire free agents. I did not expect a big move this offseason so my expectations were not that high.
Max Marshall: Yes. Miami, as of right now, has not improved the roster in a significant way. It was Donovan Mitchell or bust this offseason and that door closed when Mitchell signed an extension in Cleveland. It’s not necessarily their fault, but losing Caleb Martin to the Philadelphia 76ers (on a cheaper contract than what Miami offered) was an extra slap in the face.