The Miami Heat should get some relief after a disappointing end to the season.
It was one long, grueling season for the Miami Heat but it’s finally over. One year after embarrassing the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Heat got a taste of their own medicine as they were swept by those same Bucks (with an upgrade here and there) in the first round of this year’s playoffs.
In a way, the end of their season could bring a somewhat sigh of relief for the team. Even though the season didn’t end as they hoped, this is a team that never looked right throughout the year and one that needed some time off.
The offseason for the Heat could bring a fresh start and some re-identifying. The signing of Jimmy Butler was the first step of a plan that was supposed to be punctuated by the 2021 offseason. However, without the big-name free agent out there it’s difficult to see how the Heat will easily improve the roster.
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The Miami Heat must improve this offseason
Nevertheless, that’s never been something that has stopped Pat Riley and the front office in the past. Make no mistake, the Heat’s roster will get a shakeup this offseason and it’ll be interesting to see what this team looks like at the start of next season.
Unless the Heat can pry Kawhi Leonard away from the LA Clippers, there’s really no clear, distinct road back to relevance in the East. Miami could pursue Kyle Lowry or DeMar DeRozan, but it’s difficult to see how any one of those would successfully close the current gap between the Heat the East’s contenders.
Plus, the Heat also has some big decisions to make on some of their in-house free agents too. Goran Dragic, Duncan Robinson, Kendrick Nunn, Trevor Ariza, and Victor Oladipo will each be free agents this summer.
Miami can’t possibly bring back this same exact roster. Doing so would be an extreme disappointment with the flexibility that the team could potentially have this summer. Even if Miami believes in the continued development of Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, that’s an absolute no-no.
The Heat players will get some much-needed rest (after being in the NBA Finals last season and then having the shortest NBA offseason in history before the start of this season) and the front office will be able to hit the reset button, to a certain extent, on this roster.
Will next year be better for the Heat? It’s tough to say at this point.
Either way, for better or worse, this should be an interesting offseason for the Heat. Big decisions will be made and their future will very much depend on every one of them.