NBA: 5 burning questions that remain unanswered this offseason

Did the Miami Heat punt on the Jimmy Butler build?

I don’t think this story has gotten enough run on the national stage. But after nearly making the NBA Finals in two of the last three seasons, it seems as if the Miami Heat are going to punt on the Jimmy Butler championship window. Whether the Heat wants to or not, that’s the harsh reality of their future.

Miami refused to give PJ Tucker a three-year deal, which you can’t blame them for, but they failed to replace him with a starting caliber power forward and, unbiasedly, have an inferior roster compared to last season.

The Heat will say they waited out for a shot at one of the stars but they never truly had a shot at Kevin Durant or Donovan Mitchell and weren’t interested in Kyrie Irving. I’m not sure what the Heat’s plan was for the offseason but it failed miserably.

It’s not unfair to say this team has fallen behind in the Eastern Conference.