13. Miami Heat
Key offseason move: Signed Josh Richardson
It’s tough to gauge how good the Miami Heat will be next season because their offseason is currently incomplete. There’s a scenario that plays out the rest of the offseason in which the Heat is one of the 2-3 favorites to win the 2023 NBA Championship. At the same time, there’s also a scenario that keeps the Heat as a possible afterthought in the Eastern Conference heading into the regular season.
Let’s look at the facts. The Heat lost two starters (Max Strus and Gabe Vincent) and signed Josh Richardson, who will have to replace both of their production. That’s not a recipe for improvement. Even for the most optimistic of Heat fans, it’s hard to argue that they improved at all this offseason.
All their eggs are in Damian Lillard’s basket. It’s, admittedly, a risky game to play. If Miami is able to land Lillard before the start of the season, they’re one of the huge winners of the offseason. If not, there’s nothing that has happened this offseason that doesn’t tell me they won’t be another Play-In Tournament team in the East.