Somehow, someway, inexplicably, shockingly, whatever else you wanna put in here, the Miami Heat did it again this year. Despite not being an especially great team during the regular season and finding themselves on the brink of elimination in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament, Miami caught fire during the playoffs and made it all the way to the NBA Finals. The team eventually ran out of gas against the Denver Nuggets, but regardless, the run served as a reminder that Erik Spoelstra’s bunch just have this incredible ability to flip a switch once the playoffs roll around.
All that said, Miami’s struggles during the regular season certainly are concerning, especially as issues like an inability to consistently score points and a general lack of size came back to bite them in a big way against Denver. We do know that they’re willing to be aggressive in the trade market to fix at least one of those issues, as the Heat were closely linked to a move for Bradley Beal and are apparently keeping ready in case Damian Lillard hits the market.
Since this is the Heat we are talking about here, it probably isn’t wise to cast any sort of serious doubt around their ability to do, well, anything. But between their usual star hunting, the general reinforcements their roster could use, and the fact that major contributors like Gabe Vincent and Max Strus could be in line for big paydays on the unrestricted free agent market, it’s sure to be a busy summer in Miami.
Roster Needs: Frontcourt help, two-way wings, perimeter creation
Jaime Jaquez Jr. (No. 18 overall), B: I’m a sucker for Jaime Jaquez, and I’ll admit that. This is a substantial rise from where most had him during the season but, well, this is about where I had him the entire time. Miami is also a wonderful landing spot because the Heat do a fantastic job putting players in positions to succeed. Jaquez’s toughness and feel for the game fit beautifully with the Heat.
2023 Free Agents:
Kevin Love (UFA)
Omer Yurtseven (RFA)
Cody Zeller (UFA)
Gabe Vincent (UFA)
Max Strus (UFA)
Orlando Robinson (Two-Way)
Jamal Cain (Two-Way)
Roster:
Jimmy Butler
Bam Adebayo
Kyle Lowry
Tyler Herro
Duncan Robinson
Victor Oladipo (Player Option)
Caleb Martin
Nikola Jovic
Haywood Highsmith
Dru Smith (Two-Way)
Darius Days (Two-Way)
Marcus Garrett (Two-Way)
Mychal Mulder (Two-Way)
Javonte Smart (Two-Way)
Source: https://uproxx.com/dimemag/2023-nba-draft-grades-miami-heat-jaime-jaquez/
