Unless there’s an unexpected turn of events similar to a Bustler Douglas upset, the Miami Heat are poised to head into the new season with a roster that looks much like last year’s.
Their key accomplishments during the offseason were re-signing Kevin Love, Haywood Highsmith, and Thomas Bryant, although they did lose Caleb Martin. These roster changes are unlikely to strike fear into the hearts of their Eastern Conference rivals such as the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, or even the Orlando Magic.
The window to make significant improvements without a trade has essentially closed for this summer. However, trade opportunities might still arise during the season with a bit of luck. ESPN’s Zach Lowe recently noted that acquiring Damian Lillard could become a possibility if things start to go badly for the Milwaukee Bucks.
“They could always revisit Dame if things go badly in Milwaukee,” Lowe mentioned on his podcast. “Donovan Mitchell just signed a three-year extension with the Cavs, which takes him off the table for a while. He was one of their dream targets. So, it hasn’t been a great summer for the Heat.”
Last offseason, the Heat were heavily focused on acquiring Lillard, which extended through the summer and resulted in them missing out on other free agents. Ultimately, Lillard ended up with the Bucks because the Portland Trail Blazers were not interested in the trade assets the Heat offered.
There is a possibility that the situation could change with Milwaukee. The Heat have trade assets like Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, and either Jaime Jaquez or Nikola Jovic. Herro, being a Milwaukee native, might be appealing to the Bucks due to his local connection.
