Miami Heat In Surprisingly Good Standing Despite Inactive Offseason

The Miami Heat have been relatively quiet this offseason, as their only major moves have been dishing out Duncan Robinson and trading for Norman Powell.

And yet, no one seems to be hitting the panic button on them for the upcoming season. In fact, many are seemingly pegging them as a fringe playoff contender once again.

Which...isn't the best outcome, but it's still better than their previous projections. The Athletic was the latest to grade the Heat's offseason, giving them a B- for their moves this summer.

The article wrote:

"The Heat have done a decent job of building this roster while maximizing the limited assets they brought into the offseason. Turning Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson into Norman Powell was a major win, even if Powell is 32 and looking for a new contract. Drafting Kasparas Jakučionis at No. 20 was a win for Miami, considering many draft analysts regarded him as a top-10 pick for most of the summer. Bringing back Davion Mitchell on a reasonable deal was also smart.

The article pinned Powell's addition as the move that ascends Miami back to being a top-six contender in the Eastern Conference.

"This team probably isn’t a contender, but it can also shake things up by getting involved in the Jonathan Kuminga sweepstakes or going all in on a potential LeBron James reunion — though recent reports have suggested both moves seem unlikely," the article wrote. "The biggest remaining question involves what they are going to do about Terry Rozier and the year remaining on his deal."

MIAMI HEAT LIKELY OUT ON JONATHAN KUMINGA

Earlier in the offseason, there were many rumors linking the Miami Heat to Jonathan Kuminga, currently a restricted free agent for the Golden State Warriors. Ever since, the noise quieted down. The Heat traded for Norman Powell, and the Warriors are reportedly shutting down sign-and-trade discussions for the time being.

Kuminga is up for a new deal, but with no real cap space suitors for him. On top of the Warriors having the ability to match any offer for the four-year forward, it is becoming more and more likely that Kuminga accepts the one-year qualifying offer to bet on himself in 2027, when many more teams have cap space.

That mostly puts the ball in the Warriors' court, despite the worst-kept secret that Kuminga, who recently turned down a two-year, $45 million offer from the Warriors, doesn't really want to stay there.

The Sacramento Kings have been considered the frontrunners for Kuminga for a while now and would have to send back half of Kuminga's first-year salary back in a sign-and-trade scenario.

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