Miami Heat president Pat Riley. Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Heat's lack of assets illustrates their need for a rebuild

By Adam Taylor | Last updated Jul 11, 2024 4:51 PM ET

The Miami Heat are one year removed from a run to the NBA Finals. However, over the past 12 months, Pat Riley has allowed key members of the rotation to leave in free agency.

Erik Spoelstra's team lost Gabe Vincent, Max Strus and Caleb Martin over the past two summers, despite all three being key pieces in Spoelstra's rotation.

Miami has also struggled to land its top targets during the same time period. The Heat struck out on Damian Lillard last summer, and now, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks on Thursday's episode of "NBA Today," the team tried and failed to land DeMar DeRozan from the Chicago Bulls.

"Heat fans want more," Marks said. "They want more. They see what Boston did last year. They see what New York has done ... What else can you do? They're limited on their draft picks they can send out. They would have loved to get DeMar DeRozan. They tried as heck to get DeMar DeRozan, nobody wanted Duncan Robinson, no offense. They had one first-round pick to trade. They wanted Tyus Jones. They couldn't make a deal here."

The Heat are stuck in a tough spot. They have an aging roster led by 34-year-old Jimmy Butler, their draft assets are limited and the majority of their current roster doesn't hold high-level trade value with other teams around the league. Miami is in danger of becoming stuck in NBA purgatory unless Pat Riley gets creative.

Fortunately for Miami, Butler is expected to test his free-agent market next summer. That should allow the Heat to be more flexible when targeting upgrades in free agency. The problem is that doesn't solve the issue of being competitive in the upcoming season.

Miami has enough high-end talent to make the playoffs. It's unlikely they will enjoy a second Cinderella run in three years. Riley must find a way to rebuild the current roster if he wants the Heat to return to the NBA Finals and be consistently competing for championships.

Right now, Miami projects more as a play-in tournament team than it does as a contender. That's a huge issue for one of the more noteworthy franchises in the Eastern Conference.

Adam Taylor

Adam Taylor is a sports journalist based out of the UK. Adam has been covering the NBA for nearly a decade with a core focus on the Boston Celtics. He currently holds bylines with Yardbarker, SB Nation and USA Today

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