Three NBA offseason concerns that have proved to be warranted

At the start of every new NBA season, questions plague every team. With so much turnover across all 30 teams in a given offseason, there's always a lot of uncertainty about how a team will look from year to year, regardless of how good or bad they may have been previously. 

This season has been no different, especially with some of the major moves that did or didn't happen in this offseason, moves that raised concerns about how certain teams will look after gaining or losing key players. 

The season is still young, barely a 10th of the way through, but already we're seeing concerns from the offseason come to fruition. Things could change, of course, as the season goes on, but right now, these three teams have proven doubters correct.

3 concerns that proved to be warranted through the first part of the NBA season

The Miami Heat lack the talent to compete

Trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo looked like a great idea on paper, but the 2026-2027 Miami Heat are looking more like the Milwaukee Bucks of 2025-2026. They currently lack the shooting talent and spacing needed to get the most out of Giannis. Ironic, as the Heat sent most of their best pure shooters over to get their prized new star. While they still retain Bam Adebayo, he lacks the offensive skill set to complement his new running mate meaningfully. 

Right now, the Heat are 23rd in the NBA in three-point shooting, at 33.1%, despite being 14th in attempts taken. This isn't a team that's avoiding taking shots. They're just not converting many. It's part of the reason the Heat are barely getting by. They have a 3-6 record and are just 1-5 against teams with a winning record as of Nov. 8. They have too much talent to finish below .500, but moves will have to be made to get this squad to any sort of credibility later in the year. 

Trading for Miles Bridges sunk the Phoenix Suns' chances to compete

For some reason, the Suns blew up their playoff core to trade for Miles Bridges. The trade of Bridges for Grayson Allen has been a major point of contention for fans. While other blame can be laid at the feet of Jalen Green, the starting lineup and the lack of consistency from role players, the trade was the move that exemplified the biggest concerns for the team.

Bridges is scoring just 16.9 points a game and seems out of place for the Suns' style. It was a baffling move for a team to go and get a guy who isn't a known three-point shooter when their team relied so heavily on the long ball. Their three-point shooting has fallen off a cliff since the trade. They were the 4th-best team in three-point shooting last season, and now they're just 17th. 

Meanwhile, Allen, the man they traded for Bridges, is hitting 46.6% of his three-point shots. 

The Utah Jazz fumbled the offseason

The trade for Jaren Jackson Jr. was a move that only made sense with Walker Kessler, or a similar-style player, occupying space next to the former Memphis Grizzlies forward. When the Jazz opted to move on from Kessler, trading him to the Los Angeles Lakers, it made the move to get Jackson even more bizarre. Jackson is a win-now player, and the team gutted their best defensive player for two first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps. 

The trade has exposed the issues with the Jazz. While Jackson is a good defender, he's arguably the worst rebounder in the league. For his career, he's only averaged 5.6 rebounds per game. An astonishingly low number for a 6-foot-11 power forward/center with a Defensive Player of the Year Award to his name. 

That's not the only perplexing move the "win-now" Jazz made. After losing Kessler, the Jazz opted to draft Darryn Peterson when they already had Ace Bailey. It's a move that puzzled some, as they passed over Cameron Boozer, a player who would've helped the Jazz recover from losing Kessler both with rebounding and his low post defense. Right now, the Jazz have just one win of the season, while Boozer's Memphis Grizzlies squad is 6-3 and right in the middle of a possible playoff chase.