2025 Offseason Season Thread Vol. 1

[MettaWorldPanda]

Giving up your cap flexibility for Durant is one thing. Stacking DeRozan to your roster and putting a dent into that cap space is just roster malpractice. If we lose out on Durant we should hunting around the league to swap out Wiggins for expiring’s. The full cap sheet in 2026 and having our draft pick should be the vision. There are plenty of mid tier soon to be free agents playing for contracts like Simons, PJW, Clarkson, Collins, and Sexton just to name a few.

Wiggins is essentially an expiring. He's got a player option that he most likely opts out of to become a free agent.

If I'm Riley, I trade herro. Use the 70M in expirings (wiggins, rozier, and robinson).

Go big game hunting with herro, expirings, and future picks. If herro is as good and as valued as many heat fans think he is, there should be plenty of suitors. Build the team with Bam (not around him, there's a difference).

Bam and ware
Get an alpha, kd as an example. (I'd love fox.)
Get a 2 way wing (2 is better, but good luck with that) who can shoot the 3 ball and defend off ball.
Get a pg that can run an offense and defend.

Playoffs shows you every year that a guard who is a defensive liability is not playable unless they are the engine of the offense. And even then it's questionable.

Play 2 bigs. 1 has to be switchable to not get played off the floor.
Have big switchable wings who can defend up or down based on match ups.
Have an offensive engine.
A 6th man bucket getter.

This seems logical. I think something like ending up with Sexton, Royce O’Neale, and KD, while resigning Davion, is our best case scenario, realistically.

That’d be an interesting group in a wide open East.

Sexton/Davion
Royce
KD
Bam/Niko
Ware

It’s nice to dream but Riley is not giving up on his golden boy grandson just yet. Wiggins is the one getting his ass shipped out of here this offseason. He sealed his fate when he didn’t bang that drum at the party.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

Jovic is reported to be 6’11 240 this offseason. Clearly you can see him getting into his grown ass man body. Only 21 still which is crazy. When looking for that one more front court piece i think someone like John Collins would fit in very well with that group. Assuming Bam is still going to log Center minutes. For roster build purposes Niko could be listed as PF/C. You have your core 3 man big rotation. If we can find someone like 6’9 230 who can play with Bam/Ware and shoot 3’s but rugged enough to play small ball Center when Jovic is in that’s what we should be looking for. On the vet side that could be John Collins. If we go the draft route that sounds a lot like Rasheer Fleming.

If Jovic is legit ready for that and Bam is going to play the backup center minutes I’m not sure there’s a need for Collins who will need a bulk load of minutes himself. I think Spo likes the 3 man power rotation

You still have to account for the long season and needing good depth. One injury to any of those guys in the front court and it becomes a death knell. Case in point Jovic getting hurt and terrible losing streak.

Is Niko your odd man out in the scenario of the main rotation? Collins is the better player right now but if we’re discussing Niko taking a leap next year and being ready then I don’t think you can have $25M rotting in the bench with Collins, that’s not even getting into how pissed he’d be and the negativity that would come with it around the team. Probably better off signing a vet big in that scenario to keep from having a big chunk of dead cap.

[MettaWorldPanda]

If Jovic is legit ready for that and Bam is going to play the backup center minutes I’m not sure there’s a need for Collins who will need a bulk load of minutes himself. I think Spo likes the 3 man power rotation

You still have to account for the long season and needing good depth. One injury to any of those guys in the front court and it becomes a death knell. Case in point Jovic getting hurt and terrible losing streak.

Is Niko your odd man out in the scenario of the main rotation? Collins is the better player right now but if we’re discussing Niko taking a leap next year and being ready then I don’t think you can have $25M rotting in the bench with Collins, that’s not even getting into how pissed he’d be and the negativity that would come with it around the team. Probably better off signing a vet big in that scenario to keep from having a big chunk of dead cap.

Or maybe Rasheer Fleming is the way to go via the draft. Looking at the free agent market right now and it’s really dry. One player i forgot about is getting Royce O’Neale back who probably could fill that PJ Tucker role. KD could always slide to the 4 spot as well. We really need this KD and O’Neale trade to pop off while keeping Jovic for it to really all work.

[He2Fast]

Jovic is reported to be 6’11 240 this offseason. Clearly you can see him getting into his grown ass man body. Only 21 still which is crazy. When looking for that one more front court piece i think someone like John Collins would fit in very well with that group. Assuming Bam is still going to log Center minutes. For roster build purposes Niko could be listed as PF/C. You have your core 3 man big rotation. If we can find someone like 6’9 230 who can play with Bam/Ware and shoot 3’s but rugged enough to play small ball Center when Jovic is in that’s what we should be looking for. On the vet side that could be John Collins. If we go the draft route that sounds a lot like Rasheer Fleming.

If Jovic is legit ready for that and Bam is going to play the backup center minutes I’m not sure there’s a need for Collins who will need a bulk load of minutes himself. I think Spo likes the 3 man power rotation

You still have to account for the long season and needing good depth. One injury to any of those guys in the front court and it becomes a death knell. Case in point Jovic getting hurt and terrible losing streak.

I think what 3ammy is speaking to is the idea that Spo doesn’t typically play 3 bigs at the same time, so the reps Niko needs would get in the way of what Collins could theoretically provide. I think there’s a middle ground, because Collins doesn’t need the ball to be effective.

Both he and Ware are finishers. That leaves plenty of reps for Niko and Bam for that matter.

I think having a 4 man group of Bam/Ware/Collins/Niko would be a very good thing over the course of a season, and in the playoffs.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

You still have to account for the long season and needing good depth. One injury to any of those guys in the front court and it becomes a death knell. Case in point Jovic getting hurt and terrible losing streak.

Is Niko your odd man out in the scenario of the main rotation? Collins is the better player right now but if we’re discussing Niko taking a leap next year and being ready then I don’t think you can have $25M rotting in the bench with Collins, that’s not even getting into how pissed he’d be and the negativity that would come with it around the team. Probably better off signing a vet big in that scenario to keep from having a big chunk of dead cap.

Or maybe Rasheer Fleming is the way to go via the draft. Looking at the free agent market right now and it’s really dry. One player i forgot about is getting Royce O’Neale back who probably could fill that PJ Tucker role. KD could always slide to the 4 spot as well. We really need this KD and O’Neale trade to pop off while keeping Jovic for it to really all work.

Yea either way, think we need a low cost 4th guy that can slot in occasionally

[MettaWorldPanda]

If Jovic is legit ready for that and Bam is going to play the backup center minutes I’m not sure there’s a need for Collins who will need a bulk load of minutes himself. I think Spo likes the 3 man power rotation

You still have to account for the long season and needing good depth. One injury to any of those guys in the front court and it becomes a death knell. Case in point Jovic getting hurt and terrible losing streak.

I think what 3ammy is speaking to is the idea that Spo doesn’t typically play 3 bigs at the same time, so the reps Niko needs would get in the way of what Collins could theoretically provide. I think there’s a middle ground, because Collins doesn’t need the ball to be effective.

Both he and Ware are finishers. That leaves plenty of reps for Niko and Bam for that matter.

I think having a 4 man group of Bam/Ware/Collins/Niko would be a very good thing over the course of a season, and in the playoffs.

I also understand where Bammy is coming from with Collins probably wanting to start or play heavy minutes in a contract year. For it to all really work Collins would have to start with Bam while Ware and Jovic become the bench tandem again.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

If Jovic is legit ready for that and Bam is going to play the backup center minutes I’m not sure there’s a need for Collins who will need a bulk load of minutes himself. I think Spo likes the 3 man power rotation

You still have to account for the long season and needing good depth. One injury to any of those guys in the front court and it becomes a death knell. Case in point Jovic getting hurt and terrible losing streak.

I think what 3ammy is speaking to is the idea that Spo doesn’t typically play 3 bigs at the same time, so the reps Niko needs would get in the way of what Collins could theoretically provide. I think there’s a middle ground, because Collins doesn’t need the ball to be effective.

Both he and Ware are finishers. That leaves plenty of reps for Niko and Bam for that matter.

I think having a 4 man group of Bam/Ware/Collins/Niko would be a very good thing over the course of a season, and in the playoffs.

If we’re going to play Niko at the 3 in this scenario that could work and I misunderstood

[MettaWorldPanda]

Is Niko your odd man out in the scenario of the main rotation? Collins is the better player right now but if we’re discussing Niko taking a leap next year and being ready then I don’t think you can have $25M rotting in the bench with Collins, that’s not even getting into how pissed he’d be and the negativity that would come with it around the team. Probably better off signing a vet big in that scenario to keep from having a big chunk of dead cap.

Or maybe Rasheer Fleming is the way to go via the draft. Looking at the free agent market right now and it’s really dry. One player i forgot about is getting Royce O’Neale back who probably could fill that PJ Tucker role. KD could always slide to the 4 spot as well. We really need this KD and O’Neale trade to pop off while keeping Jovic for it to really all work.

Yea either way, think we need a low cost 4th guy that can slot in occasionally

One thing last year taught us is that it’s crucial to have the proper depth. You can’t be relying on Love or even the Slo Mo’s who’s game and body type are too close to Jovic. Niko needs a rugged guy next to him willing to so some dirty work when Ware and Bam are not on the floor with him. That player needs to also be flexible enough to be able to stretch the floor with either Ware or Bam. O’Neale though smallish does fit that bill in Spo’s system.

[He2Fast]

You still have to account for the long season and needing good depth. One injury to any of those guys in the front court and it becomes a death knell. Case in point Jovic getting hurt and terrible losing streak.

Is Niko your odd man out in the scenario of the main rotation? Collins is the better player right now but if we’re discussing Niko taking a leap next year and being ready then I don’t think you can have $25M rotting in the bench with Collins, that’s not even getting into how pissed he’d be and the negativity that would come with it around the team. Probably better off signing a vet big in that scenario to keep from having a big chunk of dead cap.

Or maybe Rasheer Fleming is the way to go via the draft. Looking at the free agent market right now and it’s really dry. One player i forgot about is getting Royce O’Neale back who probably could fill that PJ Tucker role. KD could always slide to the 4 spot as well. We really need this KD and O’Neale trade to pop off while keeping Jovic for it to really all work.

This is what I was speaking to in relation to roster construction. Adding Royce with KD fills two primary issues. That along with Niko taking a jump many of us believe he has the potential to, and it could be a very interesting combination.

If it’s Collins and say, Sexton, instead of KD and O’Neale, then it still works out ok, but I’d rather the a mixture of Sexton, O’Neale and KD lol.

[MettaWorldPanda]

You still have to account for the long season and needing good depth. One injury to any of those guys in the front court and it becomes a death knell. Case in point Jovic getting hurt and terrible losing streak.

I think what 3ammy is speaking to is the idea that Spo doesn’t typically play 3 bigs at the same time, so the reps Niko needs would get in the way of what Collins could theoretically provide. I think there’s a middle ground, because Collins doesn’t need the ball to be effective.

Both he and Ware are finishers. That leaves plenty of reps for Niko and Bam for that matter.

I think having a 4 man group of Bam/Ware/Collins/Niko would be a very good thing over the course of a season, and in the playoffs.

If we’re going to play Niko at the 3 in this scenario that could work and I misunderstood

Now that Niko is 6’11 240 i think asking Spo to give him significant minutes at the SF spot is a bit of a stretch.

[Vertical Limit]

Wiggins is essentially an expiring. He's got a player option that he most likely opts out of to become a free agent.

If I'm Riley, I trade herro. Use the 70M in expirings (wiggins, rozier, and robinson).

Go big game hunting with herro, expirings, and future picks. If herro is as good and as valued as many heat fans think he is, there should be plenty of suitors. Build the team with Bam (not around him, there's a difference).

Bam and ware
Get an alpha, kd as an example. (I'd love fox.)
Get a 2 way wing (2 is better, but good luck with that) who can shoot the 3 ball and defend off ball.
Get a pg that can run an offense and defend.

Playoffs shows you every year that a guard who is a defensive liability is not playable unless they are the engine of the offense. And even then it's questionable.

Play 2 bigs. 1 has to be switchable to not get played off the floor.
Have big switchable wings who can defend up or down based on match ups.
Have an offensive engine.
A 6th man bucket getter.

This seems logical. I think something like ending up with Sexton, Royce O’Neale, and KD, while resigning Davion, is our best case scenario, realistically.

That’d be an interesting group in a wide open East.

Sexton/Davion
Royce
KD
Bam/Niko
Ware

It’s nice to dream but Riley is not giving up on his golden boy grandson just yet. Wiggins is the one getting his ass shipped out of here this offseason. He sealed his fate when he didn’t bang that drum at the party.

[He2Fast]

This seems logical. I think something like ending up with Sexton, Royce O’Neale, and KD, while resigning Davion, is our best case scenario, realistically.

That’d be an interesting group in a wide open East.

Sexton/Davion
Royce
KD
Bam/Niko
Ware

It’s nice to dream but Riley is not giving up on his golden boy grandson just yet. Wiggins is the one getting his ass shipped out of here this offseason. He sealed his fate when he didn’t bang that drum at the party.

Let a man dream Metta! I just got here

[MettaWorldPanda]

Is Niko your odd man out in the scenario of the main rotation? Collins is the better player right now but if we’re discussing Niko taking a leap next year and being ready then I don’t think you can have $25M rotting in the bench with Collins, that’s not even getting into how pissed he’d be and the negativity that would come with it around the team. Probably better off signing a vet big in that scenario to keep from having a big chunk of dead cap.

Or maybe Rasheer Fleming is the way to go via the draft. Looking at the free agent market right now and it’s really dry. One player i forgot about is getting Royce O’Neale back who probably could fill that PJ Tucker role. KD could always slide to the 4 spot as well. We really need this KD and O’Neale trade to pop off while keeping Jovic for it to really all work.

This is what I was speaking to in relation to roster construction. Adding Royce with KD fills two primary issues. That along with Niko taking a jump many of us believe he has the potential to, and it could be a very interesting combination.

If it’s Collins and say, Sexton, instead of KD and O’Neale, then it still works out ok, but I’d rather the a mixture of Sexton, O’Neale and KD lol.

Collins, Sexton, and even Clarkson backing up Herro is a viable backup plan. All fill roles nicely here and all motivated to prove there worth on expiring deals. Rock solid plan B and if it fails we got a ton of cap space to fall back on and 2026 pick.

[MettaWorldPanda]

It’s nice to dream but Riley is not giving up on his golden boy grandson just yet. Wiggins is the one getting his ass shipped out of here this offseason. He sealed his fate when he didn’t bang that drum at the party.

Let a man dream Metta! I just got here

Happy to have you part of the community brother. Dream on

[MettaWorldPanda]

If we did ended up getting Collins and possibly go with starting Collins at the 4 spot with Bam would it really be the worst thing going with Ware and Jovic off the bench for one more year? Ware and Jovic were killing it together during certain stretches of the season. Also gives us the proper depth throughout the year.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

Spo will love Royce. That’s his kind of guy

[Crazy-Canuck]

Giving up your cap flexibility for Durant is one thing. Stacking DeRozan to your roster and putting a dent into that cap space is just roster malpractice. If we lose out on Durant we should hunting around the league to swap out Wiggins for expiring’s. The full cap sheet in 2026 and having our draft pick should be the vision. There are plenty of mid tier soon to be free agents playing for contracts like Simons, PJW, Clarkson, Collins, and Sexton just to name a few.

Wiggins is essentially an expiring. He's got a player option that he most likely opts out of to become a free agent.

If I'm Riley, I trade herro. Use the 70M in expirings (wiggins, rozier, and robinson).

Go big game hunting with herro, expirings, and future picks. If herro is as good and as valued as many heat fans think he is, there should be plenty of suitors. Build the team with Bam (not around him, there's a difference).

Bam and ware
Get an alpha, kd as an example. (I'd love fox.)
Get a 2 way wing (2 is better, but good luck with that) who can shoot the 3 ball and defend off ball.
Get a pg that can run an offense and defend.

Playoffs shows you every year that a guard who is a defensive liability is not playable unless they are the engine of the offense. And even then it's questionable.

Play 2 bigs. 1 has to be switchable to not get played off the floor.
Have big switchable wings who can defend up or down based on match ups.
Have an offensive engine.
A 6th man bucket getter.

Yep, everyone hates on defense in favor of 1 dimensional offensive guys but we’re seeing Randle getting plsyed off the floor and benched in the 4th, same for KAT, and Brunson is constantly being attacked. Even Gobert with his lack of versatility is being benched just continuing to show year after year how fraudulent of a defender he is when it all matters.

Hopefully everyone is taking notes and seeing this, they’re likely just watching to get off hot takes of who’s better than Bam. Of the remaining 4 teams I’d say the Heat fans on the forum believe Bam would rank somewhere between 45-60 when it comes to the remaining players.

1 way offensive guys are like crack to home team fans. They love them. They can't get enough of them. And when the team loses, they dig the hole deeper to build around them. The smart organizations get off them (even dumb ones get lucky like the Hornets and rozier). The bad ones pay them.

Defense isn't appreciated by the majority of fans because they don't know what they are seeing and because public stats cant guage defense unless you have access to tracking data.

[MettaWorldPanda]

Spo will love Royce. That’s his kind of guy

Watch on YouTube

Look at O’Neale torching us here. Talk about as ideal of a fit with Durant and this current core as it gets. Essentially Crowder and Tucker for Spo

[He2Fast]

Spo will love Royce. That’s his kind of guy

Watch on YouTube

Look at O’Neale torching us here. Talk about as ideal of a fit with Durant and this current core as it gets. Essentially Crowder and Tucker for Spo

He’d be an ideal fit for sure. Excellent 3 point shooter, defends. Add him with KD and we are on our way to a much more balanced roster.

[MettaWorldPanda]

Read on Twitter

Herro is going to cry if we draft this kid. Peep out Patrick in the front row. Clifford is honestly the prototype two way two guard that’s desperately needed behind Herro. Just curious how he’ll take us drafting a potential successor.