2025 Regular Season Thread Vol. 8

[MartyConlonJr]

Tankathon currently has us drafting Jeremiah Fears and Collin Murray-Boyle.

C - Kel'el Ware /
PF - Bam Adebayo / Collin Murray-Boyle / Keshad Johnson
SF - Andrew Wiggins / Nikola Jovic / Jaime Jaquez Jr
SG - Tyler Herro / Pelle Larsson
PG - Jeremiah Fears / Davion Mitchell / Dru Smith

Would not be a bad youth movement lineup if things stayed as they are.

[Beenie]

I think Spo has been trying to pigeon hole Herro into being a PG for so long that some of us forgot he isn't a PG. He does nto have the handles of one and is actively being not put in the best position to do what he does. His turnover back those claims. He would be much more consistent and better if Spo didn't force the issue/beat a dead horse. Hes def not the number 1 on a championship team. But Spo has been doing really questionable things all this time. Makes no Sense.

On-ball Herro ideally would be an infrequent element to the offense.

He’s at his best when he’s limited to 3 dribbles or less.

I’ve said that a bunch and will continue to beat that drum to death.

[twix2500]

Davion Mitchell first three games

31.8 Mins, 7.7 pts, 30% 3p%, 3.7 ast, 1 stl, 1 TO
105 ORtg, 123 DRtg

I know Mitchell is conscious about his shooting especially responding to tweets about it. But his shooting is not the only thing he lacks. His entire offensive game is very minimum. He doesnt apply pressure at the rim. He doesnt really create open shot for anyone. I would at least like to see him use his quickness in the halfcourt and attack the rim in small places forcing teams to defend him.

[Beenie]

Davion Mitchell first three games

31.8 Mins, 7.7 pts, 30% 3p%, 3.7 ast, 1 stl, 1 TO
105 ORtg, 123 DRtg

I know Mitchell is conscious about his shooting especially responding to tweets about it. But his shooting is not the only thing he lacks. His entire offensive game is very minimum. He doesnt apply pressure at the rim. He doesnt really create open shot for anyone. I would at least like to see him use his quickness in the halfcourt and attack the rim in small places forcing teams to defend him.

Story of his career

The narrative that the newcomers were gonna tangibly bolster this team coupled with the loss of Jimmy which would be an addition by subtraction was always a coping mechanism in my view

Mitchel has always been a lousy offensive player, Wiggins is role player, and slowmo is a fringe rotational guy.

They’re all Titos on a team full of Titos

[twix2500]

Davion Mitchell first three games

31.8 Mins, 7.7 pts, 30% 3p%, 3.7 ast, 1 stl, 1 TO
105 ORtg, 123 DRtg

I know Mitchell is conscious about his shooting especially responding to tweets about it. But his shooting is not the only thing he lacks. His entire offensive game is very minimum. He doesnt apply pressure at the rim. He doesnt really create open shot for anyone. I would at least like to see him use his quickness in the halfcourt and attack the rim in small places forcing teams to defend him.

Story of his career

The narrative that the newcomers were gonna tangibly bolster this team coupled with the loss of Jimmy which would be an addition by subtraction was always a coping mechanism in my view

Mitchel has always been a lousy offensive player, Wiggins is role player, and slowmo is a fringe rotational guy.

They’re all Titos on a team full of Titos

My expectation was never gonna make the team better than a committed Butler. I assume Simon scouted him thoroughly so I assume he knows his weaknesses. So I assume the Heat knows he is a project especially they are committed to playing him a lot. So I am looking at him as a developmental player. Parts of his game can’t be developed until the offseason like his distance shooting. But some of his game can be developed in game like attacking the rim.he has the physical tools to beat defenders with his quickness less see how he finishes. He has the ball a lot, he needs to make defenders move.

[Beenie]

Davion Mitchell first three games

31.8 Mins, 7.7 pts, 30% 3p%, 3.7 ast, 1 stl, 1 TO
105 ORtg, 123 DRtg

I know Mitchell is conscious about his shooting especially responding to tweets about it. But his shooting is not the only thing he lacks. His entire offensive game is very minimum. He doesnt apply pressure at the rim. He doesnt really create open shot for anyone. I would at least like to see him use his quickness in the halfcourt and attack the rim in small places forcing teams to defend him.

Story of his career

The narrative that the newcomers were gonna tangibly bolster this team coupled with the loss of Jimmy which would be an addition by subtraction was always a coping mechanism in my view

Mitchel has always been a lousy offensive player, Wiggins is role player, and slowmo is a fringe rotational guy.

They’re all Titos on a team full of Titos

My expectation was never gonna make the team better than a committed Butler. I assume Simon scouted him thoroughly so I assume he knows his weaknesses. So I assume the Heat knows he is a project especially they are committed to playing him a lot. So I am looking at him as a developmental player. Parts of his game can’t be developed until the offseason like his distance shooting. But some of his game can be developed in game like attacking the rim.he has the physical tools to beat defenders with his quickness less see how he finishes. He has the ball a lot, he needs to make defenders move.

I’m not holding my breath that Michell will earn a long term spot on the team, tbh

If Dru recovers next season (big if) then he’ll be getting good minutes.

Also suspect that the team will look to find someone during the offseason who can be a lead on-ball player.

[greg4012]

I don't really mind these losses. We're not doing jack sht until we land another top-12 talent and I knew this when we traded Butler for Wiggins. I'm perfectly okay with the young guys getting burn (Jovic and Ware) while Herro and Bam each average 20+ points. There will be growing pains, the core of this team is very young. Herro is only 25 and he is going to go through stretches where he isn't shooting good, and he's going to have to learn how to break out of these funks - which will happen with time and experience.

We're a team that lost its best player (Jimmy) for a role-player in return. If you removed the best player off 20 other teams in the NBA, they'd be worse than us. There's only a handful of teams that can weather the storm of losing their best player and still being on pace to win 45+ games.

This is my perspective. Young teams that are testing things out and developing talent usually aren't the ones that close out games strong (esp against the true contenders). Looking to hit benchmarks and see signs of growth throughout the season from critical youth pieces.

Unless Miami makes a big trade before then, everyone is auditioning for Miami to invest in them longer term. All of the talk about 2026 is really about that being a pivot point where the books get mostly cleared of bad multi-year deals that have been draining the roster construction (Duncan & Terry primarily).

Niko is extension eligible soon and Miami has team options for him through 2026. Will he earn long-term investment or be traded?

Will Jaime prove his worth for the Heat to extend or will he be shopped for trade?

Wiggins has a player option for the 2027 season for $30M. Considering he is about to turn 30, he has to have his sights set on securing another deal. To do so, he needs to play well. If he does, he will opt out in 2026 and Miami will have a decision to make. If he doesn't opt out, he will be an expiring reasonable contract that can be easily traded.

Tyler is eligible for an extension before the 2026 offseason. Will he earn another long-term investment or be traded?

Bam is really the only piece with true long term investment right now. Miami's posture with him will of course depend on his play, but also how the other domino pieces fall. If Miami has a shot at a star in their prime and make a big move for them (whether 2026 free agency or via trade before), then Bam is very likely with Miami throughout his contract and beyond.

The name of the game from now until the start of the 2026-2027 season is Optionality and Development. If an opportunity arises before the 2026 offseason, then the game may shift sooner. If no worthwhile opportunity presents itself between now and the start of the 2026-2027 offseason then Miami has some tougher decisions to make in terms of what to commit to for the next window of time.

Team building in the NBA is really always 3-5 year windows.

Just with Wiggins alone we are out of the 2026 race, thats not even touching or factoring the draft picks we will be getting this offseason. Thats another 8+ million. Then Mitchell is up to get paid or leave, Jovic is up to get paid, Herro is up for an extension coming off an Allstar. You wont get any value from a Herro trade if he only has one year left on his contract which is the case, so you will need to extend him or get pennies in return. 2026 is honestly just a hope delusion, basically fraud for the uniformed fans. Before we had a tiny tiny tiny window of hope to have a max slot and Hail Mary shot, Fox would sign or Luka would sign, that delusion died a violent death.

I do not see things nearly that absolute until they are.

You don't think Wiggins is motivated to seek another contract as soon as possible? If he plays reasonably well next season, I'd expect him to opt out of the last year of his deal to seek his last "big" contract. If he doesn't opt out, I don't think an expiring $30M contract (will be about 17% of the projected salary cap) for a legitimate 2-way swingman scoring over 15 ppg will be hard to move. To the contrary, I think thats the exact type of flexible expiring contract that is needed to make any trade seamless.

Let's see if Jovic gets paid or not. That's part of the optionality currently in Miami's control.

I do not believe Miami's fate will hinge on Davion Mitchell one way or another. But, if he proves himself worthwhile I can easily see a team friendly 1+1 deal happening.

I love how scared you are of anything uncertain. Optionality allows for opportunism. No certainty that things will all fall Miami's way with free agency or a trade request, but I appreciate how well Miami is set up to take advantage of opportunity to shape the roster for this next ~3-5 year window.

Sorry if that spooks you to the point that you need to call it delusion.

[Bishop45]

Mitchell's first three games was against some of the best teams in the league and one injury littered game, I'd give him more than three games

[BadMofoPimp]

I don't really mind these losses. We're not doing jack sht until we land another top-12 talent and I knew this when we traded Butler for Wiggins. I'm perfectly okay with the young guys getting burn (Jovic and Ware) while Herro and Bam each average 20+ points. There will be growing pains, the core of this team is very young. Herro is only 25 and he is going to go through stretches where he isn't shooting good, and he's going to have to learn how to break out of these funks - which will happen with time and experience.

We're a team that lost its best player (Jimmy) for a role-player in return. If you removed the best player off 20 other teams in the NBA, they'd be worse than us. There's only a handful of teams that can weather the storm of losing their best player and still being on pace to win 45+ games.

This is my perspective. Young teams that are testing things out and developing talent usually aren't the ones that close out games strong (esp against the true contenders). Looking to hit benchmarks and see signs of growth throughout the season from critical youth pieces.

Unless Miami makes a big trade before then, everyone is auditioning for Miami to invest in them longer term. All of the talk about 2026 is really about that being a pivot point where the books get mostly cleared of bad multi-year deals that have been draining the roster construction (Duncan & Terry primarily).

Niko is extension eligible soon and Miami has team options for him through 2026. Will he earn long-term investment or be traded?

Will Jaime prove his worth for the Heat to extend or will he be shopped for trade?

Wiggins has a player option for the 2027 season for $30M. Considering he is about to turn 30, he has to have his sights set on securing another deal. To do so, he needs to play well. If he does, he will opt out in 2026 and Miami will have a decision to make. If he doesn't opt out, he will be an expiring reasonable contract that can be easily traded.

Tyler is eligible for an extension before the 2026 offseason. Will he earn another long-term investment or be traded?

Bam is really the only piece with true long term investment right now. Miami's posture with him will of course depend on his play, but also how the other domino pieces fall. If Miami has a shot at a star in their prime and make a big move for them (whether 2026 free agency or via trade before), then Bam is very likely with Miami throughout his contract and beyond.

The name of the game from now until the start of the 2026-2027 season is Optionality and Development. If an opportunity arises before the 2026 offseason, then the game may shift sooner. If no worthwhile opportunity presents itself between now and the start of the 2026-2027 offseason then Miami has some tougher decisions to make in terms of what to commit to for the next window of time.

Team building in the NBA is really always 3-5 year windows.

Just with Wiggins alone we are out of the 2026 race, thats not even touching or factoring the draft picks we will be getting this offseason. Thats another 8+ million. Then Mitchell is up to get paid or leave, Jovic is up to get paid, Herro is up for an extension coming off an Allstar. You wont get any value from a Herro trade if he only has one year left on his contract which is the case, so you will need to extend him or get pennies in return. 2026 is honestly just a hope delusion, basically fraud for the uniformed fans. Before we had a tiny tiny tiny window of hope to have a max slot and Hail Mary shot, Fox would sign or Luka would sign, that delusion died a violent death.

An expiring Wiggins contract is easily dealt away. Max cap back again.

[SoFlaKingReal]

Trade everyone worth anything and start anew.

[batterybro42]

This is a lost year let’s do a stealth tank

The NBA owes us a solid by rigging the lottery for us anyways

[Tim_Hardawayy]

This is my perspective. Young teams that are testing things out and developing talent usually aren't the ones that close out games strong (esp against the true contenders). Looking to hit benchmarks and see signs of growth throughout the season from critical youth pieces.

Unless Miami makes a big trade before then, everyone is auditioning for Miami to invest in them longer term. All of the talk about 2026 is really about that being a pivot point where the books get mostly cleared of bad multi-year deals that have been draining the roster construction (Duncan & Terry primarily).

Niko is extension eligible soon and Miami has team options for him through 2026. Will he earn long-term investment or be traded?

Will Jaime prove his worth for the Heat to extend or will he be shopped for trade?

Wiggins has a player option for the 2027 season for $30M. Considering he is about to turn 30, he has to have his sights set on securing another deal. To do so, he needs to play well. If he does, he will opt out in 2026 and Miami will have a decision to make. If he doesn't opt out, he will be an expiring reasonable contract that can be easily traded.

Tyler is eligible for an extension before the 2026 offseason. Will he earn another long-term investment or be traded?

Bam is really the only piece with true long term investment right now. Miami's posture with him will of course depend on his play, but also how the other domino pieces fall. If Miami has a shot at a star in their prime and make a big move for them (whether 2026 free agency or via trade before), then Bam is very likely with Miami throughout his contract and beyond.

The name of the game from now until the start of the 2026-2027 season is Optionality and Development. If an opportunity arises before the 2026 offseason, then the game may shift sooner. If no worthwhile opportunity presents itself between now and the start of the 2026-2027 offseason then Miami has some tougher decisions to make in terms of what to commit to for the next window of time.

Team building in the NBA is really always 3-5 year windows.

Just with Wiggins alone we are out of the 2026 race, thats not even touching or factoring the draft picks we will be getting this offseason. Thats another 8+ million. Then Mitchell is up to get paid or leave, Jovic is up to get paid, Herro is up for an extension coming off an Allstar. You wont get any value from a Herro trade if he only has one year left on his contract which is the case, so you will need to extend him or get pennies in return. 2026 is honestly just a hope delusion, basically fraud for the uniformed fans. Before we had a tiny tiny tiny window of hope to have a max slot and Hail Mary shot, Fox would sign or Luka would sign, that delusion died a violent death.

I do not see things nearly that absolute until they are.

You don't think Wiggins is motivated to seek another contract as soon as possible? If he plays reasonably well next season, I'd expect him to opt out of the last year of his deal to seek his last "big" contract. If he doesn't opt out, I don't think an expiring $30M contract (will be about 17% of the projected salary cap) for a legitimate 2-way swingman scoring over 15 ppg will be hard to move. To the contrary, I think thats the exact type of flexible expiring contract that is needed to make any trade seamless.

Let's see if Jovic gets paid or not. That's part of the optionality currently in Miami's control.

I do not believe Miami's fate will hinge on Davion Mitchell one way or another. But, if he proves himself worthwhile and

I love how scared you are of anything uncertain. Optionality allows for opportunism. No certainty that things will all fall Miami's way with free agency or a trade request, but I appreciate how well Miami is set up to take advantage of opportunity to shape the roster for this next ~3-5 year window.

Sorry if that spooks you to the point that you need to call it delusion.

Flash has always been a pessimist, you get used to it. If we kept Jimmy and went all in he'd just complain we're an aging treadmill team that mortgaged away our future. I don't think I've ever seen him have a hopeful positive take on anything we have done in 20 years lol, you'd think we're the Hornets or Pistons or something.

[DayofMourning]

The All-Star break came at a good time for the Heat. They have lost four straight contests and 11 of their last 16, dropping them three games below .500.

https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2025/02/heat-notes-losing-streak-wiggins-rozier-adebayo-herro-mitchell.html#google_vignette

Losing 11 of 16 makes us a bottom 5ish team winning percentage wise. Now all we need is some lotto luck!

[jbsays]

Mitchell's first three games was against some of the best teams in the league and one injury littered game, I'd give him more than three games

I really like the way he pushes the tempo.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

Davion Mitchell first three games

31.8 Mins, 7.7 pts, 30% 3p%, 3.7 ast, 1 stl, 1 TO
105 ORtg, 123 DRtg

I know Mitchell is conscious about his shooting especially responding to tweets about it. But his shooting is not the only thing he lacks. His entire offensive game is very minimum. He doesnt apply pressure at the rim. He doesnt really create open shot for anyone. I would at least like to see him use his quickness in the halfcourt and attack the rim in small places forcing teams to defend him.

To be fair the first 2 games were against the 2 best teams in the league where Terry and Jovic banded together to ruin those game and kill all momentum, starters were cooking.

Last game was against a g league team but his best support was a rookie who’s been inconsistent now that he’s being defended and an offense only empty numbers guy that has never been proven to impact winning despite several deep playoff runs during his tenure

[Beenie]

Mitchell's first three games was against some of the best teams in the league and one injury littered game, I'd give him more than three games

He’s a fine role player and will eventually be okay.

Not what this team needs, though.

Mia has a glaring hole for a lead ball handler who can make everyone better.

Heck, if they had Lowry from his first year in Mia on this team, they be in contention for a top 4 seed.

Team is like a restaurant full of sous-chefs after their head chef quit on the job and left behind a chaotic kitchen with no leadership to speak of.

[Voltron914]

Davion Mitchell first three games

31.8 Mins, 7.7 pts, 30% 3p%, 3.7 ast, 1 stl, 1 TO
105 ORtg, 123 DRtg

I know Mitchell is conscious about his shooting especially responding to tweets about it. But his shooting is not the only thing he lacks. His entire offensive game is very minimum. He doesnt apply pressure at the rim. He doesnt really create open shot for anyone. I would at least like to see him use his quickness in the halfcourt and attack the rim in small places forcing teams to defend him.

To be fair the first 2 games were against the 2 best teams in the league where Terry and Jovic banded together to ruin those game and kill all momentum, starters were cooking.

Last game was against a g league team but his best support was a rookie who’s been inconsistent now that he’s being defended and an offense only empty numbers guy that has never been proven to impact winning despite several deep playoff runs during his tenure

his defense was impressive against Tatum and SGA but those guys are superstars and figured it out quickly. i like him as a role player and would keep him long term. i think point bam would need to be used with this roster. some 2 man action with Ware and Herro should net a few points. i feel like spo tries too hard with these complex schemes just do what works

[3ammy3uck3ts]

Davion Mitchell first three games

31.8 Mins, 7.7 pts, 30% 3p%, 3.7 ast, 1 stl, 1 TO
105 ORtg, 123 DRtg

I know Mitchell is conscious about his shooting especially responding to tweets about it. But his shooting is not the only thing he lacks. His entire offensive game is very minimum. He doesnt apply pressure at the rim. He doesnt really create open shot for anyone. I would at least like to see him use his quickness in the halfcourt and attack the rim in small places forcing teams to defend him.

To be fair the first 2 games were against the 2 best teams in the league where Terry and Jovic banded together to ruin those game and kill all momentum, starters were cooking.

Last game was against a g league team but his best support was a rookie who’s been inconsistent now that he’s being defended and an offense only empty numbers guy that has never been proven to impact winning despite several deep playoff runs during his tenure

his defense was impressive against Tatum and SGA but those guys are superstars and figured it out quickly. i like him as a role player and would keep him long term. i think point bam would need to be used with this roster. some 2 man action with Ware and Herro should net a few points. i feel like spo tries too hard with these complex schemes just do what works

Yea Mitchell in a backup role if we actually build a contending roster would be nice for sure

[Tim_Hardawayy]

I'm down on this squad, but I'm not really wistful about the way it ended with Jimmy. He went to a team with virtually the same record and now it looks like they aren't going to make the playoffs either. Bottom line if you told me 6 years ago the Jimmy era would lead to two Finals appearances and a #1 seed, without ever adding a player better than Jimmy or even Bam to the roster, I'd accuse you of smoking crack. If you told me that after all that, some fans would be upset that that squad didn't win a championship, I'd accuse those fans of smoking crack.

We overachieved long enough, need some lottery to hopefully reload, free agency just isn't viable in current CBA. The best you can do is bolster a star, but unless you're the Lakers with connections to an idiot like Nico Harrison, nobody just hands you superstar players.

[wadenation305]

Wares untouchable unless it’s a top 5 player in the league?!

I'm willing to bet on his future. Will he be a top 5 player himself? probably not. But why trade him for a 37 year old player? Are we a shoe in for the finals? I don't think so, I'd rather develop my guys, and suck for a few 2 years if we have to. Mobile 7 ft'ers that can Block shots and hit the 3 don't grow on trees, and the dude isn't even old enough to drink yet. Has shown us more flashes of what he could be the the few minutes he's starting to get than most of our guys have in their rookie years.

I'm ready for a home grown development arch rather that the slick salesman hiring hitmen.


Also I'm not even bothered that we lose, it's expected.

Who’s the worst player or maybe like worst tier of players you would move Ware for? Not arguing it, just curious

For me to be willing to include Ware it would have to be for someone like Chet, Banchero, Edwards, Tatum, Donic, Giannis, SGA. Obviously anyone in the top 5 as well. Others not so much. Some simply because I do not believe they are worth the price tag, both on the front end and the back end. I don't think they are worth the assets especially considering the size of the contract that they are going to want to receive which will lock us into trying to fill out the roster out of the bargain bin. I think Ware has a lot of value and a lot of upside. Let that dude develop and there's a very high chance he's going to be big. There is a reason why FO's are going to have Ware's name in their mouth when talking trades with us, and why people have come as far as our thread to inquire what we think about including him for their guy. No one comes asking about Jovic, Herro, or Jaime.