The Miami Heat were eliminated from the 2022 NBA Postseason in seven games by the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. They will now begin their preparations for the offseason, which could include some major changes or bringing the core back with a few tweaks.
The major change is something many people believe is legitimately on the table despite falling one game short of the NBA Finals. Miami has been linked to All-Stars such as Bradley Beal and Donovan Mitchell should they decide they no longer want to remain with their current teams, the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz, respectively.
Pulling off a trade of that magnitude would not be easy, but you can never put it past Pat Riley. He and the Heat front office always have plans to upgrade the roster and contingencies in case things don’t go as they thought they would.
More than likely, Miami’s offseason will entail attempting to retain their free agents, as they have seven, possibly eight depending on what P.J. Tucker does with his player option. Some of the players, such as Victor Oladipo and Caleb Martin, are key rotation members that may have priced themselves out of South Beach with their performance.
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The Miami Heat will not have cap space to spend, so they will have to get creative when filling those potential holes. The frontcourt could use some depth, specifically behind Bam Adebayo in the middle.
One player that could provide valuable depth for the Heat is veteran Dwight Howard. Howard has done a total 180 with his career, as things looked over during the 2018-19 season when he appeared in only nine games with the Washington Wizards.
The Los Angeles Lakers gave him a chance on a non-guaranteed deal in 2019 and the rest is history. He has turned into an excellent reserve since then, continuing to patrol the paint and be a presence defensively with his shot-blocking.
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While not as intimidating of a threat as he was earlier in his career, Howard is still more than capable of providing 15 good minutes a night for a team. The Heat struggled to find consistency behind Adebayo, but with Howard, they would know what they are getting.
While someone such as Kevon Looney or Thomas Bryant may offer a little more upside, they could very well be outside of Miami’s price range. Likely only having veteran’s minimum deals to hand out, Dwight Howard makes sense as a target for the Miami Heat.
