The Miami Heat have consistently been among the toughest teams to play against in the NBA under Erik Spoelstra. But, since their Big 3 era with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the team has been unable to get over the hump again in the postseason.
Miami has made the playoffs in four straight years, advancing to the NBA Finals twice. They were defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the Orlando Bubble in 2020 and the Denver Nuggets last season.
Spoelstra always has his team ready for the playoffs, as they have advanced through the NBA’s second season regardless of where they are seeded. Last season, they were the No. 8 seed and defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and Boston Celtics on their way to the finals.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: DeMar DeRozan, Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat Updates
This year, the Heat’s path to a title looks just as daunting. There is a chance they are stuck in the NBA Play-In Tournament again, which is not where a contending team wants to be. If they fall short again, some decisions will have to be made in the offseason.
Would it be time to shake up the team’s core? This is the fifth season Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro have been together; will they stick together throughout the 2024 NBA offseason? There were rumbles in recent years about the Heat making Herro available in trade talks as they chased stars.
But, if they opt to keep that core together and build upon it, who could the Heat target? Former NBA All-Star point guard, Jeff Teague, suggested on the Club 520 Podcast with NBA insider Shams Charania; DeMar DeRozan.
DeRozan would certainly make for an interesting fit in Miami. Their offense could get stagnant at times given some of the spacing issues that would exist, as Teague admits they wouldn’t be shooting any threes.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: DeMar DeRozan, Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat Updates
But having another player capable of creating offense would be ideal for the Heat. The addition of Terry Rozier hasn’t moved the needle as much as they had hoped it would and DeRozan can fill several roles on the team.
As Teague noted, DeRozan was playing a point forward with the San Antonio Spurs, as the offense ran through him at the power forward. There would be a lot of players who operate best in the mid-range, but if there is a coach who could figure out how to make it work, it is Spoelstra.
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