Miami Heat fans are historically chronicled as some of the laziest in the game. Depending on their record and how many “stars” are on the team, they’ve hopped on and off their team’s bandwagon. They show up late to games, too bothered to cheer for player intros. Worst of all, they are eternal lemmings for Heat executive, and former championship head coach, Pat Riley.
Miami’s faithful rightfully worship Riley. He’s been one of the winningest front-office leaders in the game and has established a nearly three-decade-winning franchise, racking up three championships — one as the head coach (2006) and two as an executive (2012, 2013). But this is
2023, and those days are long gone.
Riley turned 78 this week. Happy birthday, Pat! This is usually the time for the basketball giant to look toward retirement. Riley has yet to confirm this, so the expectation should be he will remain for now. Perhaps that explains his desperate attempt to maintain “contender” status, squeezing overachieving wins for a team depleted of offensive talent and youth. The Miami Heat are currently five games over .500, at 39-34, and in seventh place in the East, good for the Play-In Tournament. They have zero chance to contend for a championship this season or next.
It’s time for Riley to give up on competing now and tear down the roster to set up the franchise for the future.
Over the last three seasons, since making the NBA Finals in the Bubble, Riley has handed out the worst collection of contracts in the NBA. And it’s led toward a team that’s struggled mightily to score. The Miami Heat currently rank 25 in offensive rating, 22nd in overall net rating, 26th in effective field goal percentage, 24th in true shooting percent, 28th in three-point percentage, and 28th in pace.
Miami Heat’s roster construction
Simply put, the Miami Heat are one of the worst offensive teams in the NBA. Here’s the list of financial
atrocities he’s given to players either past their prime or capable of one-dimensionality.
- Kyle Lowry: Acquired via sign and trade on a three-year, $85,000,002 contract. He will be 38 in the last year of the deal.
- Duncan Robinson: Given a five-year / $90,000,000 contract. He is currently averaging 6.3 points per game this season.
- Tyler Herro: Given a four-year, $130 million contract extension. When his contract starts next season, he will be tied for the sixth highest-paid shooting guard in the NBA.
Jimmy Butler is their best player and also the highest-paid player. No one is arguing that he isn’t worth every penny of the $184 million contract extension he signed in 2021. What is problematic is he will be paid $54 million in the last year of his deal when he is 37. Oof. Butler is one of the best two-way players in the NBA, but at 33, it’s unlikely he will maintain the 21 ppg average since turning 30. Father Time is undefeated. To continue to pay him nearly $50 per on an ascending contract is terrible business.
The Miami Heat are currently the fourth oldest team in the NBA, with an average player age of 28.6. Of the players in the main rotation, only Herro (23), Nikola Jovic (19), and Bam Adebayo (25) are under 25 years old. There’s a slim margin of improvement based on age, potential, and ability. Adebayo feels limited offensively, as Herro looks limited defensively. The question remains, how can they get better internally?
Furthermore, they don’t have the draft capital or young players to make a defining trade for another star. Other teams from past trades own their first-round, and second-round picks this summer, and they do not hold any other team’s first-round picks moving forward.
As draft capital has become the preferred capital for game-changing trades, the Heat lack what’s needed to upgrade their roster. This could be mitigated by tearing down the roster, starting with trading Butler, and attaching Lowry or Robinson’s contract for young players and picks. Adebayo and Herro are young enough to continue building around, even though both are limited to one side of the court.
Barely fighting for sixth seed season to season isn’t worth the 12th largest salary cap in the league ($152,716,893). The Heat are two or three tiers below the true Eastern Conference contenders (Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics). There’s no point in handing out bloated contracts to past prime veterans while adding other past-their-prime “stars” like Kevin Love and Victor Oladipo on affordable deals.
Luckily, it’s not too late to tear down the roster to set up the team’s legacy when Riley has long retired. It would be in the franchise’s best interest to allow Riley one last mission, not to build a contender this time, but a rebuild for his eventual successor.
Lee Escobedo covers the NBA for Sportsnaut. You can follow him on Twitter at @_leeescobedo