By trading Jimmy Butler, the Heat have created more cap flexibility for this offseason, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes.
Miami now has $176.2MM committed to 12 players for next season, approximately $11MM below the projected $187.9MM luxury tax threshold. However, that figure doesn’t include restricted free agent guard Davion Mitchell and rookie forward Keshad Johnson’s $1.9MM team option, nor does it account for the salary for either of the first-round picks they might have.
The Heat could free up an additional $10MM by shedding Duncan Robinson‘s partially-guaranteed contract but it could also be used to help facilitate a trade. In any case, the team doesn’t have to worry about Butler exercising his $52.4MM option, which he declined in order to sign a two-year extension with Golden State.
We have more on the Heat:
- Tyler Herro won the 3-point contest at All-Star weekend and also participated in the revamped All-Star Game format. He expressed gratitude for the opportunity. “I broke like not even a half sweat. But it was a great experience all weekend, just to be here from Friday to Sunday night. Just super grateful to be here,” Herro told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
- Though the Heat entered the All-Star break with a four-game losing streak and three games under .500, there’s hope for a strong finish, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes. The Butler drama is over and there’s more depth with the additions of Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson and Mitchell. The bigger lineup featuring Ke’lel Ware and Bam Adebayo also gives the club a new dimension.
- In his latest mailbag, Winderman notes that Nikola Jovic has not blossomed as hoped. He’s sometimes guilty of trying to do too much, Winderman writes. An even bigger issue is that he does not play to his size, as he tries to get by too often by finesse instead of power.
Jovic is a solid rotation player that can spread the floor and hit 3s as a 4. What were they expecting from the 27th pick in the draft? Don’t see how he’s a disappointment…
The Heat have a solid rotation bar PG…
They need a Jones to stir the drink… Tre or Tyus would fit in great and elevate the team…
Just gotta say heat are gonna be severely disappointed with who’s actually available in 2026 and 2027 free agency ! Nobody goes to free agency anymore ! The 2025 free agent class was gonna be better then 2026 and 2027 but everyone extended on their bird rights the first chance they could
Noel, thank you for this viewpoint. I hadn’t looked that far forward yet, but it explains why the Warriors went so strong for a stud at the deadline this year instead of waiting until next summer. Makes sense that was at least part of the equation. Thank you !!
(I don’t mean to hijack a Miami article with a Golden State comment, but wanted to give kudos to Noel. Thank you.)
Yeah since that fun and wild.2019 offseason where Durant ,kyrie, butler and Kawhi reached free agency the biggest name to hit free agency from 2020 through 2025 was pg13 ( or harden but he was never actually a free agent to be had ) and only bc clippers wouldn’t max him !
Any team that is hoping Luka ,sga, Edward, jokic , jaren Jackson jr ,Giannis to reach free agency in 2026 or 2027 is gonna be in for a letdown! Those guys will all extend and demand a trade later if they want out
@noel … I don’t think it is all about free agency for Miami. It is just about having the available cap space. The cap space can easily net you a better asset, and one that is already under contract. They have Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo. Andrew Wiggins contract is very tradeable. They have a lot of young assets as well as draft capital. Miami is in a good spot.
Any team waiting on free agency is going to be left holding an empty bag…
The Heat have to trade their way to a better roster…
Yes, Scarlet very true, and that seems to be the case most of the time for some teams that are never thought of as free agent destinations.
The big markets and/or tax-free states seem to have an advantage for sure.
Herro has to get a better late in games now. He has to be the Alpha. Can he? We shall see! Durant this summer is the only option I see.
Was never a big Herro guy. But I gotta give him his due. Having a great year. And has leveled up. Props
Don’t count out Heat in playoffs. They have nothing to lose. Teams better show up for them.
MIA still has a deep roster, including All Star level players like Bam and Herro, and a good mix of vets and younger guys. I think they’re a playoff team for sure. But any success they’ve had in the playoffs in the post-LeBron era was all about Butler, and I don’t see his successor on the roster. Bam is a terrific all around player, but not a primary option on offense. Herro is a primary option, but I don’t see them running the offense through him, at least yet.
It will be interesting to see MIA’s approach the next couple of off seasons. Based on the team’s player contracts, the roster can easily be turned over. Ideal time to bring in a prime age star. But, unlike in 2019, those guys are highly unlikely to be available in free agency. If they are available at all, then they’d need to be fetched in a trade. Meaning its less about engaging the player, and more about engaging the player’s current team to induce the trade. Usually, the latter is a tough process that requires high end trade assets and deep pain tolerance. Not sure MIA and Riley have enough of either. Alternatively, MIA can shop in the fossil aisle (Durant, etc.); that’s likely to require a trade as well, but the price might be more sane, and more in line with MIA’s trade assets. Or, they can look to bring in a guy who isn’t currently a star but that they think can develop into one. It can happen, although it rarely does. Right now, the talent pools available to construct an NBA team fall into three categories: shallow, shallower and shallowest. But Riley is too old to be too patient.