Miami
Heat ROSTER
2-1 • 3rd in EASTERN CONFERENCE
| NAME | POS | AGE | SALARY | HT | WT | COLLEGE | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #18 | AlecBurks | G | 33 | $2,087,519 | 6' 5" | 214 lbs | COLORADO | |
| #13 | BamAdebayo | C-F | 27 | $34,848,340 | 6' 9" | 255 lbs | KENTUCKY | |
| #12 | DruSmith | G | 26 | N/A | 6' 2" | 203 lbs | MISSOURI | |
| #55 | DuncanRobinson | F | 30 | $19,406,000 | 6' 7" | 215 lbs | MICHIGAN | |
| #24 | HaywoodHighsmith | F | 27 | $5,200,000 | 6' 5" | 220 lbs | WHEELING (WV) | |
| #11 | JaimeJaquez | F-G | 23 | $3,685,800 | 6' 6" | 225 lbs | UCLA | |
| #22 | JimmyButler | F | 35 | $48,798,677 | 6' 7" | 230 lbs | MARQUETTE | |
| #8 | JoshChristopher | G | 22 | N/A | 6' 4" | 215 lbs | ARIZONA STATE | |
| #0 | JoshRichardson | G | 31 | $3,051,153 | 6' 5" | 200 lbs | TENNESSEE | |
| #42 | KevinLove | F-C | 36 | $3,850,000 | 6' 8" | 251 lbs | UCLA | |
| #25 | NassirLittle | F-G | 24 | $6,750,000 | 6' 6" | 220 lbs | NORTH CAROLINA | |
| #5 | NikolaJović | F | 21 | $2,464,200 | 6' 10" | 205 lbs | N/A | |
| #2 | TerryRozier | G | 30 | $24,924,126 | 6' 1" | 190 lbs | LOUISVILLE | |
| #31 | ThomasBryant | C-F | 27 | $2,087,519 | 6' 10" | 248 lbs | INDIANA | |
| #14 | TylerHerro | G | 24 | $29,000,000 | 6' 5" | 195 lbs | KENTUCKY |
Current Heat Roster Status
The Miami Heat's most important transaction in the offseason came in the form of Bam Adebayo's five-year extension worth $163 million. Prior to the All-Star big putting pen to paper on his max deal, there was some talk about the Heat front office holding out on Adebayo to free up as much cap space as possible for the 2021 offseason. Clearly, this turned out to be nothing more than an unsubstantiated rumor, with the Heat wisely signing their cornerstone stud for the long haul.
The Heat were also able to fend off suitors for free agent Goran Dragic, who will remain in Miami for 2020-21 on a one-year, $18 million deal. Similarly, Meyers Leonard and long-tie servant Udonis Haslem also signed one-year extensions with the Heat.
Miami lost a couple of key guys in Derrick Jones Jr. (signed with the Portland Trail Blazers) and Jae Crowder (signed with the Phoenix Suns) in free agency, but they brought in Avery Bradley and Maurice Harkless. The Heat used their 20th overall pick in the draft to acquire 6-foot-8 power forward Precious Achiuwa, who appears to be in the mold of Bam Adebayo.
Dragic, Duncan Robinson, Jimmy Butler, Leonard, and Adebayo comprise Miami's starting five, with guys like Kelly Olynyk (exercised $13.2 million player option for the coming season), Bradley, Andre Iguodala, and Kendrick Nunn, among others, expected to play key roles for Miami's second unit.
After last season's success, the Heat will look to repeat as East champs in 2021. It's going to be an extremely tough task ahead, but it appears that the Heat have the tools to go far.
miami heat Team Analysis
Offense
—The Miami Heat entered the 2019-20 season with a new-look roster. They made quite a splash in the summer, bringing in Jimmy Butler to the fold. This was supposed to be a transition year for Miami, but as it turns out, there's no such thing for team president Pat Riley. Their significant summer moves resulted in the Heat emerging as a legitimately potent force on the offensive end.
Over the course of the season, Miami averaged 112.0 points per game, good for 15th in the NBA. Interestingly, they took the least amount of shot attempts in the entire league at just 84.4 per contest. For some context, the New Orleans Pelicans ranked first in this category with 91.6 attempts per game. Efficiency was key for the Heat, however, as they collectively shot 46.8 percent from the field (11th).
The Heat also took a lot of three-pointers, averaging 35.4 attempts from deep per game (ninth), and their 37.9-percent shooting clip from distance ranked second in the league.
Miami got to the line a lot, attempting an average of 25.2 free-throws per game (fourth), with a shooting percentage of 78.3 percent (13th) from the line.
They struggled on the offensive boards, however, averaging just 8.5 offensive rebounds per game (29th). This resulted in just 11.8 second-chance points per contest.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra established a great offensive system for the squad. As a result, the Heat averaged 25.9 assists per game, which is seventh in the NBA. 65.7 percent of their field goals were assisted on (third). Pace-wise, the Heat's 98.7 rating ranked 27th in the league.
Another area Miami could improve on is their turnovers. They turned the rock over 14.9 times per game last season (19th).
All in all, the Heat produced an offensive rating of 111.9, which impressively ranks seventh in the entire league.
Defense
—Miami may not have been the best defensive team in the league last season, but there's no denying that they were a force to be reckoned with.
For starters, the Heat allowed their opponents to just 109.1 points per contest, which ranked 10th in the NBA. Their opponents took just 86.7 field goal attempts per game (sixth), and the fact that they were able to hold them to just 44.8 percent shooting (seventh) is another commendable feat.
Miami allowed their opponents to take a ton of three-pointers though, at 37.7 attempts per game (27th). They held them to just 34.7-percent from distance, however, which was sixth in the league. Conversely, the Heat allowed opponents to just 48.9 two-point attempts (first) on a 52.5-percent clip (16th).
The Heat committed 21.7 personal fouls per game (26th), which resulted in 23.6 free-throw attempts per game (15th) for opposing teams.
Miami were excellent on the boards, allowing their opponents just 42.5 total rebounds (third) per contest. 9.2 of these came on the offensive end (fifth), which resulted in 12.8 second-chance points (14th).
Another impressive stat that speaks volumes of Miami's transition defense is the fact that they allowed their opponents to score just 11.4 fast break points per game, which ranked second in the league. Their interior defense was also key to their success, allowing opposing teams just 44.1 points in the paint a night (fifth).
The Heat averaged 7.5 steals per game (18th). They could use some help on rim protection though, as they averaged just 4.1 swats per game (26th).
Miami forced their opponents to 14.0 turnover per contest (22nd), resulting in 16.2 points off of turnovers.
All in all, the Heat produced a defensive rating of 109.3, which ranked 12th in the NBA.
Coaching
—Erik Spoelstra currently serves as the team's head coach. He's been at the helm since 2008, and has since amassed a very impressive 567 wins against 392 losses (.591 winning percentage).
Spoelstra has been with the Heat organization since 1995 (he started as a video coordinator and worked his way up), and as such, he has not had the opportunity to coach any other team in the NBA other than Miami.
Coach Spo is widely considered as one of the top coaches in the league today. In 12 years at the helm, he's won the title twice (2012 and 2013) and the Eastern Conference championship five times (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2020).
Spoelstra's assistant coaches are Dan Craig and Malik Allen, with Allen himself suiting up for the Heat for four years during his playing years. Octavio De La Grana and Chris Quinn are listed as the team's assistants for player development.
Top miami heat Roster Questions
Who Did The Heat Recently Sign?
—During the 2019-20 season, the Heat proved they have a formidable side that can contend for the title. As such, they intend to enter the new season with the same core, along with a few key additions to bolster the squad. This came in the form of Avery Bradley and Maurice Harkless, who the Heat both added via free agency.
Bradley, who plied his trade with the Los Angeles Lakers last season, signed with Miami on a one-year deal worth $5.6 million. His deal also includes a team option for the Heat for the 2021-22 season. The 30-year-old veteran is one of the best defensive guards in the league today, and his addition should make Miami's defense even more formidable.
Bradley, who opted out of the Disney World bubble for the Lakers, averaged 8.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 24.2 minutes per game for L.A. in 2019-20.
On the same day as the Bradley signing, the Heat also brought on Harkless, who ended last season with the New York Knicks. The 6-foot-7 forward signed a one-year deal worth $3.6 million.
Who Are The Heat Targeting In Free Agency?
—The Heat added two new players via free agency. Maurice Harkless signed on a one-year deal worth $3.6 million, while former Los Angeles Lakers guard Avery Bradley also put pen to paper on a $5.6 million deal for one season.
Perhaps the most important free agency signing for Miami came in the form of Goran Dragic, who they were able to successfully persuade to stay on for at least one more season. This cost the Heat $18 million, which, based on what we saw from the former All-Star point guard last season, looks like a win-win for both parties. Likewise, Miami also signed Meyers Leonard and Udonis Haslem -- both free agents -- on one-year extensions.
On the contrary, the Heat had to part ways with Derrick Jones Jr. and Solomon Hill, who signed with the Portland Trail Blazers and the Atlanta Hawks respectively. Finally, Jae Crowder also signed with the Phoenix Suns as a free agent.
Prior to extending the deals of the aforementioned players, Miami was also linked to a number of other free agents, including Nerlens Noel, Aron Baynes, and Danilo Gallinari, to name a few.
Who Did The Heat Most Recently Trade For?
—The Heat brought in some reinforcements at the February trade deadline, coming in the form of veterans Andre Iguodala and Jae Crowder.
Both players came from the Memphis Grizzlies as part of a three-team trade. For their part, the Heat sent Dion Waiters and Justise Winslow to Memphis while also parting ways with James Johnson, who was sent to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
What Is The Best Heat Roster Of All-Time?
—When the Heat won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013, they fielded one of the best rosters in league history. This easily makes this particular Heat lineup the best of all-time.
Between those two seasons, it was the 2012-13 roster that stood out, as that team finished the regular season with the best record in the entire league with 66 wins.
The Big 3 of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh led the charge for Miami, with Mario Chalmers and Udonis Haslem completing the starting five.
Ray Allen was the first player off the bench, while other prominent players from the second unit included Shane Battier, Chris Andersen, Norris Cole, Rashard Lewis, Mike Miller, and James Jones.
What Is The Heat's Salary Cap?
—Taking into account Miami's offseason moves, all signs point to the franchise operating as an above-the-cap team for 2020-21. Their salary cap allocations total to $123,704,154.
Kelly Olynyk exercised the $13.2 million player option of his deal for next season, while Meyers Leonard ($9.4 million) and Udonis Haslem ($2.6 million) both signed one-year extensions. The Heat were able to extend the deal of Goran Dragic, who himself was a highly-coveted free agent, but that cost them an additional $18 million for next term. They also brought on two new faces via free agency in the form of Maurice Harkless (one year, $3.6 million) and Avery Bradley (one year, $5.6 million).
The good news for Miami is that they appear to have enough cap room flexibility entering the summer of 2021. The Heat were identified as one of the favorites to land Giannis Antetokounmpo should he decide to become a free agent next summer, but the two-time reigning MVP signed a supermax contract to stay with the Milwaukee Bucks.
