Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
After losing in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Celtics, the Miami Heat followed it up by making practically no moves at all. Besides being heavily engaged in the Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell sweepstakes, Pat Riley hasn’t really made any moves that we can point to as improving the state of the roster.
Still, according to the Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman, the Heat could actually be positioned to improve from their performance last season. He explained why in a recent article:
“Now that the Nets have called Kevin Durant’s bluff, Pat Riley is left with nothing. This team isn’t better today than it was last year. Riley should have gone after Myles Turner.” – Faye.
First, he still could. But the Pacers would likely prefer the Lakers’ first-round picks to the Heat’s, simply because the Heat rarely fall from playoff contention. When the Lakers are bad, they can be really bad. But, also, who is to say the Heat aren’t better than last season? Yes, PJ Tucker is gone, but what about the potential for growth from within?
The loss of PJ Tucker will hurt the Heat, and it may take a while for fans to get over the failed pursuit of KD. But, the truth is, Miami never went that hard for Durant anyway.
When it comes to making trades and pulling off deals, Pat Riley isn’t one to get hosed and gut his roster for the sake of pulling off a desperate move.
In a recent appearance on the ‘STUpodity’ podcast, NBA insider Shams Charania talked about all things Kevin Durant. In the aftermath of his pledge to return to the team, GMs and executives around the league expect the ball to get rolling on other signings and trades.
But Shams also spoke about the Heat and why they got surprisingly inactive in talks for one of the game’s top athletes.
“The last time, Stugotz, the Heat called the Nets was right around the Summer League or even maybe even before that,” Shams Charania said. “They never really aggressively pursued a deal because I think at the end of the day, they knew they would have had to gut multiple players.”
In the end, it’s hard to say what fans should expect from the Heat this season. Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Kyle Lowry, and Tyler Herro, complete a core group that can compete against any team in the league.
With some more time to gel, grow, and develop their chemistry, Miami could make some real noise in the East.
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