What’s in store for Miami Heat next season?

The Miami Heat have earned the respect and admiration of league fans with their improbable playoff run and gallant stand in the finals against the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers. 

But for Jimmy Butler, leaving the bubble with no Larry O’Brien trophy to bring home to Miami means he failed in what he and the team set out to do. 

“I told coach Pat (Pat Riley), I told coach Spo (Erik Spoelstra), I’m here to win one. I didn’t do my job, so moving forward, I got to hold up my end of the bargain,” said Butler in an interview after the NBA Finals. (READ: Amid heartache of defeat, Butler grateful for Miami home)

Even after their impressive performance, there are still lingering doubts whether Miami can at the very least duplicate their achievement when the league opens the next season with fans possibly back on the stands. 

What really is the outlook for the Miami Heat for the 2020-2021 season? Are they still in the position to upgrade their lineup to better their hopes of finally winning the championship?

Miami’s core that was characterized by a fine balance between youthful energy and veteran savvy will remain the cornerstone of the composition of the team this coming season. 

The Heat have Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo on guaranteed contracts, while Duncan Robinson and Kendrick Nunn are still signed up on non-guaranteed deals, so the 4 are not going anywhere. 

Miami can already offer contract extensions to Robinson and Nunn, who finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting, as they both enter the last year of their bargain rookie deals of just $1.6M per season. 

Adebayo will also be entering the last year of his rookie contract and will become a restricted free agent in 2021. 

There are talks that the Heat will not offer the 23-year-old Adebayo a contract extension just yet and instead wait it out till the next season. Either way, Adebayo will get at least a $28 million annual salary on a five-year agreement and most likely not be let go by the Heat. 

The difference is that if Adebayo does not push for a contract extension this offseason, Miami will have roughly $13-14 million in extra salary cap space in 2021, on top of the maximum contract they can use to entice an unrestricted free agent to move to South Beach. 

That will make the Heat the frontrunner in 2021 to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo, or tender offers to the likes of Victor Oladipo, LaMarcus Aldridge, or Rudy Gobert.   

But Miami will not wait until 2021 to once again contend for the title. 

Andre Iguodola will be back to provide veteran leadership and defensive toughness for the Heat. The question now is whether 34-year-old unrestricted free agent Goran Dragic still fits in the future plans of the Heat. 

Dragic earned $28.8 million last season and was the Heat’s leading scorer in the Eastern Conference finals. He has shown he still has a lot left in the tank and could still be looked upon to mentor and share backcourt duties with Nunn, who proved himself a capable starter for the Heat before going down with COVID-19 prior to the playoffs. 

Meyers Leonard, Solomon Hill, Derrick Jones, and Jae Crowder will all be unrestricted free agents. Among the 4, Crowder looks like a shoo-in to be re-signed by the Heat. 

Hill is grossly overpaid with a salary of $19 million with minimal on-court returns, so it would be in the Heat’s best interest to let him go. 

Back-up big man Kelly Olynyk has the option to opt-out of the final year of his contract that will pay him $13.1 million next season. But he is also aware that there are very few teams outside of Miami which can offer him over $10 million annually, so that increases the possibility of him staying with the Heat. 

Miami has a cap space of $42.4 million going into the offseason, which could become lower if Olynyk decides to opt-in. But that still will be enough to give them the resources to make a run for the lean pickings in this summer’s free agent pool. 

There are two names that the Heat could be after who could have an immediate impact in improving the team. These are Danilo Gallinari of the Oklahoma Thunder and Montrezl Harrell of the LA Clippers.

The Heat have always been enamored by Gallinari who averaged 19 points this season built on 40.9% shooting from the three-point area. Having a stretch four who could team up with Adebayo up front and at the same time spread the floor will make the Heat a more dangerous team. 

Gallinari actually was pursued aggressively by Miami before the All-Star break, but last minute disagreements of what should have been a three-team trade led to an unconsummated deal. 

Heat President Pat Riley said this to the Miami Herald: “I like Gallo. And I think he would have fit in here really well, but it didn’t work out.”

Rumors going around now is Gallinari himself wants to join a championship contender and his preferred destination is Miami.

Harrell could also be a perfect fit for Miami with his hustle and boundless energy. The NBA Sixth Man of the Year winner is a force down who could ease the defensive and rebounding load off the shoulders of Adebayo. 

Everything about Harrell reads Heat Culture, and he can seamlessly fit into a starting role with Miami. Harrell is the only player these past two season who averaged over 16 points per game and shot at least 58% from the field. His efficiency and ability to roll and score will be a major boost for the Heat.

Miami will be among the teams favored to rule the Eastern Conference in the next two seasons, barring any injuries, of course, to their best players. 

There is a sense that the team is just a piece or two away from possibly getting a better result in the coming season. They have the resources to further upgrade the team and their stellar showing in this year’s playoffs has made them once again a prime destination for marquee names in the free agent market. – Rappler.com