The Miami Heat may have landed the superstar they’ve wanted for years, but not everyone is ready to call the fit seamless.
Giannis Antetokounmpo gives Pat Riley the kind of headliner Miami has been chasing, and the idea of pairing him with Bam Adebayo in the frontcourt is enough to make the Heat look dangerous on paper. Still, the roster around that duo is already drawing scrutiny, especially when it comes to spacing and offensive balance.
Former Atlanta Hawks standout and All-Defensive team member Josh Smith is among those raising the flag. He likes the move in broad strokes, but he doesn’t see the fit as automatic. His concern is simple: the blueprint for maximizing Giannis has long been built around shooting, and he doesn’t believe Miami has enough of it.
That matters because the Heat could be elite on the defensive end. With Giannis and Bam anchoring things, and Davion Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins added to the mix, Miami has the look of a team that can smother opponents. But Smith’s point is that defense alone won’t answer every question.
"I think they need more shooting, for sure. I’m trying to figure out how that Bam and Giannis situation works.
When you've been in a situation like Giannis where you’ve been the man and controlled everything pretty much, how you want to move, Miami is a little different. It’s going to be interesting to see how all that works down there," Smith said about Antetokounmpo's fit with the Heat.
That leaves Riley and the front office with a clear next step: find answers on the perimeter. One possible route could come through Klay Thompson’s potential buyout with the Dallas Mavericks, a move that could give Miami the kind of shooting help Smith believes it needs to truly separate itself in the Eastern Conference.
In Other News...
Heat May Finally Have A Real Fix For Their Shooting Problem
The Heat have spent enough time searching for perimeter help that Max Strus is suddenly back in the conversation as a possible fix. Cleveland is weighing ways to clear cap space while chasing Jonathan Kuminga, and that has opened a door for Miami, which has a clear need for more three-point shooting and better floor spacing after leaning too often on patchwork answers from the arc.
Strus fits the kind of role the Heat have been trying to stabilize, but getting him back would not be simple. The sides are exploring trade constructions that could involve multiple teams and salary exceptions, the sort of accounting-heavy path that often decides whether a reunion gets real or stays just intriguing. For Miami, the appeal is obvious, but the route to making it happen may be the part that takes the most work. [Read more 🡒]
Spoelstra Sends Clear Message As Heat Wait On Final Domino
Erik Spoelstra has spent the offseason projecting confidence in the group the Heat have assembled around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, even as the front office keeps one eye on the market. Miamis biggest focus appears to be Klay Thompson, and the path to getting him still runs through Dallas, where he remains under contract. For now, a buyout is viewed as the cleanest way to make that move possible.
DeMar DeRozan adds another layer to the puzzle. His reported asking price in the $8 million to $10 million range makes the cap math tighter for Miami, especially if the Heat want to keep pursuing Thompson at the same time. The result is the kind of offseason waiting game that can define a contenders next move, with one final domino still holding up the full picture. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Fans May Not Be Done Debating Kelel Ware Yet
Kelel Ware is already drawing fresh attention after moving from the Heat to the Bucks, where he now gets a chance to develop under new coach Taylor Jenkins. For Miami fans, it is the kind of transaction that tends to linger, especially with a young big man whose profile still feels unfinished. Ware has talent that can intrigue, and he also brings the sort of unevenness that keeps evaluations from settling too quickly.
The defense remains the central question, and it is not just about flashes or isolated stops. His future playing time, and eventually even his contract outlook, may hinge on whether he can bring more consistency on that end. For Heat followers who watched the ups and downs up close, this is the part of the story that makes it easy to keep debating what Ware can become, and whether the next stop finally unlocks more of it. [Read more 🡒]