Now that Ben Simmons is headed to the Sacramento Kings, the Miami Heat may have watched their best swing at fixing a real roster problem slip away.
With one spot still open, Miami has been weighing whether to use it on a veteran guard or leave the roster flexible as the season gets underway. From the outside, Simmons looked like the kind of gamble that at least made sense on paper: a big guard who could help with playmaking and give the Heat another option in the backcourt.
Even if he never got back to his old level, the appeal was obvious. Miami would have had a chance to add a passer who could ease some of the pressure on the offense.
But the risk attached to Simmons was just too heavy.
It went beyond the possibility that he never regains form. At this stage of his career, that feels like a long shot. The bigger issue was health, and that availability concern likely mattered a lot to the Heat.
That matters even more now with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo in the picture. If Miami is going to support those two properly, it needs players who can stay on the floor. The Heat already lived through the pain of extended absences last season, with both Tyler Herro and Norman Powell missing significant time, and that can’t happen again.
Last year, the Heat could afford to absorb that kind of disruption because the roster wasn’t good enough to make much noise in the Eastern Conference anyway. This year is different. With Giannis on the roster, expectations are back, and they’re big.
Seen through that lens, it becomes easier to understand why Miami likely stayed away from Simmons.
That leaves the Heat with limited choices. They can use that final roster spot on Gabe Vincent, a familiar name, or keep the opening and hope an in-season buyout option becomes available later. Neither route really solves the playmaking issue.
In that sense, Simmons may have been the last player on the open market who gave Miami even a real shot at addressing it. And even then, it would have been a much bigger gamble than most people would want to admit.
That means even more playmaking pressure will fall on Davion Mitchell.
In Other News...
Bam Adebayo May Be Shaping The Heats Final Roster Decision
The Heat have already put most of their offseason work in the rearview, highlighted by the headline additions of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis, but one roster spot still remains up for grabs. Around that final opening, Bam Adebayo appears to have a voice that matters, with reports indicating he is pushing for the return of Gabe Vincent, a familiar guard who spent four seasons in Miami.
Vincent is still on the market as an unrestricted free agent, and the appeal from Miamis side is easy to understand. He knows the Heat, he has played under Erik Spoelstra, and he would come back into a locker room that is already reshaped by the teams bigger swings this summer. For now, the last piece has not been filled, and Adebayos preference may be a meaningful part of how the Heat decide to close out the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Giannis Changes Everything For A Heat Team Eyeing A Bigger East Leap
Giannis Antetokounmpo landing in Miami changes the temperature around the Heat before the 2026-27 season even begins. A roster that already featured Erik Spoelstra, Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins suddenly has a different kind of ceiling, and ESPNs Summer Forecast treats the move that way, pegging Antetokounmpo as the biggest game changer among the NBA stars who switched teams.
For a Heat group looking to climb in the East, the fit is obvious on paper: more size, more force at the top of the floor and a new pressure point for opponents trying to game-plan around Miami. The forecast also expects Antetokounmpos individual numbers to rise in his new setting, which only adds to the sense that this is more than a splashy offseason headline for a team hoping to make a bigger leap in conference seeding. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Just Created An Offseason Debate Fans Wont Ignore
August is usually when the NBAs offseason noise starts to settle, but the latest round of moves has kept the conversation going for contenders trying to close the gap. Around the league, the Warriors and Pelicans drew criticism for quiet summers, while Cleveland got a boost from adding Peyton Watson and signing James Harden. Minnesotas deal for Jonathan Kuminga also landed as one of the more intriguing swings, especially with teams measuring every move against the postseason chase.
Denver, meanwhile, made the kind of signing that naturally invites debate by bringing in DeMar DeRozan. For a Heat team that knows how thin the margin can be in the playoffs, it is the sort of addition that forces everyone to ask whether a proven scorer changes the ceiling or just changes the style. The answers will take time, but the Nuggets have given the rest of the conference something to argue about well before opening night. [Read more 🡒]