The Miami Heat’s offseason makeover has already changed the shape of the roster, and Nikola Jovic is now one of the names that could help them keep tinkering.
After landing Giannis Antetokounmpo in a massive deal, Miami reshuffled its core in a hurry. The price was steep: Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakucionis all went out in the trade, while Bobby Portis came back to South Beach.
The moves didn’t stop there, either. Norman Powell departed for the Chicago Bulls in free agency, and the Heat answered by signing Tim Hardaway Jr. to a one-year deal and bringing back Simone Fontecchio for another season.
That leaves Jovic in a tricky spot. The 2022 first-round pick signed a four-year, $62.4 million rookie extension before last season, but his role faded badly as the year wore on.
He was barely part of the closing stretch of the regular season, logging only eight games after January. Miami has a salary slot tied up for four more seasons, and the front office may already be looking for a cleaner fit.
One proposed move would send Jovic and a 2031 second-round pick to Cleveland for Max Strus.
Strus, 30, is no stranger to the Heat. He first joined Miami after the COVID bubble in November 2020 on a training camp contract that became a two-way deal.
He played 39 games in 2020-21, though the shooting numbers weren’t especially eye-catching. His role expanded the next season, when he started 33 games and hit a career-best 41 percent from three-point range.
But his most memorable Miami moment came in the 2023 Play-In tournament, when he helped the Heat claim the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference and launch their playoff run.
From Miami’s perspective, the appeal is straightforward. With Portis already in the mix behind the starters, the backup power forward spot is covered.
If the Heat can turn Jovic’s long-term money into Strus’s expiring contract, it’s a swap that makes sense on paper. Strus has had some inconsistency and injury issues in Cleveland, but he still gives the roster something it has been missing since Duncan Robinson left for the Detroit Pistons in a sign-and-trade during the 2025 offseason: a real perimeter shooter.
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