The Miami Heat have already blown up the shape of their roster this offseason, but the work is far from done.
After landing Giannis Antetokounmpo in a trade, Miami sent out Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakucionis to get the deal over the line. Then Norman Powell left for the Chicago Bulls in free agency, leaving the Heat with a thinner supporting cast and a tighter financial picture as they try to build around Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
Miami has made a couple of smaller moves to keep things moving. The team signed wing Tim Hardaway Jr. to a one-year deal and brought back Simone Fontecchio. The Heat also created a little breathing room by extending Andrew Wiggins and shaving $9 million off his player option for the upcoming season.
That still leaves room for another swing or two, and Nikola Jovic is the name to watch if Miami goes hunting on the trade market. Jovic signed an extension before last season, and his cap hit sits at $16.2 million. With that in mind, here are three possible targets for the Heat.
Scoot Henderson is one name that fits the “buy low on talent” mold. The 22-year-old entered the league with plenty of hype as the No. 3 pick in the 2023 draft, but the early returns have been uneven.
He dealt with growing pains right away, then more inconsistency in his second season before a hamstring tear knocked him out for most of the 2025-26 campaign. Henderson did flash improvement in limited action this past season, but Portland’s backcourt picture changed fast after the Trail Blazers traded for Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant.
With more guards in the mix and an extension decision looming, Henderson could be the odd man out.
Jarred Vanderbilt is another possible fit, and this one is more about role than upside gamble. The Lakers have spent the offseason reshaping their roster, moving on from LeBron James and adding Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes and Sandro Mamukelashvili on sizable deals.
That kind of spending could push them toward moving some of their current pieces. Vanderbilt, 27, has been a steady power forward throughout his career and has one more year left on his contract after this season.
For Miami, he would make sense as a backup behind Antetokounmpo.
Then there’s Isaac Okoro, a wing whose value still leans heavily on what he does without the ball. Okoro has built a reputation as one of the league’s better defensive wings, even though his offense never really clicked during his five seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He was traded last offseason and is now in the final year of his contract. With the Bulls entering a new era under coach Tiago Splitter and having added Powell in free agency, Okoro could be available if Chicago decides to cash in on his value.
For the Heat, he would bring the kind of defensive presence they could use on the wing alongside Hardaway Jr. and Wiggins.
In Other News...
Which Celtics Prospects Actually Helped Themselves This Summer
Summer League can be a noisy place to sort out who actually moved the needle, but Miami had reason to pay attention to Ryan Conwell. The Heats 2026 second-round pick drew strong interest after his run in Las Vegas, with his shooting and defensive effort standing out enough to put him firmly on the radar as the organization keeps tracking how he fits into its long-term picture.
There were other names worth monitoring, too, from Trevor Keels and Jahmir Young still in the mix for two-way opportunities to Vladislav Goldin and Tre Donaldson already landing theirs. Undrafted wing Tre White also made a case for himself with a productive showing, and for Miami, the broader takeaway is the same as always in July: the Heat are looking for players who can defend, compete and give them something real to build on. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Shooting Panic Is Getting Way Out Of Hand
The panic over Miamis shooting has gotten a little ahead of the roster reality. The Heat do have room to add another veteran spacer or two before the season, but the idea that they are suddenly bereft of perimeter threats does not hold up when you look at the group already in place. Davion Mitchell, Andrew Wiggins, Simone Fontecchio, Bam Adebayo, Pelle Larsson, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bobby Portis all give Miami at least some credible three-point options, which is a far cry from a team that cannot stretch the floor at all.
The bigger point is that the Heat were still 11th in three-point shooting last season, and they did it while dealing with injuries to key players. So while there is a reasonable argument for more depth, especially from a veteran shooter, this does not look like the kind of emergency that requires a full-scale roster overhaul. Miami may not be finished building out the back end of its shooting rotation, but the current narrative is making the problem sound much larger than it really is. [Read more 🡒]
LeBron Just Sparked A New Wave Of Heat Free Agency Buzz
LeBron James managed to stir up another round of offseason chatter during a podcast appearance while talking about his free agency, and the ripple effect was immediate. Any time he starts leaning into vague language about his future, fans across the league start reading between the lines, and for the Heat crowd, it is another reminder of how quickly one comment can send the rumor mill spinning.
Meanwhile, Miami had its own basketball to evaluate in Summer League, where Tre Donaldson gave the front office a promising look with a steady all-around showing over four games. The Heat did not make a run to the title game, but Donaldsons play stood out as one of the more encouraging developments, giving Miami at least one young name worth tracking as the offseason buzz keeps building. [Read more 🡒]