The Miami Heat spent the offseason making noise everywhere except at point guard.
Giannis Antetokounmpo headlined the haul, and Klay Thompson joined after being waived by the Dallas Mavericks in August. Bobby Portis came over in the Antetokounmpo blockbuster, Tim Hardaway Jr. was added earlier in the summer, and on paper the roster looks built to matter in the Eastern Conference right away. But for all the veteran firepower, Miami left one spot looking thin: the backcourt.
The Heat are moving forward with Davion Mitchell and Dru Smith as their point guard group, and that decision could end up being the one real swing-and-miss of an otherwise strong offseason.
Mitchell, 28, has become a legitimate piece for Miami over the last season-and-a-half after arriving as something of an afterthought in a 2025 trade deadline deal. He’s now expected to open the season as the starting point guard, and there’s a case that his best work still fits what this roster needs. With more minutes and a cast of new veterans around him, he could put up better numbers than he did a year ago while keeping the offense humming with low-usage, efficient play.
That said, there’s still a hard question hanging over him: is he enough to run point for a team with championship goals? Mitchell has done his job, and Erik Spoelstra appears to have found the right way to use him. But he doesn’t bring the kind of flash or shot creation you’d normally want next to Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
Smith, also 28, brings familiarity with the system, but his camp hit a snag early when he suffered a strained right calf. He’s expected to miss a few weeks, and outside of a short stretch in 2025, he hasn’t been especially efficient.
With a number of point guards available this offseason, Miami chose not to make another move. Names like D'Angelo Russell, Ryan Nembhard, Jordan Hawkins, Aaron Holiday and even Gabe Vincent were out there, and the Heat could have used one of them to add competition and a steadier bench option. Hawkins and Vincent remain available if Pat Riley changes course quickly.
In Other News...
Tim Hardaway Jr Could Be The Heat's Real Swing Piece
Miamis offseason overhaul has been about more than just landing star power. Alongside the arrivals of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis, the Heat added Tim Hardaway Jr. to help address a long-standing need on the perimeter, a move that fits neatly with the later signing of Klay Thompson and the decision to keep Simone Fontecchio in the mix. Hardaway brings both spacing and a track record that suggests he can fit into a rotation built to punish teams for helping off the arc.
What makes him especially interesting is the way his profile could matter in bigger moments. Hardaway shot a career-high 40.7 percent from three last season with Denver and has been through the playoff grind before from his time with Dallas, giving Miami another proven shooter with some postseason scars. In a group already reshaped by major additions, the question is whether Hardaway ends up being just part of the shooting depth or the player who quietly decides how far this new-look Heat team can go. [Read more 🡒]
Klay Thompson Looks Like Miamis Best Bet In A Crucial Battle
The Heats preseason search for a starting shooting guard has become one of the more interesting early lineup decisions, and Klay Thompson is making a strong case simply by being the kind of reliable perimeter threat Miami has long valued at the position. Even with a scoreless preseason outing, Thompson still looks like the cleanest fit for a role that has often been defined by spacing, experience and the ability to punish defenses from the arc, which keeps him in the center of the conversation alongside Tim Hardaway Jr. and Pelle Larsson.
Hardaway brings his own proven shooting profile, but Thompsons track record and feel for the role give him an edge in a competition that feels less about upside than immediate trust. Larssons recent contract extension points to a longer-term future in the mix, but the Heat are still sorting out the present, and the starting job appears to be a battle between established options before the younger piece is ready to take the next step. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Suddenly Have A New Guard Worth Watching In Camp
Tre Donaldson put himself on the radar in a hurry during the Heats annual Red, White and Pink scrimmage, pacing the team with 25 points while also showing the kind of scoring and playmaking that can separate a camp invite from the pack. With Miami sorting through its backcourt options, every clean possession and every steady decision matters more than usual, and Donaldson clearly gave the coaching staff something to file away.
The timing only adds to the intrigue. Dru Smith is expected to miss a couple of weeks with a calf injury, leaving Erik Spoelstra to keep evaluating the guard room and other possible ball-handling answers. Spoelstra also singled out Ryan Conwell as another camp player making an impression, which suggests this part of camp is less about filling out reps and more about finding who can be trusted when the Heat need help in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]