The Miami Heat have already made a major swing this offseason by trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but there still looks to be one more glaring need on the roster: someone who can create offense when the game tightens up.
That is why Kyrie Irving stands out as the kind of in-season target that could make sense if he ever becomes available.
Dallas is not looking to move Irving right now, so this is not about a deal sitting in the background. Still, the NBA changes fast, and the Mavericks are rebuilding.
At some point, a trade could line up with their younger timeline. If that happens, Miami would have a very obvious reason to get involved.
The Heat have done a lot to strengthen the roster around Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. Andrew Wiggins gives them a strong frontcourt trio, and the additions of Klay Thompson and Tim Hardaway Jr. address the shooting they needed. But even with those moves, the same question hangs over the team: who handles the ball and gets a bucket when the offense stalls late in a game?
That’s where Irving fits.
Before his injury, Irving was still producing at a high level, with averages of around 25 points, five rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 40 percent from three. That matters because the appeal here is not about his reputation or what he did years ago. He was still delivering elite production before getting hurt.
For Miami, this would be about more than adding another guard. Irving would bring one of the best shot creators in basketball, someone who can take pressure off Giannis, run the offense in the biggest moments and still stretch the floor alongside both Antetokounmpo and Adebayo.
That kind of fit is easy to see in a late-game setting. If Miami gets stuck in the fourth quarter, with the first action taken away and Giannis’ initial drive cut off, Irving gives them a different answer.
A Kyrie-Giannis pick-and-roll changes the whole equation. Go under the screen, and Irving can shoot.
Play him tightly, and he can drive. Send help, and Giannis has room to attack the rim with an advantage.
That is the value here: a player who creates problems for the defense and opens things up for everyone else.
Irving could also make Adebayo’s life easier. Bam has worked well in the two-man game with guards throughout his career, but Irving would bring a different level of shot-making and spacing.
Bam had success with Kyle Lowry, but Irving is a different tier as a shooter. Defenders can’t comfortably go under screens against him, and if they press up, he can use the screen to get into the lane and force rotations.
That means less burden on Adebayo to manufacture everything himself.
With Giannis and Bam carrying so much of the load on both ends, Miami would need every bit of help it can get during the regular season and beyond. Irving would provide that.
There’s also the biggest-stage factor. Irving is an NBA champion, has played in multiple Finals, and has already hit one of the biggest shots in Finals history. He has also shown he can share the floor with another superstar and still take over games without everything revolving around him.
In Other News...
Kyrie Irving Still Looms Over A Heat Roster Question Mavericks Fans Know
Even with the roster mostly set, Miami still has a familiar kind of front-office question hanging over it: how much room is there, really, to make a meaningful move? Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports the Heat are unlikely to land Kyrie Irving or Jrue Holiday because of salary and trade constraints, which leaves the team working with limited flexibility as it tries to sort out the last open spot.
The options are more modest from here, whether that means filling the 15th roster spot with a veteran minimum addition or simply keeping it open for later. Ira Winderman also noted that Pelle Larsson could be a candidate for an early extension, a sign Miami may be thinking less about a splash and more about protecting its own future before free agency complicates the picture. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Could Finally Get Another Shot At A Draft Target
The roster trim in Memphis could open a door Miami has been watching for a while. Walter Clayton Jr., whom the Heat were reportedly interested in during the 2025 draft, is expected to be waived as the Grizzlies work their training camp roster down to 15 players, putting a familiar name back on the market for a team that already had him on its radar.
Claytons path has moved quickly since his rookie season, when he averaged 7.8 points and four assists after being traded mid-season from Utah to Memphis. If he does become available, the Heat will at least have a realistic chance to revisit a player they considered before, even if the next step depends on whether another team jumps in first. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Still Have One Big Bench Decision Left Around Davion Mitchell
The Heat have spent the summer sorting through the last piece of their roster, and the focus has landed on the backcourt. With Ben Simmons off the board after signing with Sacramento, Miami is still weighing what kind of guard best fits the final opening, while Davion Mitchell remains part of the larger conversation about how the bench should be shaped.
Gabe Vincent has come up as a familiar name, and Cam Payne is also viewed as a possible option for adding experience and leadership in reserve minutes. Even with those possibilities in play, Miami is still taking its time on the decision, and the way it fills that spot should tell plenty about how the team wants to stabilize its guard rotation for the season ahead. [Read more 🡒]