The Miami Heat have already remade the top of the roster, but the next decision could say a lot about how they plan to balance now and later.
After landing Giannis Antetokounmpo in a trade this offseason, Miami sent out Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakucionis to complete the deal. The reshuffling didn’t stop there, either.
Norman Powell left for the Chicago Bulls in free agency, while the Heat added Tim Hardaway Jr. on a one-year deal and brought back Simone Fontecchio. With Andrew Wiggins also extended earlier this offseason, Miami created a little more flexibility by trimming $9 million off his player option for the upcoming season.
Even with those moves, the roster still needs more help around Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, and the Heat are working under financial limits as they try to finish the job. One name that has surfaced is Klay Thompson. The Dallas Mavericks veteran wing has reportedly been placed on the trade block, and Miami has shown some interest in the four-time NBA champion.
There is a catch, though. If the Heat want Thompson, they are basically looking at two paths.
The first would be a buyout scenario, with Thompson and the Mavericks reaching a deal that would allow him to sign in Miami for a much smaller salary through unrestricted free agency. The other route would cost them Nikola Jovic.
That’s where the conversation gets tricky. Jovic, Miami’s first-round pick in 2022, signed a four-year rookie contract extension worth $62.4 million before last season.
Pat Riley clearly valued what Jovic could become over time. But the results have not matched the investment so far, and the team’s frustration is understandable after he became a non-factor late in the regular season and played only eight games after January.
Still, the case for keeping him is hard to ignore. Jovic is only 23, and while his production has been uneven, the upside is still there. Erik Spoelstra has a long track record of developing young talent, and he’s one of the few coaches in the league you’d trust to pull something more out of a player like this.
That’s why moving Jovic for Thompson feels like the wrong kind of short-term fix. Thompson would be a strong addition, but he’d also be a one-year answer.
Miami, meanwhile, needs depth, not just another headline. DeMar DeRozan remains available in free agency, and he would give the Heat another option without forcing them to give up anything in return.
Adding DeRozan while holding onto Jovic looks like the cleaner path for a team that still has more roster work to do.
In Other News...
Nikola Jovic Still Has Something Big To Prove In Miami
Nikola Jovic enters the next chapter of his Heat career with real security and real pressure. The Serbian forward signed a four-year, fully guaranteed extension last summer, and his salary is set to climb starting in the upcoming season, a sign Miami still believes there is something worth investing in.
Jovic has long been viewed as a player whose skill set could fit in South Florida, but the promise has been slowed by injuries and uneven defense. He has yet to reach 50 games in a season, and while the Heat still see him as a potential future contributor, the patience attached to that belief may not last forever if the development does not start to match the contract. [Read more 🡒]
Andrew Wiggins Could Decide How Dangerous This Heat Team Becomes
Miamis plan for the next few seasons looks increasingly tied to how well Andrew Wiggins fits into the mix. The Heat are expected to lean on the 31-year-old as a major contributor in 2026-27, and his role could matter even more if the roster continues to build around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. A player with Wiggins track record, including a career scoring average of 18.2 points and accolades like Rookie of the Year and an All-Star nod in 2021-22, brings a level of established production that teams usually need when chasing bigger goals.
The bigger question is whether Wiggins can settle in as the kind of third option that changes the shape of this team. Miami is still looking for more star power to complement its top two pieces, and Wiggins sits in that space between proven scorer and potential fit who could make the whole thing work better. If he delivers in that role, the Heats ceiling rises fast, but if he does not, the search for the right balance around Antetokounmpo and Adebayo gets a lot more complicated. [Read more 🡒]