The Miami Heat’s offseason already took a dramatic turn with the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, but the roster picture still isn’t settled. Miami gave up four players in the deal and also watched All-Star guard Norman Powell leave for the Chicago Bulls in free agency, leaving questions about how much depth is really left behind the headline move.
The Heat did add another name late last week, landing former Dallas Mavericks wing Klay Thompson after he was waived. Miami had been linked to Thompson for weeks before it finally came together.
Even with that move, there are still two standard roster spots open, and Pat Riley may not be done. One possibility is that Miami fills only one more spot to get to the league minimum of 14 players.
That’s where two comeback candidates enter the picture: Ben Simmons and Victor Oladipo. Both have been rumored as potential NBA returnees, and there have even been reported sightings of the two working out together in Miami.
Simmons, 29, has already said earlier this summer that he wants to make an NBA comeback and named the Heat as a possible landing spot. Once seen as one of the league’s brightest young stars, Simmons was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft out of LSU.
In his early years with the 76ers, he built a reputation as a high-level playmaker and defender and fit well alongside Joel Embiid, helping push Philadelphia back into the playoffs after the organization’s “process” era. The problem, as always, was the shot.
Over time, that weakness became harder to ignore.
Everything unraveled in the 2021 playoffs, when Simmons lost confidence in his shooting and became the worst free-throw shooter in postseason history. Philadelphia moved on quickly, and Simmons held out, skipped training camp and was fined.
He was then sent to Brooklyn in 2022 in the James Harden blockbuster, a deal that was supposed to give him a fresh start. Instead, injuries limited him to 92 games over three seasons, and he was waived in 2025 before briefly joining the Los Angeles Clippers for the final stretch of the season.
Oladipo’s path has been shaped just as much by injuries, though his career arc looked different before the setbacks hit. The 34-year-old last played in the NBA in 2023, then spent this past season with the Milwaukee Bucks’ G-League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd. Drafted No. 2 overall by the Orlando Magic in 2013, he later hit his peak with the Indiana Pacers, where he became a two-time All-Star, won Most Improved Player in 2018, and made both All-NBA Third Team and Defensive First-Team that same season.
Then came the ruptured tendon that wiped out most of the 2018-19 season. Oladipo never fully got back to that level, returning to the NBA a year later before being traded to the Houston Rockets in 2021.
He later spent two seasons with the Heat, where he served in a bench role and posted career lows in several statistical categories. If he does make it back, Miami could be the place where he tries to reshape the story of his career.
In Other News...
Heat's Wiggins Move Says Everything About Their New Team-Building Plan
Andrew Wiggins new deal with Miami turned out to be less about the present roster and more about the Heats long game. The team encouraged Wiggins to pick up his $30 million player option, then add a two-year extension worth $34 million, a structure designed to trim his cap number in future seasons and give the front office more room to maneuver.
For a fan base that first saw the arrangement and wondered what Miami was doing, the answer is becoming clearer: this is a financial play built for flexibility. The Heat are trying to keep the books cleaner as they shape the roster around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, and Wiggins contract now looks like another sign that the franchise is thinking well beyond the next season. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Could Still Be Eyeing One More Franchise Shaping Move
The Heat already made their splash this offseason by bringing in Klay Thompson on a team-friendly deal, a move that gave Miami another proven shot-maker and a veteran presence to slot into the mix. It was the kind of addition that can change the feel of a roster without forcing the organization to gut its future, and it also left open the question of whether Pat Riley and the front office might still have another major swing in mind before the dust fully settles.
One possibility gaining traction is a trade concept that would send Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell to Dallas for Kyrie Irving and Sergio De Larrea, though nothing official has been confirmed. The Mavericks are also said to be reconsidering Irvings status as the season and trade deadline approach, which only adds to the uncertainty around how this could unfold. For Miami, the intrigue is obvious: the Heat have already added one headline name, and the idea of pairing that with another franchise-altering move is the sort of thing that keeps this roster worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Pelle Larsson Is Giving Heat Fans A Reason To Pay Attention
Pelle Larsson has spent enough time around the Heat to already earn a reputation for doing the little things that matter, and now there is a sense that his role is going to grow. Within the organization, Larsson has been recognized for what he brings on both ends of the floor, which fits neatly with the kind of player Miami tends to value as it builds out its roster.
Klay Thompson has also taken notice, praising Larssons work ethic and high-energy style, along with the time he put in training in Spain. For a Heat group that always pays attention to players who embrace the work, Larssons profile is rising at the right time, and the next question is how much more responsibility he can handle when the 2026-27 season arrives. [Read more 🡒]