Heat's endgame plan is painfully obvious after unpopular offseason moves

The Miami Heat haven't had the most popular of offseasons, but one thing has become clear over the summer. It's the fact that this plan, which the Heat are currently embracing, must end with a star acquisition in the next couple of seasons to be successful.

Whether the Heat will pull off the feat remains to be seen, but with the somewhat unpopular moves the team has made this offseason, that's clearly the direction they're heading.

From deciding against going all-in for Kevin Durant and Jonathan Kuminga to not handing Duncan Robinson the contract extension he probably deserved to the expected decision to hold off on a Tyler Herro extension, it does seem as if the Heat are building up to something bigger.

Or, at the very least, they want to put themselves in a position to make a move.

The biggest test for the Heat is on the horizon

I'd say that the biggest indicator of where the Heat are headed will be revealed by what they decide to do with Herro on October 1. Eligible for a huge contract extension that he probably deserves, I'm sure Herro would much rather lock up a new deal with the Heat.

However, logistically speaking, it's going to be in the best interest of the Heat to hold off on such a move.

Re-signing Herro this summer, and the Heat would essentially be surrendering all financial flexibility heading into the future. Such a move would also likely take them out of most star pursuits, unless they feel they would be able to easily trade Herro.

However, on a $50 million per year deal, I'd find that to be extremely unlikely.

Nevertheless, we're going to find out an awful lot about what the future may hold for Miami in the next couple of months.

Heat fans must be patient

If the Heat does re-sign Herro to a max extension, the fan base will have every reason to question this front office's decision-making. Especially considering such a move would pretty much lock them into mediocrity for the foreseeable future.

But if the Heat does kick the can down the road on a Herro extension, it will only require more patience heading into the next couple of years.

Because that would indicate that the Heat believe there's a big move coming. That's the only other reason why they wouldn't lock up Herro this summer. And honestly, it would be difficult to blame them if they ended up taking this route.

With the way the Heat have operated this summer, it does feel as if they're slowly building toward something big. That could be difficult to envision at the moment, but this front office, despite its recent failures, has earned the benefit of the doubt.

The question is, will they be able to finally deliver on a move that has eluded them over the last few seasons?