Heat's plans for final roster spot is painfully obvious if history proves true

The Miami Heat's offseason moves have largely revolved around maintaining flexibility. That's why it's abundantly clear that they are unlikely to fill the final spot on their roster before the start of the season. A move that will give the team even more flexibility this season, keeping an open roster spot would fall right in line with how the Heat has operated this summer.

It may not be what fans want to hear, especially after an offseason that left a bit to be desired, but it's something the Heat have done before, and a path it wouldn't be surprising to see them take this year.

That doesn't mean the Heat won't explore adding a 15th player to a guaranteed contract before the start of training camp, but, at least at this point, I'd be surprised if they did. In essence, it's not something the fan base should expect as the lull of the offseason quickly approaches.

What if the Heat want to fill the roster spot?

Theoretically, if the Heat did want to fill the final spot of the roster before the start of the season, it probably makes the most sense for the team to add another backup big. Currently, the Heat has thin depth behind Bam Adebayo and Kel'el Ware. It wouldn't be the least surprising if they explored the option of adding another veteran big before the start of the year.

Alec Burks is another player who would welcome a return to the Heat, so he's certainly another name to keep an eye on.

But finding the right player to take a flier on could be difficult, especially at this point in the offseason. For what the Heat would be offering (the veteran's minimum), there simply aren't many reliable options available. And, to be quite honest, it's probably more valuable for the Heat to keep a roster spot open than to commit to a player right now.

What's working for the Heat is that they still have time. There's no need to rush a decision one way or another. Unless, of course, a player the Heat truly desires becomes available. But that doesn't appear to be the case right now.

Plus, I do believe that, at least for this season, Miami may much rather have that flexibility for now. It will open the door for more creative trades if they want to explore that, or even to add a player via buyout later on in the season.

The Heat clearly values that.

It's pretty obvious that the Heat are all-in on ultimate flexibility, and that may very much extend to their end-of-the-bench roster construction this season, too.