Report: Miami Heat have plan that ‘hasn’t been publicly stated’

The Miami Heat have had a quiet start to free agency and summer trade season, leaving their current roster largely similar to the one they finished the 2024-25 season with.

Some might chalk up the lack of activity from the Heat since the start of free agency to the team not having a concrete plan for the future, but that does not seem to be the case.

The Miami Herald‘s Barry Jackson reported on Wednesday that the Heat have a plan to get back to title contention that “hasn’t been publicly stated.” Unfortunately, not everyone is going to love it.

“Though it hasn’t been publicly stated, the Heat actually has a plan, and it’s probably the most realistic one at this point, even though it will be unsatisfying to some:,” Jackson wrote.

“According to people with direct knowledge, Miami’s intention is to ‘let our young guys show what they can do’ and see what this team looks like with Erik Spoelstra having a full training camp, with the Jimmy Butler distraction in the rearview mirror and with first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis added to a core of young players that the organization believes has a high upside.

 

“Part 2 of the plan is to try to quickly pounce if an in-his-prime star, or very good player, becomes available in the trade market. (It has been widely reported that Giannis Antetokounmpo will be a Heat target if he asks out of Milwaukee, and that’s very likely. Whether the Heat has enough assets to compete with Houston, the [San Antonio] Spurs and [New York] Knicks in a bid for the two-time MVP remains questionable.)”

Miami seems to be bullish about the possibility that several of its recent draft picks have what it takes to become really productive players at the highest level.

“The Heat believes it cannot accurately judge last season’s post-Butler roster because of the chaos that Butler created, a change in roles for different players, Andrew Wiggins’ ankle injury and other factors,” Jackson wrote.

“It also believes all of its recent draft picks — Kel’el Ware, Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Pelle Larssen and Jakucionis — all have a chance to ‘be really good players’ and that at least some of their roles will become more significant, which it characterizes as ‘internal change.’

“As one source said, ‘we’re getting them in their developmental years’ and moving them into larger roles if they earn it. The point was made that it takes players five or six years to reach their prime, so Miami has no idea has good this young core can actually become.”

Maybe the young player mentioned by Jackson who has the most potential is Ware, as he showed flashes of two-way stardom at times in the 2024-25 campaign. He nearly averaged a double-double of 10.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game for the Heat in 26 games after the All-Star break and was named to the All-Rookie Second Team following a standout maiden campaign.

Jaquez has quite a lot of potential too, even if he saw his numbers take a dip as a sophomore compared to as a rookie. He’s not far removed from a rookie campaign in the 2023-24 season that saw him average 11.9 points per game and end up with the fourth-most votes for the Rookie of the Year award.

There’s also a lot to like about Jovic, Larsson and Jakucionis, who are at different stages of their development but all have potential.

Heat fans might be disappointed that Miami’s plan doesn’t stand out as overly aggressive, but plenty of teams over the course of NBA history have been rewarded with titles for playing the long game and letting their cores develop. The Oklahoma City Thunder just recently saw the fruits of their labor come in the form of a title, as they beat the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals.