The Dwyane Wade era with the Miami Heat is officially over, which means Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson and Bam Adebayo are the new franchise cornerstones in South Beach.
The three youngsters are motivated to get the Heat back to the promised land. While some around the league believe Miami is going to be in rebuild mode now with Wade gone, Winslow says that won't be the case.
“We’re excited to get to work and get this franchise back to the Finals,” Winslow said, via Shandel Richardson of The Athletic. “That’s what it’s all about … That’s been the goal. That remains the goal. It’s not going to be easy and it’s not going to happen overnight but as long as we make that the main thing then I think we’re going to be good.”
The Heat missed the playoffs this season. They finished with a record of 39-43. The future of center Hassan Whiteside is up in the air since Adebayo has proven to be the more effective player. Point guard Goran Dragic has a player option for next season. If he declines it, the lefty would become an unrestricted free agent.
A lot of Heat fans want Winslow to be the full-time point guard in 2019-20. The 23-year-old averaged 12.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists this season while shooting 43.3 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from beyond the arc and 62.8 percent from the free-throw line.
For Miami to make the postseason moving forward, Winslow, Richardson and Adebayo will have to play like All-Stars.