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The Miami Heat's future is murky, and fans are growing frustrated by that.
While team president Pat Riley has led the franchise to heights never seen before his arrival, the last several seasons have been particularly unsatisfying for a fan base accustomed to competing for championships. Missed opportunities and failed acquisitions and signings have even led some to call for Riley's retirement.
That doesn't seem to be in the cards in the immediate future, though, and the Heat instead are seemingly doubling down on their strategy of never having to tank for draft picks.
“The Heat’s asset management has been the focus of criticism among a segment of fans frustrated by three consecutive years of needing to qualify for the playoffs through the play-in (Miami made the NBA Finals the first of those years), combined with a current roster that looks far closer to a play-in team than a championship contender,” the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson wrote.
“A team source said that the reason Heat hasn’t tried to collect a cornucopia of first-round picks — as the Knicks, Rockets and Spurs have done — is twofold. Doing that would run counter to Miami’s core philosophy of: 1). Never again tanking and intentionally taking steps back with the hope of a brighter future. 2). Always trying to win as many games as possible every season, even if the roster isn’t championship-caliber. Trying to miss the playoffs with the hope of landing the top pick in the draft would never be considered under this ownership and management team.”
Instead of tanking, the Heat have effectively languished in the middle of the Eastern Conference since their surprise run to the NBA Finals in 2023. Even that season, Miami went 44-38 and had to play two Play-In games to qualify for the playoffs as the eighth seed.
The following season, the Heat's record improved slightly, but they managed only the eighth seed again, and this time, were dispatched in five games by the Boston Celtics. Shortly thereafter, the relationship between Riley and star player Jimmy Butler significantly and publicly deteriorated to the point that Butler was traded to the Golden State Warriors before the trade deadline earlier this year.
The Heat finished the season with a 37-45 record and were thoroughly dominated in a four-game sweep by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the postseason.
This offseason, the Heat acquired Norman Powell and Simone Fontecchio, while Duncan Robinson, Kyle Anderson, and Kevin Love departed. Notably, Haywood Highsmith was also recently traded to the Brooklyn Nets after Highsmith was reportedly left out of potential trades earlier in the summer.
