3 major offseason fixes Heat must make to win 2025 NBA Finals

Just like it has been for the past few years, the Miami Heat are in the midst of an integral offseason where a lot of motion is bound to happen in terms of adding and subtracting players from the team. As the goal has always been, the Heat are trying to get back to the 2025 NBA Finals after being eliminated in the first round by the Boston Celtics.

However, three fixes need to happen first if Miami wants to have a chance at the championship as teams around them in the East and West are getting much better. It was another inconsistent season for the team as they finished with an eighth seeded finish which marks back to back seasons, but while the first ended in an NBA Finals appearance, this season was the exact opposite.

It seems to be a broken record that fans of the franchise are asking for changes to be made in terms of roster construction as there are some that oppose the idea of continuing to “run it back” with around the same group. On the other hand, player availability held back Miami tremendously as they finished towards the top of the league in missed games and had over 30 different starting lineups throughout the season.

Here are the three aspects the Heat need to handle getting into this offseason if they want a shot at the title in the 2025 NBA Finals:

Re-signing Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo

There does not seem much to worry about in signing Bam Adebayo to a contract extension as the expectation is that he will receive a lucrative deal, but the worry more so has been on Jimmy Butler who is seeking a new contract extension this summer. In terms of the specifics, Butler is “expected to seek a maximum two-year contract extension worth about $113 million from the Heat this offseason, according to a league source” according to The Miami Herald's Anthony Chiang.

Pat Riley not quick to say Miami will re-sign Butler

While some may think it would be a given that the Heat give Butler the extension he wants, President Pat Riley was non-committal in his end of season press conference. He would cite player availability as being a factor in his thoughts.

“Well, you know, we don't have to do that for a year and so we have not discussed that internally right now but we have to look at that and then making that kind of commitment,” Riley said. “Okay. And when do we do it? We don't have to do it until 25 actually, but we'll see. We haven't made a decision on it. And we really haven't really in earnest. discussed it. So we'll see what happens.”

“Well, I mean, if you request we can either accept or we can say we're going to think about it,” Riley said. “We've not made a decision on it and I think you can make too much out of this. You still got two years left on the contract. Theoretically he's got a player option. But that's something that we have to give some real thought to based on a lot of factors. I don't want to go through the litany of factors right now because they all go up into different hypotheticals, but yeah, that's a big decision on our part to commit those kinds of resources unless your somebody who's really going to be there and available every single night, that's the truth.”

Re-signing Butler should be Heat's No. 1 priority

The rumors would escalate further when Riley said Butler “should keep your mouth shut and the criticism of those teams” when referring to the time the star said he would have beaten the Celtics and New York Knicks if he was healthy. The 34-year old suffered from an MCL sprain in the play-in tournament which knocked him out for the rest of the postseason.

Even with all the speculation, the Heat should prioritize re-signing Butler who has been at the forefront of the success the last five years resulting in two NBA Finals appearances. Any situation with him not on the roster is a step backwards for the team.

Adding a star alongside Butler, Adebayo

The goal of adding another star alongside Butler and Adebayo has escaped the Heat for the past several years where last offseason was no different as they were actively trying to obtain Damian Lillard. This season, it seems like the quest will be for Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell.

While Mitchell would be the best piece to get, he is not the only option as other players that could be available this offseason could be Kevin Durant, Trae Young, and even LeBron James though that scenario seems lofty. The thought with the Heat for the past several years has always been that they can possibly get to the conference championship, even the NBA Finals, but never over the hump.

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Riley says “we surely are not going to rip anything apart here”

However, fans are once again concerned that there will not be any big moves again this offseason and they will run back the same team. Riley would even say in his end of season press conference that while “change” is “necessary to win,” he also said that “we surely are not going to rip anything apart here.”

“Until you change the way you go about doing the things that are necessary to win, whatever they are, those things you're doing to try to win, if they aren't working, you must change,” Riley said. “And so that doesn't mean that change is a sinister word here. There's a lot of elements to go into a culture, erosion of a culture, being together for 30 years, generational change, problems in the NBA that our league wide when it comes to health, comes to players missing games and availability.

“You take a look at all the the young sort of up and coming they haven't tasted it yet; OKC, Minnesota, Indiana, Boston with a new group, Orlando, etc, etc.,” Riley continued. :You know, for some reason these guys are playing 70-80 games. It's a feeling more than anything else. But that's definitely a deep dive for us this summer and to player availability but so we do have to change some things. But we surely are not going to rip anything apart here.”

The Heat hitting on the NBA Draft

While there have been some people saying that this year's NBA Draft is the weakest in a long time, there is still some talent that can be unlocked by Miami. They have the 15th overall pick where in their last several drafts, they hit big on players towards the middle of the first round that have worked out like Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and just last season with Jaime Jaquez Jr. out of UCLA.

The Heat can go in a myriad of ways where one would be solidifying your guard unit by looking the way of Jared McCain of Duke, Isaiah Collier of USC, or a player like Devin Carter out of Providence who fits the “Heat Culture.” However, there is one player that is projected to be selected within the Heat's range that has been polarizing which is Purdue's Zach Edey.

Does Edey fit with the Heat?

There is no doubt that Miami has been severely lacking in size for a long time with some fans pointing to Edey as a way to fill in that need. However, there are concerns with his fit in Miami as if he is in the starting lineup theoretically, Adebayo would move back to the power forward position.

Edey has been stellar in the past two seasons resulting in back to back Naismith player of the year awards, but his transition to the NBA has a lot of concerns. Especially with Miami who likes to play a faster style of play which Edey seems would slow down the pace.

In any sense, the Heat have a lot of work to do to say the least when it comes to this offseason where besides acquiring a star, they have to re-sign their own, while possibly finding one for the future through the draft. They are trying to improve after a 46-36 record which put them at the eighth seed.