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With fans waiting to see the can't-miss Miami Heat games in the 2025-26 schedule, as it was officially released on Thursday afternoon, it's time to make some early predictions on the upcoming year. As the rumors will continue to swirl around the Heat regarding the potential moves that the team still can make in the offseason, let's take a look at some of the possible outcomes for the season.
Miami is coming off a rather disappointing season that was highlighted by on-and-off-court drama, mostly connected to Jimmy Butler, who was dealt to the Golden State Warriors before the trade deadline. With the amount of turmoil and turnover on the team, the Heat would finish 10th in the Eastern Conference.
Still, Miami would be the first team as the 10th seed since the inception of the play-in tournament to make it through, win two games on the road, and make the NBA Playoffs. Despite that positivity, the team would be swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs, but in dreadful fashion as the Heat dropped Games 4 and 5 at home by 37 and 55 points, respectively.
There's no doubt that the team is looking to redeem itself this upcoming season and get rid of the bad taste in their mouths. Here are some season predictions for Miami:
Ball really is life around here 🏀
Schedule Release // @Ticketmaster pic.twitter.com/JCnvUJP4M7
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) August 14, 2025
Norman Powell will mesh seamlessly with the Heat's dynamic duo
With the Heat trading for Norman Powell from the Los Angeles Clippers, it was the biggest move of the team's offseason, bringing in a much-needed gutpunch on offense. As the team is led by the featured duo of Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, the team needed another shot-creator and offensive engine, which Powell fits the bill.
Powell is coming off his best season with the Clippers, especially taking a lot of opportunities when Kawhi Leonard missed time to start last season. Powell averaged 21.8 points per game on shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 41.8 percent from deep.
The goal this season for head coach Erik Spoelstra and the staff will be for Powell to be a perfect fit along with others on the team, but mostly Herro and Adebayo. With each of their strengths, it should be a relatively seamless fit, though there could be growing pains at first, but Powell would tell ClutchPoints how “excited” he is to work with the two.
“I was competing against them throughout the years, having the conversations on and off the court with Bam in passing,” Powell said. “I like what they're building, the culture..No matter who's healthy, who's in, out of the lineup, they're putting a full team out there that's going to compete and fight for wins, they're scrappy, gritty, competitive, very confident, and that's what I like.”
“They're very versatile,” Powell continued. “Bam can play multiple positions, attack multitude of ways, defensively, can switch, can defend different positions, protect the rim, really athletic. Tyler Herro, he's great off the ball, on the ball, scoring, facilitating. I think he did a great job this year getting assists, getting his teammates involved, and figuring out when to score, when to be aggressive.”
Heat's Kel'el Ware will take a big jump next season
Another key prediction this season will be the further improvement of Heat star Kel'el Ware after Erik Spoelstra laid the groundwork for aspects that should be honed in on. Part of it is the mindset rather than physical, though Spoelstra would say that it is all-encompassing, according to The Sun Sentinel.
“The professionalism and consistency have to improve, and it is,” Spoelstra said. “Our standards are not going to change, and our expectations of how fast we want that to improve for him are not going to change.”
“He’s got to take ownership of it, and the other stuff will come along with that. That leads into the weight room, professionalism, consistency, approach every single day. He’s getting stronger, and he is gaining weight. That’s a big part of his improvement is getting his body physically prepared and ready to handle the rigors of physical positioning, and then there’s nuances of doing things defensively and playing stronger with more force offensively. We’re working on those things every single day.”
While some may take offense, Ware has the right approach, saying that Spoelstra is right and is using that as “motivation” to take a further jump, as he'll be crucial to the team's rotation as an athletic seven-footer who can rebound and has offensive skills.
“I mean,” Ware said, “it all comes down to like Spo said, just putting in the effort, going out there and playing. That’s just what I wanted to show that I can do.”
“I just took it as motivation,” Ware continued. “Obviously, he’s the coach, and he has that trust in me, and he wants to see me be the best that I can be. So I took it as motivation.”
Andrew Wiggins' role on the Heat is a head-scratcher
Stepping a bit aside from on-court predictions, let's theorize on possible trades that could be made this year with the team. There had been some trade activity regarding Heat star Andrew Wiggins, especially with speculation around the Los Angeles Lakers acquiring him.
Talks never materialized, and Wiggins is expected to be on the roster by the start of the season, but it's hard to envision his fit in the construction of the team. Being the main piece in the aforementioned Butler trade, he was seen as the third option besides Herro and Adebayo, and the results were up-and-down to say the least.
In the 17 games played with Miami, Wiggins averaged 19 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 36 percent from beyond the arc. While the production wasn't bad at all, he would miss 15 games due to various health concerns, and his playoff outings left little to be desired.
Now with Powell in the mix, it's hard to imagine the fit and opportunity going around already with Herro and Adebayo, though Spoelstra spoke about how there is “real opportunity for growth.”
“Wiggs had some really good moments with us,” Spoelstra said, via The Miami Herald. “Before he got hurt, he was exactly what we needed and wanted out of that position. I think there’s still real opportunity for growth with him as he gets comfortable with us. He’s already down in Miami right now and will be bringing his family in. He’s going to be here most of August and September, I think, just to get more acclimated. And I think that’s really important for him.”
Still, it's very plausible to envision Wiggins being in trade talks throughout the season.
The ever-lasting question around Heat's Terry Rozier
Besides the likelihood of Wiggins being dealt, another player who has been in the headlines for trade rumors is Heat guard Terry Rozier. The Miami Herald would even report that the team “remains open” to trading Rozier before the start of the season.
“But the Heat remains open to trading guard Terry Rozier ahead of the start of this upcoming season, according to multiple league sources,” Anthony Chiang wrote.
It's safe to say that Rozier's tenure with Miami has been disappointing to say the least, as when he was traded originally to the Heat for Kyle Lowry and a first-round pick, he would be a piece that could jumpstart the team's offense. Despite some moments and even beginning off well last season in the starting lineup, his performance took a nosedive.
Last season, Rozier would fall out of the rotation in points as he averaged 10.6 points per game on 39.1% shooting from the field and 29.5% shooting from deep.
Predicting the Heat's record and seeding in the Eastern Conference
All signs point to the Heat improving this season compared to last year, which, as said before, was overshadowed by events off the court. Now with a clear head and fairly new faces, Miami will be a much better team this time around, but it's also crucial to be realistic about the expectations.
It's hard to say the Heat are a championship contender, but they are a team others will be annoyed to face as the components on the roster could make a well-oiled machine. While there could be some early adjustments made because of the Powell trade, he's still a dynamic player who could work well along the still-ascending Herro and Adebayo.
Mix that win with young players such as Kel'el Ware, Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Davion Mitchell, and even the rookie Kasparas Jakucionis, and this could be a team that wins a good amount of games. Still, it's advisable to temper expectations.
The team was 37-45 last season at the 10th seed, but there is likely a reality that they will finish with a positive record and a higher seed. Let's not forget how the Heat had a chance at one point to avoid the play-in tournament. This time around, they will just barely miss the mark of avoiding the tourney, though they will be the seventh seed, hosting a game in the event at 44-38.
