NBA Analyst Says Miami Heat Should Follow Lead Of Western Conference Contender

Ever since Pat Riley took over operations for the Miami Heat, they have prided themselves on maximizing each roster's potential.

Despite several teams in their franchise history failing to meet a respectable win total for a season, the Heat have never tanked for a higher draft pick. However, after back-to-back first-round exits without Jimmy Butler playing, ESPN's Bobby Marks suggests starting to rebuild through the draft may be a more realistic option than getting another star.

Bobby Marks questions if the Heat would ever just rebuild since they don’t have tons of assets he believes

“They’re going to be where they are right now a year from now if there aren’t going to be changes. It might have to be taking a step back and not going star chasing”

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“I think either player is going to be a challenge,” Marks said. “I think they are probably going to be in the back line of teams that have more available, certainly, when we are talking about maybe Houston as one of those teams that have young players and draft picks. I think the big question in Miami, and this is not their DNA, is whether they would ever use the R-word, which is rebuild. I think that is something that is very hard, threading the needle. They have been a Play-In consistently the last few years. Would they ever consider taking a step back, potentially taking the Oklahoma City approach?”

The Heat have drafted in the middle or late first round for the last few years. Their last top-five draft pick was Michael Beasley in 2008. Before, they got Dwyane Wade, with the No. 5 pick in the 2003 draft. Building through higher draft picks may be the best option going forward due to a lack of assets compared to other teams going after star players.

DWYANE WADE SAYS JIMMY BUTLER’S EXIT LEFT MIAMI HEAT “EXPOSED”

Without Jimmy Butler or another star player, the Miami Heat were relegated to a first-round exit in two consecutive postseasons.

On the Wy Network, Dwyane Wade broke down the Heat’s current situation following their 138-83 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He also explained how being outclassed to this extent showed the impact Jimmy Butler had on the franchise.

Dwyane Wade shares his thought on the Heat:

- Tyler Herro “we won’t get swept” comment

- Bam on FaceTime said he wants smoke with CLE

- Heat got exposed without Jimmy Butler

- Time to throw this season away and re group

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“When I heard Tyler Herro say, ‘we will not get swept’, I was like, y’all are already swept,” Wade joked. “I have to talk to my brother Bam, my little brother. We sat right in here when UD was here, and we got on FaceTime with Bam. And Bam said he wants that smoke. And I sat right back on that FaceTime and was like, you don’t want that Cleveland smoke dawg. ‘Nah, we want that smoke.’ Well, y’all got smoked. I will say this to give my organization some credit. To go through what they went through this year with losing their best player, I think now we really started to see what Jimmy Butler really meant to the Miami Heat and what he now means for Golden State. But for any organization to lose a guy like that, it exposes you.”

Without Butler, the Heat finished the season with a 12-25 record since the trade deadline. During their losing stretch, they experienced their infamous 10-game losing streak, which was worse than any other stretch with Butler on the team. Now they have clarity heading into the offseason with an obvious goal of acquiring a new star to build around.

DWYANE WADE PROPS ANTHONY EDWARDS FOR ELIMINATING LEBRON JAMES

Despite being 40 years old, LeBron James is still among the top 10 best players in the NBA.

However, none of these things stopped Anthony Edwards from dominating, as he and the Minnesota Timberwolves eliminated James and the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. On the Wy Network, Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade praised Edwards and the Timberwolves' impressive postseason performances despite being the underdogs.

“Ant makes me go in the mirror and start hooping,” Wade joked. “I think I can do it. I love it, and I think what we've seen is that it took them a little time early in the year to get used to the new team, obviously, with the trade with KAT. But Ant, bro, to come back this year, and you always want to add something as a player. He came back and added that trey ball on their (expletive), but still mix in the posters on you while my commercial is going to drop after the game. But, he’s talking it and he’s doing it.”

Through the first round, Edwards averaged 26.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 6.2 assists on 42 percent shooting and 33.3 percent from three-point range. Over the past two playoff runs, Edwards has eliminated Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, and James.

More impressively, he’s only 23.

Bryan Townes is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at btownesjr@gmail.com or on X @bryantownesjr11. Follow our coverage on Facebook