Former Heatle opens up on the state of the team

Things are looking up for the Miami Heat after being stuck in purgatory for years. There’s interest in bringing back LeBron James, but it's unclear how that will go, so other moves still need to fill out the rotation. At the top of the agenda is playmaking and shooting.

Notably, former Heatle Mario Chalmers spoke with journalist DJ Siddiqi on the latest moves and was candid, just like his time as a player. Considering how Chalmers was one of the great role players in team history who played more minutes in the fourth quarter of Game 6 against San Antonio than Dwyane Wade, his opinion on Heat business carries tons of weight.

Chalmers sees the team as a “top-three or four team in the East on paper…” that can compete with the champion New York Knicks, but he says they need more shooting and playmaking. He elaborated more on the latter and it sounded like he was describing someone like himself. Still, he’s not wrong.

A part of the interview that stood out was when he was asked about Russell Westbrook, who is an unsigned free agent going into year 19, coming aboard. Chalmers said coach Erik Spoelstra is a “mastermind” who would figure it out.

No doubt bringing back James is the preferred move, but in the event that the pursuit fails, Westbrook is a low-to-medium risk, high reward move. He is one of the top athletes in NBA history and still has juice. He was pretty good as a reserve for the Denver Nuggets in 2024-25, but he infamously blew a layup late in the loss at home against the Indiana Pacers, in which Nikola Jokić had a 61-point triple-double.

Additionally, the other appealing part about signing Westbrook is that he is a tough guy and will not back down in defense of his teammates. If there was ever a moment in which a player got pushed around or shown up, and no one had his back, Westbrook would have something to say to the team.

Remember when the Heat were the top team in the East with 53 wins in 2021-22? Well, they had some tough hombres and guys who wore their emotions on their sleeves like Udonis Haslem and P.J. Tucker, and that rubbed off in a good way on everyone else.

Westbrook would only fill the playmaking need since he’s not a dependable shooter, but keep in mind that he was second in assist percentage in Denver, only behind Jokić in 2024-25. His dribble penetration would create lots of looks for teammates, and he’s a decent option in transition.

Furthermore, Chalmers said the Philadelphia 76ers, which just acquired Jaylen Brown from Boston, might be the best in the conference. It’s a reasonable opinion when accounting for Brown being highly motivated plus his two-way prowess in combination with their athletic and skilled backcourt of Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe. Nick Nurse is a good coach who has a ring, and just imagine if that team has Joel Embiid luck into some good health like Bill Walton in 1977 and 1986.

The sports books remain skeptical of the Heat’s chances since FanDuel has them at the 11th best chance to win the next title (+3,000), and DraftKings plus Caesars have them at the ninth highest odds(+2,500). That may not be such a bad thing for them because some of the players perform at their best when they are underestimated.

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