Major Outlet Grills Miami Heat For Brutal Offseason Failures

Jan 19, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley speaks during the jersey retirement ceremony for former player Udonis Haslem during halftime of the game between the Miami Heat and the Atlanta Hawks Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

The Miami Heat are sitting rather comfortably after acquiring Norman Powell in a relatively quiet offseason.

A summer too quiet for many's liking. CBS Sports released a list ranking the league's front offices based on their recent directions, placing the Heat at No. 13.

The article wrote:

"While Miami has been among the NBA's smartest teams for three decades now, the last few years have raised serious questions. Pat Riley very publicly mishandled the Jimmy Butler situation, challenging him through the media rather than either extending or trading him. Sure enough, that led to a mess of a season and an underwhelming trade return that likely could have been avoided if he'd just acted more decisively last summer."

After Heat president promised not to remain stagnant in 2025, the team went weeks before making an addition. While Powell is a solid pickup, this unfortunately feels too much like the last half decade with the lack of big moves. The former Clippers guard is a good backcourt option, but Miami needs true star power to be a serious competitor. The team has seemingly become complacent, settling for average results and relying on small acquisitions to be home runs.

"The overall vision here feels outdated," the article wrote. "The Heat appear far too comfortable being mediocre. They would likely prefer the term "patient." In the late 2000s, they were comfortable punting away two seasons to create the cap space to sign LeBron James. Between the 2016-17 and 2018-19 seasons, they went two games above .500, seemingly in a holding pattern until the next star forced his way to Miami. Butler fell into their lap. Now, they seem to be acting somewhat similarly."

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