Miami Heat Continue To Slip In Weekly Power Rankings

The Miami Heat continue to slip down the NBA.com power rankings.

Last week, the Heat stood at No. 18. This week, the team is No. 20. Miami has gone 1-4 over the last five games. The Heat's late-game woes continue to be a driving force in the team's decline. Longtime NBA writer John Schuhmann further analyzed the team's struggles.

"The four losses came by a total of 16 points, with the Heat struggling on both ends of the floor down the stretch," Schuhmann wrote. "They’re essentially tied with the Bucks for last in clutch offense (96.9 points scored per 100 possessions), with both turnovers and missed shots (on good looks) plaguing them last week. Tyler Herro is now 27-for-95 (28 percent) on clutch shots, what would be the worst mark in the last 10 seasons for a player with at least 75 attempts."

While there is an overall pessimistic outlook from fans as the Heat hunt for a playoff spot, some new additions to the rotation are performing well.

"The Heat got Andrew Wiggins and Kel’el Ware back from five and three-game absences, respectively, on Saturday. Their starting lineup (with Wiggins, Ware and Davion Mitchell) had its best outing (plus-9 in 13.7 minutes) and overall, they’ve been better on both ends of the floor in 318 minutes with Bam Adebayo on the floor together (plus-3.5 per 100 possessions) than they’ve been with Adebayo on the floor without the rookie (minus-2.1 per 100)."

The Heat have slid to No. 9 in the Eastern Conference, still hanging on to a Play-In Tournament nod. Miami has four games on the schedule this week, three of which are at home. The week begins Monday as the team hosts Charlotte. The Heat host the Clippers on Wednesday before a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday against the Celtics at home and Grizzlies on the road.

CHALMERS DETAILS JAMES' DEPARTURE

Mario Chalmers was an integral piece of the Miami Heat's championship years in 2012 and 2013.

Alongside LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the Heat were one of the strongest teams in basketball over a four-season stretch behind the Big Three. Chalmers was the starting point guard, averaging near 10 points a game along with four assists.

In February, Wade appeared on Lou Williams' podcast Changing the Game, where he suggested Pat Riley played a role in James' departure in 2014.

Chalmers recently made an appearance on Dwight Howard's podcast Above the Rim. He shared many of the same sentiments as Wade regarding the end of James' tenure as a member of the Miami Heat, including how Heat staff took James' cookies away from him.

"The whole plane was looking at Bron, like, ‘Wait… is he really mad about cookies right now?' And he was," Chalmers described.

"He was hot. And I get it, though—he had a routine. Every flight, he had two bowls of chocolate chip cookies. Like, eight in each bowl. Then he’d go to the back of the plane, get two scoops of ice cream, and tear that joint up. So, when they took the cookies? Man… he was pissed. Like, really pissed. And that’s when we all kind of looked at each other like, ‘Oh… this might be it. He’s gone after this season.’ I swear, I don’t ever wanna see that man mad like that again. You better get out of his way if he ain’t got his cookies. And here’s the kicker… we were on a 27-game winning streak. That’s why this is even crazier. We’re on the longest win streak in the league, and you really just removed this man’s cookies?"

REPORT: HEAT MAY PURSUE DURANT THIS OFFSEASON

The Miami Heat have been able to land big-name superstars over the past few decades.

Now, Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant may soon be added to the list.

The Suns are having a rough season. Many in league circles expect the Suns to part with Durant this coming offseason with the team sitting at 29-33, even outside the Play-In Tournament.

The teams expected to pursue Durant this summer are the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers according to Ashish Mathur of HoopsWire.

The Suns reportedly shopped Durant prior to this season's trade deadline. However, Durant did not want to be traded midseason like he did in 2023 while with the Brooklyn Nets.

The Heat just experienced their own situation with a superstar being traded after shipping Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 5. There were reports stating the Warriors were prioritizing the idea of re-acquiring Durant instead of fully pursuing Butler. However, after Durant publicly rejected a trade to return to Golden State, the Warriors made the play for Butler.

Even at 36 years old, Durant is playing high-level basketball. He is averaging 26.9 points, six rebounds, and 4.2 assists while shooting 52 percent from the field.

"Durant doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract, but he and the Suns are expected to work together on a trade so he can land somewhere he wants to be," Mathur added.

If the Heat can land Durant, a trio of him, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo could catapult the team as favorites in the Eastern Conference.

Sean Jordan is a contributor to Miami Heat On Sports Illustrated. He can be reached at sjorda06@syr.edu.

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