Are The Miami Heat On The Cusp Of Contenders Without Damian Lillard?

After making the NBA Finals last season, are the Miami Heat now on the brink of contention?

The Athletic believes so after posting their power rankings for next season. The Heat and Los Angeles Lakers are in tier two of contenders.

Last year, the Heat lost in the Finals to the Denver Nuggets in five games. However, the Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Phoenix Suns are ranked ahead.

Miami defeated two of these teams last postseason. In round one, they beat the Bucks in five games. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics fell short in Game 7.

The question that determines the Heat’s success next season revolves around Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard. He is heavily rumored to be traded to Miami this summer. If he does not end up with the Heat, they may only be on the cusp of contending.

Heat superstar forward Jimmy Butler certainly believes they are contenders. Wrapping up his tour of China, Butler left reporters with a final remark. "It was a great season as a whole, but we came up short," Butler said. "We’ll go back to the drawing board, and I am going to pick the Heat to win the championship in 2024."

This offseason, the Heat lost key playoff contributors Gabe Vincent and Max Strus. They were able to re-sign solid pieces, including forward Kevin Love and promising center Orlando Robinson. In this year’s draft, Miami selected UCLA forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. with the No. 18 pick.

If Lillard comes to town, Miami should be near the top of all championship-level teams.

Anthony Pasciolla is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He can be reached at anthonypasciolla36@gmail.com or follow him on Tik Tok @anthonysports_