One player the Heat need back in 2026-27

Making Bam Adebayo's life on defense is the priority, which makes someone else paramount

Apr 1, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley looks on after the game against the Boston Celtics at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Pat Riley is a silver fox, but his basketball philosophy has not changed. He and the organization don’t yield to outside noise and their ideas of roster construction are about getting Bam Adebayo more help. Management knows it needs to make changes, but those won’t deviate from the path they’ve traveled before.

It’s unclear how the team will improve around Adebayo, but there are three players whose statuses to return are in question: Andrew Wiggins, Tyler Herro and Norman Powell — the one most likely to come back is Wiggins. 

This should be taken as no knock on Herro and Powell, two talented offensive players, who might return. Yet, when taking a peek around the league, seeing how the most successful teams are doing in the playoffs, guys of their build/playstyle are excellent reserves. Which is something neither of them prefer to do.

When it comes to Wiggins, his stats may not jump off the page, but they are very good and he does something that is very hard to find in the league: score 15 points or more and spend most of the time guarding the other team‘s best perimeter player. Coach Erik Spoelstra even experimented with him at center in desperate times, so finding more versatile guys like that is how they get back to the promised land.

At age 31, Wiggins still possesses an impressive level of athleticism and is one of the stronger, wiry built players in the NBA. The best way to maximize him is to put him next to more capable defenders so he isn’t always helping out of necessity. Perhaps there is a quick path to this with further development of Kasparas Jakučionis.

Even with the Heat’s defense falling apart at the need of the season, there can be improvement by tweaking the scheme, and they’ll need quick players like Wiggins to make it work.

Specifically, guarding the arc closer because the Heat allowed the most open 3-attempts in the NBA. It doesn’t matter that opponents didn’t make a high percentage of those since the Heat don’t affect it — if they keep giving those looks to the elite teams, they’ll pay for it. 

To boot, Riley, who sees no end in sight for his tenure as president, said at his annual presser on Monday that one of the first stats he checks for is games played.

Pat Riley says he will speak to Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins, and Norman Powell’s agents on potential extensions, contract questions, etc.

Said Wiggins and Powell want to return.

Said they know what Herro can do and is happy that he’s having a procedure to clear up injuries. pic.twitter.com/cMBWxbVWDC

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) April 27, 2026

Keep Riley's statement in mind that Wiggins played in 83 percent of the regular season (2025-26), and has logged at least that much in nine of his 12 years. Compare that, to say, Tyler Herro.

In 2025-26, Wiggins was was one of the four most important players on the team. Bringing him back is a no-brainer, and it’s a plus that he has a winning pedigree.