OPINION: Moving On From Terry Rozier Among Miami Heat's Priorities This Offseason

With eight games left in the regular season, the Miami Heat are holding on to a Play-In tournament appearance.

As the No. 10 seed in a relatively weak Eastern Conference, the team is having a disappointing season. After moving Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline, not many know what is next for the franchise. Here are three things the Heat should address as they inch closer to an important offseason.

Moving On From Terry Rozier

The Terry Rozier experiment in Miami needs to end. The acquisition of Rozier was a good idea last season at a time where Kyle Lowry was regressing as he got older. However, Rozier's splits this season have massively declined and are not representative of his solid career. He entered the season as the starting point guard but the emergence of Tyler Herro as an elite scorer demoted Rozier to a role off the bench. His $25 million cap hit is a tradable contract to acquire another veteran. The question is... who would be willing to trade for Rozier?

Adding A Veteran Shooting Guard

The Heat should add a shooting guard this offseason. Herro has played better at the point guard position. Duncan Robinson has been a solid spark plug and heat-check shooter but he is not a guy who should be getting 35 minutes a night. Adding a shooting guard that can play tight defense opposite Herro as well as shoot the ball consistently would improve the backcourt. There will be a plethora of veteran shooters to add this offseason. Solid names potentially available include Pelicans guard Bruce Brown, Pistons guard Tim Hardaway Jr. and Hawks guard Caris LeVert.

Figuring Out The Young Guys

This may be the most important decision of the offseason. Kel'el Ware has played well enough to be included in the untouchable status. However, other young players such as Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic have been disappointing in their sophomore seasons. They haven't taken the leap many expected. Will the Heat want to continue to develop these guys or would they like to trade them while they still presumably have solid value on the market? That is a distinction Pat Riley and the front office will need to address this summer.

FOX SPORTS HOST WANTS FLAGG IN MIAMI

With the Miami Heat's disappointing season, many are looking towards the offseason.

Even with nine games left in the regular season, the Heat have a good chance of making the Play-In tournament as the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference. However, for a team that was in the NBA Finals just two seasons ago, the team will presumably see massive changes this offseason.

The Heat parted ways with Jimmy Butler after months of dispute between him and the front office. Butler was traded to the Golden State Warriors.

FOX Sports host Nick Wright hopes the Miami Heat add Duke Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg in the June draft.

"I'd like to see him in Miami," Wright said on First Things First. "I feel like Miami got screwed by Jimmy Butler and I think that would be a little vindication."

The Miami Heat have a three percent chance of obtaining the No. 1 overall pick. Throughout this college basketball season, Flagg is highly regarded as the No. 1 player. It would take an enormous amount of luck for the Heat to win the draft lottery.

If the Heat somehow draft Flagg, they could become immediate contenders in the East. Flagg is praised as a player who can contribute immediately at the NBA level.

SHOULD HEAT HAVE CONCERNS OVER PLAY-IN?

The Miami Heat's potential sixth consecutive playoff appearance is in real jeopardy.

The Heat are having an identity crisis. After moving on from Jimmy Butler at last month's trade deadline, the Heat are in an interesting position as a franchise. The team is not good enough to be a true contender in the Eastern Conference but their roster is more talented than those at the bottom of the conference. Sitting in mediocrity is not something the Heat faithful expect from this franchise that was just in the NBA Finals two seasons ago.

The Miami Heat should be a bit concerned about making the Play-In tournament according to Bleacher Report.

"With most teams in the East already establishing themselves as a playoff team or a tanker, the Miami Heat are the one franchise in at least a little danger of falling out of the play-in tournament," the article wrote. "...this is a team in real jeopardy of missing the playoffs for the first time in six years. In doing so, Miami would keep its first-round pick in 2025, yet it would make its 2026 selection unprotected while being owed to (who else?) the Thunder."

The Heat are the No. 10 seed in the East with a 32-41 record, the lowest projected seed in the Play-In tournament. They have a six-game lead over the No. 11 Toronto Raptors. With nine games left this season, the Heat need a spark to make some run in this year's playoffs. If not, it may be time to look ahead to the offseason.

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

Follow our coverage on Facebook

X: @SeanKJordan