What the Heat should prioritize for the final roster spots

The Miami Heat only have 3 roster spots left and all indication is they will not even use the final roster spot at least for now. So realistically they are looking for two more players to complete the roster before the season starts.

It has been a large topic of discussion that the Heat has many holes in their roster, and though they do have areas of improvement I would argue most of the concerns are exaggerated. Even the legitimate concerns have been talked about as such great issues that people are discounting the team as a whole, and truthfully, I do not think that dire of a problem exist for this roster.

Scoring

It has been heavily rumored and discussed that the Heat would love to add sharpshooter Klay Thompson if he were to be bought out from the Dallas Mavericks. This addition would greatly improve the teams shooting, though that is one of the issues that is overblown by the national media.

If the Heat does not ultimately add Thompson, I would like them to add a secondary shot creator or someone that could run the offense when the starters sit. A perfect player on the market currently would be DeMar DeRozan. Though he is not as good as he once was, he is still a flat out bucket getter.

If DeRozan is relied on to be one of your best players, then you probably will not have much success, but on the Heat, he would be a perfect 6th man. He could come in to stabilize the offense and give quick points when players like Giannis Antetokounmpo are not on the court. It would be difficult for him to share the floor with Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo due to spacing, but he would add offensive firepower and a guy that can get his own bucket.

Size

The other thing the Heat needs to explore has not been talked about near as much. That is adding size. Currently the rotation of Antetokounmpo, Adebayo, Bobby Portis and Nikola Jovic are all the Heat have to work with in the front court. In an 82 game season you need more guys to eat up minutes.

By no means is a big difference maker still available at this point in the offseason, but someone that I have mentioned previously is still available. That is Nick Richards.

Richards would add another big body to the front court rotation. He is a player that could do his job and eat up minutes but honestly will not provide anything too spectacular. Maybe that is the reason this does not get talked about as much, it is not as sexy as adding a big time scorer, but it is just as important.

Adding another big man to the rotation would help the Heat keep Antetokounmpo and Adebayo fresh for a playoff run. It would also help to give Miami depth if Jovic does not bounce back from a lackluster last season, or if Portis has a rough stretch. So, this helps two fold, adding another body to keep people fresh and insurance if something were to happen.

Hear from others from OnSI

Austin Dobbins

With the remaining roster spots that the Miami Heat have, there are two concerns with the way their roster is currently constructed that should be addressed. The shooting is over blown as the gravity of Giannis and the improvement of players is inevitable, but the Miami Heat need another creator, another playmaker someone who can handle the ball while Giannis isn’t on the floor. Davion Mitchell is expected to take that leap and be another ball handler for the Miami Heat. Miami should also maintain their length and athleticism when looking for other options

Matt Hanifan

To me, the answer is simple: Size, shooting and shot creation. At this point in the summer, they will only be able to address two of those things. But the goal is to make life easier for your best players.

Miami has been heavily linked to Klay Thompson, and you can’t have enough volume 3-point shooting around an Antetokounmpo-Adebayo frontcourt. By adding an extra big behind those two, you ease some burden off their — and Bobby Portis’ — shoulders.

They also lack shot creation. The ball will be in Giannis’ hands a lot, but outside of Davion Mitchell, they don’t have a player who can consistently break down defenses and create advantages off the bounce.

Ethan J. Skolnick

What the Heat will do and should do aren't always the same to fans, who generally want them to take the player with the biggest name. Here's what they almost certainly will do: they'll wait out Klay Thompson, because they are relatively sure that Dallas will buy him out and he wants to be in Miami (we have reported that at Five on the Floor for more than a month). And then they will keep that 14th roster open for competition in camp, between young player and non-roster invitees (Nick Richards is a possibility in that regard).

Don't be surprised if Keshad Johnson, who has been around the team all summer, gets back in the fold either for a standard contract or for the remaining two-way slot (Tre Donaldson and Vlad Goldin have the others). The 15th spot will likely remain open for tax reasons, and to remain flexible going into the season.

This strategy is fine, because the Heat have found sleepers out of their development program in past years, but it is fair to argue that there's some experienced playmaking missing on the roster. That may need to be addressed mid-season.

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