Following a season that culminated in a first round playoff exit, here’s an overlook at the 2018 offseason thus far for the Miami Heat.
It’s safe to say it’s been a highly uneventful 2018 offseason for the Miami Heat.
While bouncing back from missing out on the playoff action in 2017 was commendable, a 44-38 record leading to a first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers is simply not in the playbook of team president Pat Riley.
With the Heat basically capped out from a financial standpoint, adding any significant free agents was never going to be an option this summer. As a result, it’s understandable that the front office has reportedly attempted to unload some of their less friendly contracts, most notably Hassan Whiteside and Tyler Johnson. However, these attempts have thus far proven to be fruitless.
So not only does this restrict their movements this offseason, the nature of these deals means it’s also going to be difficult next summer to make any inroads in the free agency market.
Heat have had trade conversations with contending teams about James Johnson, Dion Waiters and Hassan Whiteside per @AlexKennedyNBA
— Greg Sylvander (@GregSylvander) July 2, 2018
In addition to no big-name free agents signing with the Heat, they were also without a single draft pick, meaning they’ve been extremely handcuffed in transforming the roster this offseason.
Taking these obstacles into account, here are three takeaways from the offseason to this point for the Heat.