Heat’s current outlook
Although LeBron James leaving the Eastern Conference increases every team’s chances of making it to the NBA Finals, the Heat are not talented enough to be contenders. The Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors (and potentially the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers) just have more high-level talent.
The roster personnel is exactly the same as last season, with the only difference being Bam Adebayo having his first NBA season under his belt. They are in need of making a move to improve their shot at winning a championship (and subliminally to give franchise legend Dywane Wade the best final season possible).
The biggest hole on the team is scoring, as no one on the roster is considered a consistent scoring threat. In 2017-18, the Heat were ranked 22nd in Offensive Rating and only had one player average over 17 points per game (Goran Dragic, whose smoldering 17.3 points per game ranked 37th in the whole league).
Their next two scoring leaders, Dion Waiters (14.3 points per game) and Hassan Whiteside (14.0 points per game) didn’t crack the top 50. While their defense was terrific, the lack of someone who can efficiently score at a high rate is holding the Heat back.
Another issue is their abundance of wings. The Heat are loaded with perimeter players that deserve playing time. The best -ase scenario is to move some of these wings to open up playing time for whoever they keep and trade for. If Miami can bring in a wing who can get buckets while getting rid of some wings of their own, they can make some noise in the playoffs.
Enter the Portland Trail Blazers.