""The Heat would have ranked at or near the top of any list like this published for nearly three decades," Quinn wrote. "Pat Riley and his braintrust are still here. But at a certain point, we have to ask what their strategy is beyond hoping that a superstar becomes available at a price they can afford (and are willing to pay) in the somewhat near future. Their last few years have frankly been bad.""
""There are still things the Heat do very well. ... But we can be honest here: if there were any other name across the chest, if anyone but Pat Riley was their general manager, their last few years would have put them in the 20s on this list and the consensus would be that they should trade Bam Adebayo and rebuild. We're not there yet because it's the Heat and because they still have Riley. But they can't keep waiting around.""
Miami sits on pace for a fourth straight play-in appearance with 26 games remaining, positioned 0.5 games behind Orlando and trailing Philadelphia, Toronto, and Cleveland by increasing margins. The roster remained largely intact after aggressively pursuing Giannis Antetokounmpo before the trade deadline, prioritizing one potential superstar over a broader roster pivot. Uncertainty about long-term strategy and unwillingness to rebuild or trade core pieces have produced criticism and a decline in front office evaluations. The franchise retains clear strengths in draft evaluation and player development, repeatedly drafting above slot and finding contributors like Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Kel'el Ware.
Read at Hot Hot Hoops - Miami HEAT NBA Blog
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