The Miami Heat recorded mediocre results over the past three seasons, combining for a 127-119 regular-season record and a 1-8 postseason mark. The franchise went 37-45 in 2024-25, its worst record since 2014-15, and will begin the upcoming season without Jimmy Butler in a full-time role for the first time since 2018-19. The team made productive offseason moves while the Eastern Conference faces injuries and departures of stars. ESPN projects the Heat to finish 39-43, slotting them as the No.9 seed and a play-in team, with lingering questions about roster ceiling.
There's no sugarcoating it: The Miami Heat have been mediocre each of the last three seasons. In fact, with the exception of one historically great playoff run in 2023 that nobody predicted nor could've predicted, they've been a smidge above .500 (127-119) in the regular season and just 1-8 in the postseason. Yikes! Not to mention, one of those postseason exits was in historical fashion ... in a humiliating way!
"If the landscape of the East has been altered entering this season, it's largely due to the injuries and departures of stars," ESPN's Jamal Collier wrote. "The Heat won the East finals two years ago, but after trading Jimmy Butler III, it's unclear if they can defy expectations once again. ... The teams in this group all enter the season with major question marks that put them below the elite teams in this conference."
While they had a reasonably productive offseason in a weakened Eastern Conference - where the Celtics and Pacers will be without their two best players - ESPN is predicting much of the same for Miami. ESPN predicts Heat finish as play-in team for fourth-straight year: One month out from training camp, ESPN's NBA staff cobbled together their projections for the upcoming season, including their award picks plus their standings predictions.
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