Miami is stockpiling first-round draft picks to be prepared to trade for a superstar around the 2026 deadline or the 2027 offseason. Team leadership prioritizes chasing stars and structured the cap sheet to maximize future flexibility, but cap space alone will likely be insufficient. The NBA has shifted toward veteran extensions, with roughly 22 extensions per summer over the past two years compared with under eight in prior offseasons, increasing the stock of retained stars. Financial flexibility can aid trades, but selling teams often value draft equity more than immediate cap relief.
The 2026 NBA trade deadline is months away, and already the Miami Heat have a clear directive for how to handle it: compile first-round picks so they're ready to strike when the next star becomes available. This is not an attempt to oversimplify their situation, or another way of deriding them for failing to acquire a name bigger than Norman Powell this summer. This is merely an acknowledgement of what the Heat are silently screaming from the top of the Kaseya Center.
Team president Pat Riley and general manager Andy Elisburg have established this as an organization that chases stars. Their moves this offseason reinforce as much-not because they are pushing for a marquee headliner now, but because the cap sheet is set up for tons of flexibility either next summer, or more likely, during the 2027 offseason. Still, spending power alone isn't enough. The Heat need more draft equity to bag that next big name. The NBA's new reality demands it.
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