The Miami Heat are now 11-9 on the season and Jimmy Butler isn’t too pleased with how things are going at the moment. When asked where he thinks the Heat stand after 20 games in this campaign, the 34-year-old called out his team for being mediocre.
“We stand right where we don’t want to be, which is very mediocre,” Butler said. Not good, not bad, not great, not any of those things, just mediocre. When you talk about our offense, it’s been mediocre. You talk about our defense, it’s been mediocre. So, that’s the word that I would use.”
(starts at 9:56 mark):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ170u_BJRU
Butler’s comments came on the back of a 144-129 defeat to an Indiana Pacers squad that was without Tyrese Haliburton. The Heat were without Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro themselves, but Haliburton is the best player on the Pacers and to lose in that manner in his absence was embarrassing.
The Heat have been pretty mediocre as Butler, who is averaging 22.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game in 2023-24, pointed out. Their 11-9 record places them at seventh in the standings in the East, which is at the middle of the pack. They are also 16th in the league in defensive rating (113.5) and 11th in offensive rating (114.8).
Those are not the hallmarks of a championship-contending team, but you obviously wouldn’t dismiss the Heat’s chances. We saw them struggle in the regular season in 2022-23, only to then make it all the way to the NBA Finals. Still, you wonder whether they missed a trick by not making a splash in the offseason.
The Heat’s Eventful Offseason
Three significant trades took place this offseason and the Heat were linked with all three players before they ended up elsewhere.
First was Bradley Beal, who ended up being traded to the Phoenix Suns. Beal revealed he originally wanted to go to the Heat, and there were even conversations that took place with president Pat Riley. A report later stated that the Heat did not want to go into the luxury tax for Beal.
Then came the infamous failed pursuit of Damian Lillard, which dragged on for months. It seemed inevitable at one point that Lillard would end up on the Heat, but their assets reportedly did not interest the Portland Trail Blazers, and the star guard ended up on the Milwaukee Bucks.
Jrue Holiday went to the Blazers as part of the deal and he became another big name linked with the Heat. They missed out on him too, however, with the Boston Celtics landing Holiday.
If this iteration of the Heat ultimately fails to win a title, they might look back at this offseason with a great deal of regret. They had multiple chances to make a splash but ended up doing nothing.
The Heat Were Prepared To Make A Bigger Offer For Jrue Holiday Than For Damian Lillard
Lillard appeared to be the main target for the Heat this past offseason, but it seems they were willing to put together a bigger package for Holiday. Insider Ethan J. Skolnick reported why that was the case.
“Jrue’s contract is friendlier. He plays defense, which the Heat value; and the Heat don’t believe that Dame does.”
The Miami Heat were willing to give up more assets for Jrue Holiday than for Damian Lillard, per @EthanJSkolnick
“Jrue's contract is friendlier. He plays defense, which the Heat value; and the Heat don't believe that Dame does.”
(Via https://t.co/BBRyn3SwNL) pic.twitter.com/SJfl4Smg91
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 3, 2023
Lillard will earn over $160 million in salaries in the next three seasons while Holiday only has a player option worth $37.3 million for next season. He is also a far better defender and in that sense, would have been a better fit.
I just believe what the Heat needed, though, was firepower on offense. One of the big reasons they ultimately failed to win the title was because Butler seemed to run out of gas after carrying such a heavy load on offense for much of the postseason.
The Heat are also good enough defensively to cover for one player who’s weak on that end of the floor. Perhaps a move for Donovan Mitchell might be on the cards next year, but they’ll face stiff competition for him as well.
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