The Cleveland Cavaliers swept the Miami Heat in record-breaking fashion in the first round of the 2025 playoffs, and Bam Adebayo thinks many changes are coming this offseason. In his press conference after a 138-83 loss in Game 4, Adebayo suggested Heat president Pat Riley is going to be busy making moves in the coming months.
“What needs to change?” Adebayo asked. “I don’t know. It’s going to be a lot of changes this summer. Just from my point of view, understanding how the guy with the silver hair works. So, just be prepared for that.”
After making two trips to the NBA Finals in 2020 and 2023, the Heat have now been bounced out in the first round in back-to-back seasons. You could excuse losing in five games to the Boston Celtics in 2024 as Jimmy Butler was out with an injury, but there really isn’t any excuse for losing the way they did to the Cavaliers.
This was the most dominant sweep in NBA history, as the Cavaliers’ combined margin of victory was 122 points, a new record. As Adebayo, who averaged 17.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in the postseason, stated, Riley isn’t going to twiddle his thumbs after a hammering like that.
The question, though, is, can the Heat really do anything to turn their fortunes significantly? They finished 10th in the East in 2024-25 with a 35-47 record and only made the playoffs via the Play-In Tournament. This wasn’t a case of a team being significantly better than their record indicated, as evidenced by the series against the Cavaliers.
In simple terms, the Heat are lacking when it comes to talent. Sure, they have a few good players in Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and Andrew Wiggins to go with quality youngsters like Kel’el Ware and Jaime Jaquez Jr., but there isn’t much else.
This roster needs a star to take them to where Riley wants them to be, and we listed out seven ideal targets for the Heat this offseason. Trading for any of them would be a step in the right direction. The man at the top of that list is Kevin Durant, and they could potentially put together a solid package for him.
The problem for the Heat if they pursue Durant or any other big name is that there are teams that have more valuable assets than they do. A couple of first-round picks, Ware, and rotation pieces would be the best they’ll be able to offer. Teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Houston Rockets would be able to put much better offers on the table.
So, unless Riley is able to magically pull off a trade for a big name, the Heat are likely to be mediocre in 2025-26 as well. It will be interesting to see what the 80-year-old accomplishes this offseason.
While the Heat face uncertainty heading into the offseason, their former star is putting on a show in the playoffs. It was perhaps somewhat fitting that on the day that the Heat lost by 55 points and got swept, Butler helped the Golden State Warriors take a 3-1 lead over the Rockets. One wonders what might have been if he and Riley hadn’t clashed and he were still leading the Heat.
