The Miami Heat’s season ended with a 127-126 OT loss to the Charlotte Hornets in the East’s 9-10 Play-In Tournament matchup. The game saw a controversial moment take place with LaMelo Ball’s dirty play on Bam Adebayo, which led to the center leaving the game with an injury and prompted the NBA to fine the Hornets guard. Nonetheless, the Heat’s season is over as the most decorated team in the Play-In’s history heads to the offseason.
This was Miami’s first full season since 2019-20 without Jimmy Butler leading the franchise, and it’s unsurprisingly led to a Play-In exit with the Heat still not filling out the roster hole left by Butler’s departure. They have many good role-players who make the foundation of a championship team, but don’t have the top-level stars who can lead them through a postseason run. The team has missed out on more tradeable superstars than we can count, with this offseason hoping to mark a new beginning.
The Heat have 12 players on their roster who have contracts for the 2026-27 NBA season. It’s unlikely that all 12 players make it through to next season, but the Heat have the option of standing pat for another season if they choose to. Or, some of these contracts might come in handy while constructing trade packages to potentially acquire a new franchise superstar to pair alongside Adebayo.
Bam Adebayo – $49,500,000
Bam Adebayo should’ve had the best season of his career this season on the Heat as the team’s bona fide No. 1 option. He averaged 20.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists and had a career-defining 83-point game, but it’s hard to say that Adebayo had a better season. His scoring output did increase, but he looked miscast as the No. 1 option for this team. He’s a DPOY-caliber defender, and that’s the role he needs to expend more of his energy, which he could do if he had an offense-oriented co-star.
If the Heat are on the market for a superstar addition, the team will hope to add them to their core alongside Adebayo instead of entertaining offers on the homegrown 28-year-old center. This season might have helped Adebayo expand his game and be a more useful second or third option on offense in the future, but it doesn’t seem like a competitive move to carry on with Adebayo as the No. 1 option after how their season just ended.
Tyler Herro – $33,000,000
Tyler Herro had an injury-riddled season with the Heat, averaging 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in 33 games this season. Herro did show he still can be an elite lead guard option for the Heat, but his absence on the court had a huge impact on the Heat being as low as the No. 10 seed in the regular season. While it’d be advantageous for the Heat to retain Herro in their quest for a new star addition, it’s hard to imagine his $33 million contract and positive on-court value won’t be leveraged in a trade.
Herro has expanded his game beyond being a high-level scorer, shouldering the team’s playmaking load while also making a visible impact on the glass. His defense lacks consistency, but could have utility in certain matchups. An unremarkable season might have been out of Herro’s control due to injuries, but he hopes he gets another chance to put on this jersey next season and continue in his role as the star guard.
Andrew Wiggins – $30,169,644 (Player Option)
Andrew Wiggins was the Heat’s prize in the Jimmy Butler trade, with the former No. 1 overall pick averaging 15.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists this season. Wiggins has had a decent year on both ends of the court, but it was nothing remarkable. He’s found his lane as an impact 3-and-D forward in the NBA, although it’s hard to justify a $30.1 million contract for a forward with his numbers. It’s hard to imagine Wiggins getting a contract worth that much over the 2026-27 season, so he might just accept his option.
If he accepts the final year on his contract, Wiggins is more likely to be traded as an expiring but sizeable contract. This might lead to him looking to seal a contract extension with the Heat, which gives the team better annual value while retaining a productive forward like Wiggins for longer. A budget extension will protect him from being traded in the summer much more than accepting his player option. There is real future uncertainty for the former NBA Champion.
Nikola Jovic – $16,200,000
The Heat handed a $62.4 million extension over four years to former first-round pick Nikola Jovic in the summer of 2025, with the 23-year-old seven-footer proving to be a versatile offensive tool across the frontcourt. Unfortunately, this season hasn’t gone to plan for the Serbian forward, averaging 7.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 47 games while playing 17.2 minutes per game.
Jovic is under contract until 2030, so he won’t be an easy contract for another team to accept if he’s used in a trade for a star. He’s still a young player with a potentially high ceiling, but it’s hard to see how the Heat can develop him at the same time they’re looking to compete for a title. It’ll be interesting to see if he’s on the Heat’s opening night roster next season or not.
Davion Mitchell – $12,400,000
Davion Mitchell is a living reflection of what the franchise means when they say ‘Heat Culture,’ as Mitchell is a motivated role-player who will do all the gritty things necessary to make a difference on the court. He’s one of the best defensive guards in the NBA, stepping up for the Heat for most of this season in Herro’s absence. He averaged 9.3 points and 6.5 assists as an impactful winning player for the franchise.
Mitchell might be more useful as a partner to a win-now star instead of a trade chip. He’s an impactful role-player who the Heat would prefer to use as an option on the contending version of the team they will try to create over the summer, instead of sending him away to bring home a star.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. – $5,939,141
Jaime Jaquez Jr. might have one of the best contracts in the NBA relative to production, as the 25-year-old forward averaged 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.7 assists this season for the Heat. He had a breakout season as the team’s Sixth Man, making a huge impact with his offensive ability both as a scorer and secondary playmaker. Jaquez might be the perfect inclusion in a star trade package as a player with great value on an affordable deal, but the Heat will be motivated to ensure they retain the forward for longer.
They can’t keep all their good rotational players as members of the team around a new star, so Jaquez might be one of the likelier names to be included in a trade due to the great value for production his $5.9 million contract is for next season. A tanking team could give him lead developmental minutes, while a contender would love that production on their roster, which is why the Heat will carefully evaluate if trading him is worth what they lose now and in the future.
Kel’El Ware – $4,654,920
Kel’El Ware showed great flashes in his second year in the NBA, averaging 11.1 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 77 games. Ware didn’t seem comfortable in the Heat’s rotation this season, butting heads with coach Erik Spoelstra, who had some pretty erratic rotational patterns for Ware over the season. He’s a high-energy rebounder who can block shots, hit threes, and run the floor. He’s a great backup center option, but given his high potential and clashes with the Heat’s coaching staff, he might be one of the top names floated around in trade rumors for a star.
Kasparas Jakucionis – $3,841,680
Kasparas Jakucionis had a quiet rookie season, averaging 6.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists with limited opportunity. Jakucionis could play a bigger role in the future of the franchise if he’s not thrown in as a potential young star in a trade for a star. Jakucionis is a gifted playmaker and efficient scorer who has a high ceiling. If the Heat can’t find space for him in the rotation behind Herro and Mitchell, they might be better off leveraging his unknown future value for win-now trades.
Myron Gardner – $2,584,539
Myron Gardner has lived out a dream season with the Heat. He joined the team for the 2025 Summer League, two years after going undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft and still awaiting his opportunity on an NBA roster. He impressed the Heat enough to earn a two-way contract for the 2025-26 season, which was converted to a standard three-year contract in February. He averaged 3.6 points and 2.7 rebounds, and seems to be the next in a long line of unheralded NBA role-players discovered and developed by the Heat’s system.
Dru Smith – $2,584,539
Dru Smith is another one of the Heat’s finds from the pool of undrafted players they develop every season. Smith went undrafted in 2021 and has been a part of the Heat’s roster since 2023. While he’s been an end-of-the-rotation guard, averaging 5.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 70 games, Smith has shown flashes of talent. He was on the rotational bubble this season and hopes to get more consistent minutes next season, although the Heat’s guard room is already looking crowded.
Jahmir Young – $2,411,090 (Team Option)
Jahmir Young averaged 1.8 points in 14 games, with the 26-year-old’s team option unlikely to be picked up unless the Heat sees real developmental promise in the backup guard.
Pelle Larsson – $2,296,271 (Team Option)
Pelle Larsson has made a home for himself in the Heat rotation this season, averaging 11.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 70 games over the year. The 25-year-old swingman has emerged as a useful rotational player this season and should find himself with the team next season after they exercise his team option. He’d be a value-add in any potential star trade, but the Heat might prefer retaining him as a cheap and proven rotational player within their system.
