The Miami Heat lost 95-116 to the New York Knicks tonight. This marks their eighth consecutive loss this season. This is the first time since 2008, during the days of Pat Riley. The Heat had three different eight-game losing streaks during their 2007-08 season when they won only 15 games. It would mark the last season for Riley as the head coach of the Heat.
This is the first time the Heat have lost eight games in a row with Erik Spoelstra as the head coach of the franchise. It just goes to show how weak the team has been in the aftermath of the Jimmy Butler trade. For all the talk about the negative impact Jimmy was having on the Heat, the franchise has floundered ever since they traded him to the Golden State Warriors.
The Miami Heat landed Andrew Wiggins in the Butler trade. Wiggins has a similar profile to Butler – an athletic two-way wing who can shoot the ball from deep. In fact, Butler once told Pat Riley that Wiggins was the most talented player he ever played with during his career. So far, that hasn’t translated to the court.
The Heat currently sit ninth in the Eastern Conference with a 29-39 record. If their poor form continues, they run the risk of missing out on the play-in tournament, with teams like the Bulls and Raptors possibly surpassing them in the standings. This would be disastrous for the Heat, as it could impact their future as well.
The Heat currently owe the Thunder a 2025 first-round pick. However, that pick has a 1-14 protection on it, meaning that the Thunder wouldn’t get that pick if the Heat got a lottery pick. Why is that a bad thing? Well, because if the Heat do get a lottery pick, then they owe the Thunder their 2026 first-round pick. And that pick would be unprotected.
This is a big reason why the Heat wanted to remain competitive even after the Jimmy Butler trade. They’re willing to lose what could be a low draft pick to OKC as long as they can keep their unprotected 2026 first-round pick, thus fully committing to the tank next season.
Being out of the play-in tournament would give the Heat a high chance of landing a top-14 pick. That would be a massive blow to their team’s future rebuild plans, as a lot of their future is tied to that one pick. The Heat have to try and turn things around quickly if they want to ensure they reach the playoffs and give themselves the best chance to protect their 2026 first-round pick.
Miami has 14 games left to play, and they should try and win at least half of them to stay afloat in the remaining games of the season.
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