The Miami Heat are among the leading suitors for free agent forward LeBron James, and NBA analyst Justin Termine believes they need to get him in. Despite the Heat acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason, Termine said on SiriusXM NBA Radio that if they don’t get James, they might not even secure an automatic playoff berth.
“I think they need to because I’m not sure that they’re even a top-six seed if they don’t get him,” Termine said. “Like with Cleveland, I think Cleveland has proven the last couple of years they’re a top-six seed if they run it back. Now maybe Cleveland takes a little bit of a step back, and it gets stale, but Cleveland is capable of being a top-six seed without LeBron James.
“Philadelphia is capable of being a top-six seed without LeBron James,” Termine continued. “Minnesota’s in the mix. They’re capable of being the top-six seed, even if they don’t get LeBron James. Now, I don’t think Golden State is at all. They might even be in trouble if they do get LeBron James in regards to getting a top-six seed based on the age of that team.
“But Miami is the one team where it goes from, hey, you can compete for a championship if you get this guy, but if you don’t get this guy, you might not even be in the top-six,” Termine added. “And Giannis doesn’t want that on this resume. Pat Riley doesn’t want that egg on his face, so they’re almost the team that would probably be the most desperate in order to get him in order to just have a decent regular season.”
The Heat finished 10th in the Eastern Conference last season with a 43-39 record and lost their first play-in tournament game to the Charlotte Hornets to miss the playoffs. Termine thinks they’re likely going to be in the tournament again if James isn’t brought in.
Now, as things stand, the Heat’s starting lineup likely would be Davion Mitchell, Tim Hardaway Jr., Andrew Wiggins, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Bam Adebayo. They would also have the likes of Bobby Portis, Pelle Larsson, and Simone Fontecchio coming off the bench.
You’d expect the Heat to make some more additions as well, but they won’t exactly be getting massive difference-makers. So this is kind of what the core would be, and this definitely wouldn’t be a championship-winning group. Can they get a top six seed, though?
You’d imagine Antetokounmpo would be able to get the Heat into the top six if he’s relatively healthy. The 31-year-old averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2025-26, and that was a down year, in part, due to injuries.
Antetokounmpo also has an All-Star-caliber center in Adebayo by his side, and an automatic playoff spot should be within the Heat’s grasp. They have higher ambitions, though, and they will need to bring in James if they are to be contenders.
James averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2025-26. He is the kind of ball-handler and playmaker that the Heat need. The question is, can they convince him to join?
Now, it has been reported that James is likely headed to the Eastern Conference. The three teams in the running for him then would be the Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Philadelphia 76ers.
The Heat’s pitch to James is that they are the best basketball fit for him. We’ll have to wait to see if the 41-year-old thinks that is the case as well.
