Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat went 12-21 after last year’s trade deadline. (Mandatory Credit: Eric Espada/NBAE via Getty Images)
Last year was an eye-opener for the Miami Heat, who finished the season 37-45, their worst record since the 2014-15 season. Practically the entire season was mired by either inconsistency, injury or drama — specifically involving former Heat wing and six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler.
Even after the Heat traded Butler to San Antonio and got back Davion Mitchell, Kyle Anderson and Andrew Wiggins — the headliner of the deal — the Heat went just 12-21 post-deadline, despite posting a plus-1.1 NET Rating (16th). Ultimately, it all culminated to a merciful four-game sweep against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round, getting outscored by a record-setting 122 points.
Heat captain Bam Adebayo spoke about the Heat’s offseason for the first time publicly over the weekend. Adebayo revealed that the team was still pretty disjointed after the deadline — even though their biggest headache (Butler) was out the door.
“We were kind of disconnected a little bit trying to figure out everybody’s role and trying to figure out everybody’s style of play,” he said, according to the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang. “But now we’re going to have a good training camp and then we go from there.”
It’s never easy getting traded midseason. Mitchell was the Heat’s biggest spark, while most of Andrew Wiggins’ second-half was mired by injury. Kyle Anderson filled in for spot rotation minutes, but his impact was few and far between.
Miami brought in a few new faces this offseason: Norman Powell, Simone Fontecchio and rookie Kasparas Jakucionis, who they drafted No. 20 overall.
Most every team (sorry, Jazz) is optimistic about their 2025-26 outlook at this time of the offseason. We’re in the dog days of summer. We’ll see whether or not they can put last season behind him, or if next season will be a continuation of the sour taste that they departed last year with.
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