After a season in which the Heat were one spot shy of playoff contention, Miami's front office has decided to put their foot on the off-season peddle. With so many teams adding to their rosters, the Heat would have been considered crazy if they did not act on the abundance of talent that has been available during the 2017 Free Agency period. The Heat finished the 2016 NBA season the ninth-best team in the Eastern Conference. After parting ways with legends such as Shaquille O'Neal, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Ray Allen, the team has been trying to capture a new identity.
Although Miami only missed the NBA playoffs by one seed last season they still have a substantial amount of work that needs to be done. As the Eastern Conference starts to become more competitive, the Heat must make moves that allow them to stay in the playoff hunt for the upcoming season.
Chasing Hayward
At the beginning of the 2017 free agency period, the Miami Heat organization and staff were ready to make moves. After Utah Jazz small forward Gordon Hayward became available the Heat were determined to bring him to South Beach. The team's all-star center Hassan Whiteside made it his responsibility to connect with Hayward on a personal level in order to convince Hayward to join the Miami organization.
Whiteside has been on a roll lately, finishing the 2016-2017 season averaging 17 points per game along with 14 rebounds. His double-double a night average has helped the Heat tremendously throughout the last couple of seasons. After numerous Twitter interactions and conversations, Gordon Hayward decided to join Isaiah Thomas in Boston for the 2017-2018 season.
Although the Heat were surprised, they did not let his decision determine their success. The organization decided to turn to plan B.
Initiate plan B!
They immediately signed Dion Waiters to a 4-year deal worth $52M. Last season Waiters was able to produce, and he came in in the clutch for the Heat in crucial game-winning situations.
The Heat did not stop there. The Miami front office decided to also sign the seven-foot center Kelly Olynyk to a four-year deal worth more than $50M. Olynyk is known for his strong defensive play around the rim. The energy he plays with night in and night out encourages his teammates and provides a competitive atmosphere on the NBA hardwood. With both players in their prime, Miami should be able to put together a successful season.
