With very few tradable assets and a mess of a cap sheet, the Miami Heat would be wise to turn toward the NBA draft to begin retooling their roster.
In a recent mock draft from Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor, the Heat selected Jeremiah Fears out of Oklahoma. Fears is a 6-foot-3 guard who has averaged 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists this season. He’s shot the ball at a 43.4% clip from the field during his 34 outings.
“Tyler Herro became an All-Star this season, showing his ability as a combo guard. But he needs a backcourt partner. Fears is a dynamic guard with a twitchy attacking style and a knack for coming through as a clutch shooter. He was one of college basketball’s youngest freshmen, and it showed with his shaky decision-making as a shooter and passer. But he has a feel for shot creation and a handle that lets him get anywhere on the floor, so he may only need time to emerge as a star in Miami’s system.”
Miami’s point guard position has been an area of concern since Goran Dragic left the franchise in 2021. A potential backcourt of Tyler Herro and Fears could be a solid long-term play by the front office. Furthermore, Miami’s player development system is widely recognized, and could help get the best from Fears.
Terry Rozier Addresses His Struggles With Heat
Terry Rozier was acquired to finally plug the point guard hole on the Heat’s roster. Unfortunately, his tenure on South Beach hasn’t gone to plan. Rozier is now watching more games from the bench than he’s actually participating in.
According to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Rozier understands that his style of play doesn’t fit the Heat’s approach to games.
“I think it’s just my style of play hasn’t been the best fit for what we want to do,” Rozier, said. “So I’m just seeing what works and what Coach likes and what fits best for the team, I’ve kind of been fighting. I kind of know what Coach wants me to do. Just got to do it.”
Rozier will likely be a trade candidate in the summer. The willingness to part with the veteran guard will likely grow if the front office acquires Fears during the draft process.
Heat Expected to Struggle in Roster Rebuild
The Heat could struggle to re-tool the current roster. Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale explained why in an April 3 article.
“Miami doesn’t have the freedom to rebuild, is light on tradeable firsts even after scooping up Golden State’s for this year, and cannot carve out meaningful cap space until at least 2026,” Favale wrote. “The Heat have limited capacity to shake things up, and the odds of dramatic internal improvement rest predominantly with Ware or Jaime Jaquez Jr. (to a lesser extent these days). This is far from the league’s worst situation, but it’s not exactly an enviable position, either.”
As such, making the right decision in the upcoming draft is essential. If the Heat believes Fears can partner Herro moving forward, selecting him is a smart play. If not, Miami has a reliable scouting team, so it will be interesting to see who they select come draft night.
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