Miami Heat offseason primer: Swinging for a star again?
Without the obstinance of Jimmy Butler, it was always going to end this way. Even with the Miami Heat’s underdog spirit, there was no way to overcome the best team in the East without one of the best winners of the last generation. Nevertheless, with their 118-84 loss to the Boston Celtics in game five of their 2024 NBA Playoffs first round series, the season is over for the Heat, one that showed promise at times but ultimately never offered true contention for the title.
The Heat must now look forwards, and how they can retool to go again. Certainly, they have big plans, and are said to be intending to (or perhaps anticipating that they will) land another star on the same sort of timeline as their All-Star center Bam Adebayo. But as is often the case with this franchise, the Heat also have one of the oldest teams in the NBA. And these days, that comes without Udonis Haslem upping the average.
As always, the Heat will want to go big, just as they swung for Damian Lillard last summer (and seem to get into contention for every star player rumored to be available). How feasible that will be will be determined by what they have to work with.
With that in mind, here follows a look at the Miami Heat’s roster and spending heading into the 2024 NBA offseason.
State of the roster and offseason options
How the CBA affects them
Free agent: Caleb Martin
Free agent: Kevin Love
Free agent: Haywood Highsmith
Free agent: Josh Richardson
Free agent: Delon Wright
2024-25 SALARY SITUATION
Players rostered: 12, including four player options
Two-way players: 0
Guaranteed salaries: $180,178,330
Non-guaranteed salaries: $2,120,693
Total salary: $182,299,023
Projected 2024/25 salary cap amount: $141,000,000
Salary cap space: None
Projected 2024/25 luxury tax threshold: $171,345,000
Luxury tax space: None
Projected 2024/25 first apron threshold: $178,655,000
First apron space: None
Projected 2024/25 second apron threshold: $189,486,000
Second apron space: Approximately $9 million
Spending options:
Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception – $5,183,000 (projected)
Victor Oladipo trade exception – $9,450,000 (expires July 6 2024)
Max Strus trade exception – $7,243,842 (expires July 8 2024)
Kyle Lowry trade exception – $6,477,319 (expires January 23 2025)
Jimmy Butler
Bam Adebayo
Tyler Herro
Terry Rozier
Duncan Robinson
Caleb Martin
Kevin Love
Jaime Jaquez
Josh Richardson
Thomas Bryant
Nikola Jovic
Orlando Robinson
Haywood Highsmith
Delon Wright
Patty Mills
Jamal Cain
Cole Swider
Alondes Williams
Cap hold: $1,867,722
Type of free agent: Non-Bird (restricted)
Additional notes:
Gilbert Arenas clause is applicable.
