As the Miami Heat were faced the Philadelphia 76ers last Wednesday, it was announced that Butler would be going to the Golden State Warriors as part of a blockbuster trade that sends Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson and a top-10 protected 2025 first-round pick to the team.
Although Miami beat Philadelphia to go above .500, Butler’s departure has left a void for other players to fill. The Heat got walloped in its fiorst game after the trade in a matchup with the NBA champion Celtics and plays the Thunder tonight in Oklahoma City. Here are five storylines to follow for the rest of the season and beyond.
What can Andrew Wiggins bring to South Florida?
It’s quite poetic that Butler was traded for Wiggins over six years after the infamous practice they shared as teammates in Minnesota. Back then, Butler criticized the Timberwolves’ general manager, coach, and players, including Wiggins. Now, another fallout between Butler and a front office led to him being traded a day before the deadline.
Wiggins is a former All-Star and NBA champion. Not many on the current Heat roster can say the same. While his role in winning that championship can’t be overlooked, it’s hard not to wonder how much of that player is still there.
The 10-year veteran has an average of 17.6 points per game this season, making him the Warriors’ second-leading scorer. He can certainly aid Miami’s offense, given Tyler Herro is the only Heat player with a higher average. Additionally, he plays man-to-man defense at a high level against bigger forwards and guards.
“One of my favorite players I’ve ever coached,” said the Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr. “We don’t hang that banner in 2022 without him.”
Considering Jimmy’s relationship with Miami’s management seemed to be at a point of no return, Wiggins will likely contribute more than Butler would have and will replace Haywood Highsmith in the starting lineup. The trade gives Pat Riley a better shot at getting a gem in the upcoming draft, too.
Wiggins might not be as good as he was three years ago, but he is still capable of helping Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo carry this franchise forward for the time being.
Tyler Herro is having his best year yet
After multiple seasons of speculation regarding his future, Tyler Herro has taken a more prominent role in the Heat’s roster this year. Averaging 23.7 points and 35.6 minutes, Herro has been Miami’s most consistent offensive force and helped keep the team’s playoff push alive despite Butler’s extended absence.
“I know that would be crazy,” said Herro on The OGs podcast back in January. “I won’t even say multiple, I just wanna be an All-Star at some point.”
His wish became true just weeks after that interview, as he will be making his first All-Star appearance on Feb. 16.
Tyler’s potential became apparent during his rookie season, in which he was a pivotal piece in getting the Heat to the NBA Finals. In 2022, he also won the Sixth Man of the Year award.
However, inconsistency aggravated by injuries resulted in seemingly endless trade rumors for a long time, and the most recent offseason was no different.
This situation completely changed in the past few months, though.
Herro is Miami’s primary ball-handler, has only missed one of 50 games since the beginning of the season, and leads the team in scoring and assists.
The 25-year-old has clearly taken a step forward in the 2024-25 campaign, but the postseason will still be an interesting test. When Butler had a historic impact in the Heat’s last Finals run, Herro was sidelined with a broken hand. If they make the playoffs this year, Herro will have to be a leader and show up like never before for Miami to have a chance at another underdog story.
“We’re together. This team wants to be here, everyone wants to play together,” Herro stated after the win at Philadelphia. “Consistency is our kryptonite right now, but we’re going to continue to work at it. In six weeks we want to be in a good spot for the playoffs.”
Kel’el Ware has broken through
Ever since Adebayo became Miami’s starting center, the Heat have had a small lineup. Although Adebayo’s perimeter defending and versatility as a big man are among the many skills that make him one of the best centers in the league, his 6-foot-9 stature in that position has also been a challenge at times.
Kel’el Ware, 20, was drafted with the 15th overall pick last summer. Despite his height, the 7-footer did not play many minutes to start the season.
This has changed in the past month.
After Jimmy’s first suspension, the rookies Ware and Pelle Larsson were put in the starting lineup for the first time, and Ware has become an asset for Coach Spoelstra’s game. In fact, he was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in January.
“The upside obviously is very encouraging.” Spoelstra stated. “That’s why he’s in the starting lineup right now, we need to get him in there for more minutes.”
In the past 10 games, he has averaged 31.2 minutes, 13.1 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. Ware is shooting 54.2% from the field and 39.7% from the 3-point line this season.
Nevertheless, perhaps his most crucial contribution to the squad is being a big that can play alongside Bam and highlight both of their strengths. For instance, the Heat had 30 points in the paint in the first half versus the Bulls last Tuesday.
In a team undergoing a period of uncertainty on many levels, young players like Ware seem to be pillars the Heat organization can start building upon.
Adebayo’s opportunity
Adebayo is the captain of this team and has already shown what he can do in the playoffs, as well as the Olympics with Team USA, but his biggest problem remains consistency.
“It’s been an up and down season for me this year,” he said after hitting the game winning shot versus the Spurs in San Antonio on Feb. 1, which led to Bam having the 2nd most game-winning buzzer-beaters by a center in NBA history.
Even though he leads the team in rebounds and steals, his offensive production is the lowest it’s been since the 2019-20 season.
With over half of the regular season already gone, Butler’s departure presents Adebayo the possibility and responsibility to have an even bigger role for his team on both ends of the floor. Spoelstra’s decision to add Ware to the lineup can help him in said challenge.
“We have somebody that’s 7-feet at the rim, so it allows me to be the versatile big,” said Bam. “We’ve seen in the Olympics that it’ll work, so for me we keep this lineup going.”
Adebayo and Herro have played together for six seasons, but now it’s the first time they won’t have Butler with them in big moments. The main question at this point is whether or not they can put on performances such as the one they had in their last win against the Orlando Magic on a more regular basis, and if that will even be enough.
Despite the fact that Herro and Adebayo led the team in scoring versus the Bulls, with the latter getting clutch buckets to keep Miami in the game, they couldn’t get the road win.
How far they take the Heat with this supporting cast in 2025 can largely impact the management’s future moves.
The uncertainty around Terry Rozier
As is so often the case in the NBA, not everything happening with this team is encouraging. One of the most disappointing pieces of the Miami Heat roster is Terry Rozier.
Rozier arrived in Miami once the Heat failed to acquire Damian Lillard, who had been very eager to land in South Florida, according to reports. At the time, the squad got a playmaker that was averaging a career-high 23.2 points per game. However, they had to give up a 2027 first-round pick and Kyle Lowry.
After a first round exit last year, Rozier has an average of 12.4 points and 2.9 assists per game this season, and has lost his spot in the starting lineup. It’s safe to say that the trade hasn’t panned out and it’s unclear if Miami could get anything valuable in the market for Rozier before his deal ends in 2026. He is set to make $26.6 million for that season.
Yet, the latest twist in his tenure consists of an illegal betting scandal that is still under investigation and might jeopardize said salary. Even if the investigation is focused on his time with the Charlotte Hornets, it could still have repercussions in the present.
Meanwhile, Rozier played important minutes in the fourth quarter during the Heat’s loss in Chicago and only made two field goals during the game. He bounced back versus the Sixers, dropping 20 points in 27 minutes off the bench.
The Heat added Anderson from Golden State and a much needed defender in Davion Mitchell from the Toronto Raptors in the Butler trade. Thids could limit Rozier’s involvement in the rotation even more.
With all this going on, can Spoelstra get a positive contribution from Rozier in the next few months?
