Miami Heat 2026-27

I have been playing with the methodology to analyze NBA franchises. with that purpose I have change some of the visual components of the map.

For the supporters, the more visible thing are the players, then the organization, etc.

So, this is the map for the 2026-27 season

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Just for comparison purposes, the 2025-26 team:

What changed

In July the Heat traded Herro, Jaquez, Ware, Jakučionis, the No. 13 pick (Nate Ament), unprotected 2031 and 2033 firsts, a 2030 pick swap and a 2033 second-rounder for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis. Powell left for the Bulls because the Heat couldn’t fit him under the first apron. They filled in around the stars with Klay Thompson and Tim Hardaway Jr. (splitting about $11.7M of the mid-level exception), Nick Richards, and extensions for Wiggins and Larsson.

Team layer.

The map has two big shifts compared with last year:

• A true anchor, with a question mark. Giannis (31) joins Adebayo at Peak, but I colored him amber because he played a career-low 36 games last year. His availability and his fit alongside Adebayo are the biggest unknowns.
• The roster has aged. Last year’s team was dense at Peak and light at the ends. Now the Growth column is thin (Larsson, Jović and fringe players), and the Sunset column is Thompson, Hardaway and Portis. Thompson and Hardaway are amber because they are aging shooters.

Organization and culture

Spoelstra’s staff, Riley’s front office and the star-hunting doctrine are all green now. The Heat had missed on Mitchell, Durant and Lillard before landing Giannis. The player-development pipeline is still green, but it paid for the trade, since Herro, Jaquez, Ware and Jakučionis were all developed in-house and then traded.

Money layer

This is the binding constraint. The three firsts and the pick swap are gone, so the trade assets that were the “genesis” unknown last year are spent. The apron limits what the Heat can add, as Powell’s exit shows.

Official 2026-27 lines:

• Cap $164.961M,
• Tax $200.428M,
• First apron $209.015M, (Miami is here)
• Second apron $221.686M.

Lifecycle

The Heat move from a Play-offs team to a Contender stage, colored amber because the shape is lopsided. ESPN’s preview says the supporting cast is thin at guard and shooting, and Portis and Richards are the only reserve bigs. The stars exist, but the depth around them doesn’t yet.

Takeaways

The 2025-26 map showed a deep roster without a star, and this one shows two stars without depth. The Heat have swapped a lack of top-end talent for a lack of supporting talent. With few picks and little cap room, they will have a hard time fixing that.