In case you have missed it, the Miami Heat has suddenly gotten good. Really good. On paper, of course.
After the Heat’s 2025-26 season ended, team president Pat Riley, who has been around the NBA longer than almost anyone connected to the league, had enough. He was ready for change.
“I’m not going to retire. I’m not going to resign. I’m not going to step aside,” Riley said in April. “I want another parade down Biscayne Boulevard. “I’m really pissed. I’m disappointed. Disgruntled, just like everyone else in the organization who understands what we’re about. So, the last three to four years, with the exception of when we went to the finals, I’m not proud of. It’s about trying to compete at the highest levels. If we’re fighting for the last spot in the Play-In, we’re going to fight until our last breath.”
Not only did he not retire, resign or take a single step back, but Riley orchestrated arguably the franchise’s best offseason since LeBron James and Chris Bosh came to town. Riley landed Giannis Antetokounmpo (some guy who won a couple of MVPs, nothing crazy). He grabbed Klay Thompson in free agency (a bloke who just so happens to have the fourth-most 3-pointers made ever despite two major injuries, nothing extraordinary).
Does he have another one in him soon?
The Miami Heat Trade Rumors Still Just Getting Started
As the offseason grows older and a new season moves closer, the Heat finds itself in even more trade speculation. The latest to enter the Heat rumor mill? Superstar guard Kyrie Irving, who is expected to make his much-anticipated return after missing well over a year of action due to a torn ACL. There is no evidence that the Heat has interest in Irving, who has become a hot subject in NBA trade rumors lately, but he could be on his way out of Dallas soon. And with Miami needing some help in the backcourt, well, there you have it.
While the Heat is not actively pursuing Irving, that could change down the line, and if it does, Heat Roundtable’s Sean Jordan says there are two stars who could be included in the trade package.
“Kyrie Irving has been included in trade discussions throughout the entire offseason and the Heat could be a destination even after all of their offseason acquisitions,” Jordan wrote. “A trade for Irving would most likely include Andrew Wiggins and Nikola Jovic as the two main outgoing pieces. It may not make too much sense at the moment for Miami to make a move for Irving but if the Mavericks are off to a poor start this campaign, Irving will more likely than not be added to the trade block and will be moved prior to February’s deadline.”
Wiggins and Jovic, two central pieces to the Heat’s revamped Antetokounmpo-led core, are candidates to be moved in any trade that potentially sends a superstar to Miami. When combined, Wiggins and Jovic’s salaries could provide the Heat with a significant matching salary in a blockbuster trade.
Irving Could Be Major Trade Piece Soon
The word out of Dallas all offseason has been that the Mavs are uninterested in moving their superstar point guard.
There is plenty of excitement surrounding Irving and reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg, who could assemble one of the league’s dynamic duos next season.
The Mavs highly value Irving, and if the former All-Star especially clicks with Flagg on the court, the chances of Irving getting moved around the trade deadline or even next offseason will significantly wane.
Recent reports have indicated there are teams around the NBA waiting for Dallas to put Irving on the trade block. All eyes have turned to next season’s trade deadline.
Miami Heat ‘Most Likely’ to Include 2 Key Stars in Trade for 9x All-Star Guard