The Miami Heat's next player acquisition needs to be this
It's been a loud week for the Miami Heat. Trading four rotation players away in a blockbuster deal, landing a superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo, in Miami, and making their selection in the second round of the NBA draft, which turned out to be Ryan Conwell out of Louisville.
This week's plan was executed to perfection. But it's a new week, and now it's about the next plan.
All the talk now is about how the Heat organization chooses to fill out the rest of this roster. You have a base of Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins remains on the roster, solid defensive role players like Davion Mitchell and Pelle Larsson, and a new face off the bench with Bobby Portis.
But there's one thing this team is missing: shooting. But not just any shooting, a certain kind of shooting.
GIANNIS GOT TRADED TO THE MIAMI HEAT AND BECAME A SHOOTER
- The HEAT Realm (@WadexFlash) June 24, 2026
ITS OVER FOR THE LEAGUE
HES REACHING A NEW LEVEL pic.twitter.com/qZryINd9Fh
As Antetokounmpo attacks off the dribble in isolation, there's an obvious outcome every time: a paint touch is coming.
The next shoe to drop is there will be a ton of awaiting defenders collapsing as soon as he gets in that area.
It's why his rosters need shooting, since simple kick-outs and spot-up threes are the formula. Names like Klay Thompson or Buddy Hield or Luke Kennard have floated around for that reason.
But while I believe getting any type of catch and shoot guys in the building is crucial, the real prize Miami should be eyeing is the guys that can provide a little shot creation as well.
Bobby Marks list of free agents who ‘fit' the Miami Heat:
- Heat Central (@TheHeatCentral) June 27, 2026
- Anfernee Simons
- Tim Hardaway Jr
- Collin Sexton
- Ochai Agbaji
- Antonio Reeves
- Keon Ellis
- Moussa Cisse
- Kevin Huerter
- Pat Spencer
- John Collins
- Mitchell Robinson
- Branden Carlson
- Andre Drummond
- Caleb… https://t.co/C2RgEFoh73pic.twitter.com/Cgior8cshP
From Khris Middleton to Damian Lillard to even Kevin Porter Jr, all the recent Antetokounmpo rosters have had some guard play that can create for themselves to aleviate that constant pressure and attention off him.
A name like Anfernee Simons is intriguing for that reason. The guy is a high level talent, can score off the bounce and out of pick and roll, and just feels like the type of player the Miami Heat would love to semi-revive with an increased role.
On a different level, even somebody like Quentin Grimes draws my attention. Grimes' level of play always rises whenever his usage increased in Philly, including some loud scoring nights as a primary handler. The defensive factors for him kick in too on this team.
The overall point here is that as much as it was about getting Antetokounmpo in the building and figuring the rest out later, I do believe this team needs some creation in the back-court to counteract the defensive abilities of Davion Mitchell, Dru Smith, Myron Gardner, and others.
It doesn't mean that set shooters don't need to be prioritized as well, because Miami will certainly need those guys too, but definitely look out for what off the dribble threat the Heat could be eyeing down right now.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/heat/onsi as The Miami Heat's next player acquisition needs to be this.
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This story was originally published June 28, 2026 at 12:30 PM.