The Miami Heat won their second straight title after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in a thrilling seven-game series last week. LeBron James became just the third player in NBA history to win four MVP awards and two NBA Finals MVP awards. As long as he stays in Miami, the Heat will be in pretty good shape.
NBA Draft 2013: Miami Heat have no picks, unlikely to trade for one
The Heat are back-to-back champions and don’t need much help in the offseason, but they will have a few decisions to make. They have no picks in the 2013 NBA Draft.
Kevin C. Cox
A loss in the Finals might've hastened a possible breakup of the Big 3, but James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are all likely to be back to go for the three-peat next season. The luxury tax penalties will be stiff, but winning championships makes those payments much easier to bear.
Miami won’t have many avenues to improve its roster, as they have no draft picks and only have the taxpayer mid-level exception and the minimum to offer in free agency. But it’s not like the Heat need that much improvement and they have proven adept at getting quality players to sign at bargain prices the past few seasons.
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Miami doesn't have any draft picks this year due to trades. The Heat's first-round pick at No. 30 belongs to the Phoenix Suns via the James sign-and-trade and Steve Nash trade. Miami's second-round pick at the end of the draft belongs to the Memphis Grizzlies due to the Dexter Pittman trade.
Depth Chart
Point Guard - Mario Chalmers (team option), Norris Cole
Shooting Guard - Dwyane Wade, Ray Allen (player option), James Jones (player option)
Small Forward - LeBron James, Shane Battier, Mike Miller
Power Forward - Udonis Haslem, Rashard Lewis (player option), Juwan Howard (unrestricted free agent)
Center - Chris Bosh, Chris Andersen (unrestricted free agent), Joel Anthony
Miami has over $86 million in committed salary for next season and it may look to bring that number down a bit. Chalmers has a $4 million team option, but that will likely be picked up. Miller is owed $13 million over the next two seasons, so he could be a candidate to be released with the amnesty clause.
Biggest need(s)
Miami is thin up front as it is, and that issue could become even more of a problem if Chris Andersen leaves in free agency. Signing a big man will be a top priority this offseason.
If Miller is let go, the Heat may want to grab another shooter to replace him. Decent shooters can usually be found at the minimum, so finding a replacement shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Potential targets
Miami has been linked to Greg Oden, and he would be a huge addition if he managed to stay healthy. Oden would allow Bosh to play more of his natural position at power forward and help shore up the Heat's frontcourt. Miami can offer the taxpayer MLE for Oden, which would seem like a fair contract for a player who has had so many injury issues. Oden's health is certainly a big question, but signing him could be a risk worth taking.
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