How the Heat’s latest collapse makes the offseason pursuit of Giannis all the more important

As it is The Miami Heat did not make any moves at the trade deadlinesince they couldn’t land their top target in the Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpothe future of the team was on every fan’s mind. After that The Heat’s latest clash with the Boston Celtics on Friday night, it ended in a very familiar way.

With Miami falling in Boston, 98-96, the final score only speaks to what makes this loss feel so jarring to the average Miami fan, as it once again saw the Heat build an early double-digit lead, 22 at its most, only to lose. Even though the modern NBA has a lot more offense, a 59-38 halftime lead could still be considered the cushion every team wants.

For Miami, it could be seen as a close game with the Heat coming out on top again in the third quarter, scoring 15 points in the period and allowing 36, a troubling trend all season. In retrospect, it has been an issue for quite some time, with Keerthika Uthaiakumar’s latest stats painting the whole picture.

“The Miami Heat have posted 31 double-digit leads since the start of last season, the most of any team in that span,” Uthayakumar wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

It’s surreal to read such a statistic, but it’s hard to argue that it’s surprising. There are many directions to point to when discussing the reasons for this team.

But with Miami seemingly headed for the eighth seed and playoff purgatory, this offseason pursuit of Antetokounmpo could turn the tide for the franchise.

Looking at the Heat prospects going after Giannis Antetokounmpo

With The Heat’s pursuit of Antetokounmpo at the trade deadline failedthe focus now turns to the offseason, with the team looking to be active. Fans are used to Miami not being able to land big-name stars, usually due to their reluctance to give up certain pieces, but there’s no denying that wasn’t the case with Antetokounmpo.

A president can be expected Pat Riley and the front office to put a lot of pressure on the superstar, possibly with a better offer as more first-round picks become traded. However, there will be competition.

There’s no doubt that if this Miami team wants to compete for a championship, getting an alpha like Antetokounmpo to pair with Bama Adebayo and others could give them their best chance. With the way this team is currently constructed, the reality is that it’s hard to imagine the Heat making a run for it.

Even though Miami was built on exceeding everyone’s expectations, Miami’s inconsistency right now is too hard to ignore. Not to mention the fact that players came in and out of the lineup due to injuries, and it is the main one Tyler Herrowho has missed more than 40 games this season with a myriad of issues.

It seems as though the arrival of a player like Antetokounmpo could save this era for a franchise that has finished as the eighth seed and in the playoffs the last three seasons. Sure, the first of the three resulted in a Jimmy Butler-led team miraculously going to the NBA Finals, but counting on them doing the same again is fool’s gold.

If there’s one thing, the team knows it. The question is, what are they going to do about it?

What’s next for the Heat in the future?

With The Heat’s trade deadline sees them not getting Antetokounmpo or even Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies, of course this offseason will be vital in landing star talent. But here’s a tough question for fans to hear: What if they’re unable to land Antetokounmpo again in the offseason?

Riley said in his season-ending press conference to have two or three players worth going all-in on, even though Adebayo seems untouchable, are reportedly Antetokounmpo, Anthony Edwards and Donovan Mitchell, according to The Miami Herald. Apart from the first one, the others are not available.

As the players like it Norman PowellAdebayo or others can do well when they have stars like Antetokounmpo, where would the team go from there if they can’t trade for him? As Jaime Jaquez Jr. recently said of the inconsistency of the team’s current issues, the team is “sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

While the organization was confident they would never give up on the season and the team, these questions could potentially be eternal. It’s hard to imagine the Heat franchise going through a rebuild, as Riley has publicly been against the idea, but the team needs to evaluate all of its options to improve the team.

The Heat’s current problems are well-known

Looking at the smaller picture this season, it is even difficult for the head coach Erik Spoelstra to understand the problems in the third quarter.

“I don’t know,” Spoelstra said when asked about the third-quarter struggles, via the team’s YouTube page. “We tried everything.”

“We know our level of urgency and attention to detail and everything that comes out of the third quarter, that’s what we’re trying to win,” Spoelstra said.

It doesn’t help that players like Powell and Pele Larsson have had shorter stints due to injuries, but this issue of third-quarter breakdowns and lost leads has been a consistent problem amid the team’s inconsistency.

“It’s very frustrating,” Powell said after Friday’s loss to the Celtics. “I said earlier, early this morning at shootaround, we have to put together a full 48-minute game. That’s our Achilles’ heel. The Achilles’ heel is the third quarter coming out with the tempo of how we need to play with the same mentality when we start games and then carry through the second half. We played a good 24 minutes to 24 minutes.”

“At some point we’re going to get tired of putting our hands on that hot stove,” Adebayo later said of it.

A stressful offseason is coming for Heat fans

The first step is Warm acceptance of their realitywhich might have to be done first by the end of the season, depending on how Miami finishes in the Eastern Conference standings. Who knows, maybe this loss to the Celtics will “lead” the team to better days, as Spoelstra said after the game.

“The guys competed really hard,” Spoelstra said. “We’re not looking for a moral victory. It’s disappointing, but we’ll get better than that. As painful as this is, it’s going to drive us. And I feel like we’re going to get there.”

However, these types of quotes sound familiar. But there’s a reason they do it. Spoelstra and this team believe they have a high ceiling and championship aspirations, which they have to prove with 29 games left in the season.

To be commended, because you cannot deny the will and passion that Spoelstra, Adebayo, Powell, Hero and others have in the locker room. But fans seem to want the team to be realistic about their chances.

Either way, it will be a stressful offseason for fans as the Heat will once again attack the Bucks in an attempt to land Antetokounmpo. If they do, it marks a turning point for the franchise. If they don’t, it will have the same impact, just for different, unpleasant reasons.

Either way, Miami is 27-26, which puts them in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, as their next game is Sunday afternoon against the Washington Wizards.