The Miami Heat Futures Odds (BetDSI Sportsbook)
Miami Heat to win the Southeast Division: +200
Miami Heat to win the Eastern Conference: +3300
Miami Heat to win the NBA Championship: +10000
Miami Heat Total Win Prediction: Total 43.5 (Over -120, Under -110)
The Miami Heat failed to make it to the playoffs in 2016/17 even though they had 41 wins, the same amount as the Chicago Bulls, but due to the record between the teams, the Bulls entered the postseason, while the Heat fell short. Miami will be looking to build on the last year and improve this time around, so they should be in the mix to finish among the best eight teams in the East in 2017/18.
Miami managed to keep the core of the team, and there weren’t plenty of movement this offseason, but still, they parted ways with Chris Bosh, who will not be able to continue his career due to blood clotting issues. That’s the end of an era for both the Heat and Bosh, who won two NBA championships with them and his #1 jersey will be retired, which is a great honor for the 11-time All-Star and the Olympic Games gold medal winner. The Heat will be pretty much unchanged for the upcoming season, and the most notable player who joined them is Kelly Olynyk, who moved as a free agent from the Boston Celtics.
Read on to find out more about the Miami Heat offseason moves and the 2017/2018 futures and props brought to you by BetDSI Sportsbook. Also, don’t forget to visit our Get More Sports website for more NBA teams season previews.
The 2017/2018 Miami Heat Roster
Arrivals: Larry Drew II, AJ Hammons, Jordan Mickey, Kelly Olynyk, Matt Williams, Bam Adebayo.
Departures: Chris Bosh, Josh McRoberts, Luke Babbitt, Willie Reed.
The Miami Heat selected Bam Adebayo with the 14th pick overall in the 2017 NBA Draft, and the 20-year-old signed a rookie scale contract with the Heat this July. The talented center spent the 2016/17 with the Kentucky Wildcats and averaged 13.0 ppg, 12.0 rpg, and 1.5 bpg in 38 appearances. He won the SEC All-Freshman team and Second-team All-SEC, and is listed as the No. 2 option at the center position behind Hassan Whiteside, and ahead of AJ Hammons. Larry Drew II returned to the NBA after spending the last two years in Europe, representing AS Monaco in France and Neptūnas Klaipėda in Lithuania. Drew played 12 games for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2014/15, but I don’t expect him to be a significant part of the Heat rotation as the 27-year-old point guard is behind Goran Dragic and Tyler Johnson on the depth chart.
AJ Hammons joined in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks, while the Mavs received Josh McRoberts, a 2023 second round draft pick and cash considerations in return. The 25-year-old center didn’t experience the best time in his rookie season with the Mavs, averaging only 2.2 ppg and 1.6 rpg in 7.4 mpg and I don’t believe he will make an impact this time around as well, as both Whiteside and Adebayo are well ahead of him in the pecking order. The similar situation is with Jordan Mickey, who was waived by the Boston Celtics this summer and later signed with the Heat, but with four players ahead of him at the power forward position; he will serve as an emergency backup more than a rotational player.
Matt Williams was undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft, but he represented the Heat in the 2017 NBA Summer League, and then signed a one-year-deal with Miami. The 23-year-old shooting guard played college basketball with the UCF Knights, where he averaged 15.1 ppg in his last season. But with Dion Waiters, Josh Richardson, and Wayne Ellington all ahead of him on the depth chart, Williams will struggle for playing time and will be used only in case some of the players mentioned above suffers an injury. The highest profile player who joined the Heat this offseason is Kelly Olynyk, who quit the Celtics after four years in Boston. Olynyk averaged 9.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, and 2.0 apg in 20.5 mpg and will represent a solid option at the power forward position. James Johnson is listed as the starter for the spot, but I think Kelly will get around 20 minutes per contest and he has the ability to make the mark off the bench.
|
PG |
SG | SF | PF |
C |
| Goran Dragic | Dion Waiters | Justise Winslow | James Johnson | Hassan Whiteside |
| Tyler Johnson | Josh Richardson | Rodney McGruder | Kelly Olynyk | Bam Adebayo |
| Wayne Ellington | Okaro White | AJ Hammons | ||
| Udonis Haslem |
Willie Reed became an unrestricted free agent this summer following his one-year stint with the Heat, and he signed a contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. In 2016/17, Reed averaged 5.3 ppg and 4.7 rpg in 14.5 mpg, but with better options at both center and power forward positions, he was deemed surplus to requirements and Miami weren’t interested in extending his deal. Luke Babbitt is another unrestricted free agent who already found a new home and will represent the Atlanta Hawks in the upcoming campaign. The 28-year-old forward averaged 4.8 ppg and 2.1 rpg in 15.7 mpg for the Heat in 2016/17, and the former New Orleans Pelican will surely not be missed as Miami have better players on the roster.
Josh McRoberts left Miami after three years but he never was an important part of the rotation, and the Heat used him in a trade that saw AJ Hammons going the other way from Dallas. The 30-year-old power forward averaged 4.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg, and 2.3 apg in 17.3 mpg, and like Babbitt, there wasn’t place for him in the rotation, and he had to move on.
As I already mentioned, Chris Bosh retired from professional basketball due to severe health issues that forced him to miss the entire last season. One of the best players who ever wore the Heat jersey still could help the team, but the health comes in the first place, and all basketball fans will be sad not to see him on the court again. During his six-year stay in Miami, Bosh was a part of a golden generation and won two NBA titles in 2011/12 and 2012/13, alongside LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
However, the Heat kept another legend at the club – Udonis Haslem, who spent his entire 14-year career with them, and the fans are undoubtedly ecstatic that he stays for another year. The 37-year-old power forward is not playing a significant role on the court for the previous two years, but off the court, he is the team’s guru and leader, and the president Pat Riley is well aware of it, that’s why he decided to keep him for the 2017/18. Haslem has been a fantastic servant for the Heat and won three NBA championships with them. Miami also retained James Johnson and Dion Waiters, who played big roles in 2016/17. Johnson averaged 12.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.1 bpg, and 1.0 spg in 27.4 mpg, and his versatility means that he can be used as both small or power forward. The 30-year-old appeared in 76 games for the Heat in 2016/17 but started only five of them; however, that will change this time around as he is listed as the starter at the PF position, ahead of Kelly Olynyk, Okaro White, and Udonis Haslem. Dion Waiters had the best season of his career in 2016/17, averaging 15.8 ppg, 4.3 apg, and 3.3 rpg in 30.1 mpg. He, Dragic, and Whiteside formed a great trio and will be the Heat’s main players this year as well, so I expect another solid campaign for the 25-year-old shooting guard. Dion is listed ahead of Josh Richardson and Wayne Ellington on the depth chart and should get around 30 minutes per contest in 2017/18.
Miami’s starting lineup with Dragic, Waiters, Winslow, Johnson, and Whiteside looks more than capable of reaching the playoffs, and with some good options on the bench, the Heat can be quite optimistic towards the new campaign.
The Bottom Line and Total Win Prediction
It’s going to be an interesting battle for the Southeast Division as the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets will be big rivals for the divisional title, but Miami has the quality to clinch it. I expect them to enter the postseason without a problem, and to surpass the last year’s number of victories with ease. The bookies also think so, and the BetDSI Sportsbook set the number of seasons wins at 43.5, so I am going with over on this one and I suggest you to do the same.
Season total wins: 43.5 Over (-120)
