Ira Winderman: Heat offseason a study in persistence, patience, and, now, possibilities

Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun Sentinel on Sep 27, 2026

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MIAMI — Thankfully, offseason is about to turn into preseason for the Miami Heat. Perhaps then summer blather will turn into tangible chatter.

When the Heat landed Shaquille O’Neal in the Summer of ’04 and then the Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in the Summer of ’10, the discourse was of potential possibilities, title talk, championship visions.

Such, seemingly, are the rewards of landing game-changing talent.

And yet this summer, when the Heat added a top-five talent in Giannis Antetokounmpo — a player who on any given night could stand as the best in the NBA — there instead was a discourse of doubt, that the two-time MVP and 10-time All-Star merely had shifted from a Milwaukee Bucks roster of uncertainty to a Heat roster of equal question.

Truth be told, a case could have been made back in June, when the deal was agreed upon, that the questions were legitimate. More was needed for the climb back from the franchise’s first playoff absence in seven seasons.

But there also was an entire offseason ahead.

So as the Heat plan for Tuesday’s start of training camp, how should the offseason be graded?

When it comes to a letter grade, score it as a “P” or, perhaps even a “P+.”

As in P for persistence

As in P for patience.

As in P for possibilities.

What followed the June 22 agreement on the blockbuster deal for Giannis was:

— The drafting of first-round talent (using summer league as the initial evaluation) Ryan Conwell in the second round on June 24.

— The re-signing of 3-point specialist Simone Fontecchio on July 2.

— The signing of Denver Nuggets free agent Tim Hardaway Jr. on July 6.

— A contract extension locking in forward Andrew Wiggins on July 6.

— The signing of Dallas Mavericks buyout free agent Klay Thompson on Aug. 23.

— The signing of Chicago Bulls free agent Nick Richards on Aug. 27.

— A contract extension reached with guard Pelle Larsson on Sept. 22.

And enough flexibility to add up to three veterans at the NBA minimum in coming days, weeks or months, if needed or desired.

By themselves, each of those listed moves in the wake of the agreement to land Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis from the Bucks back in June hardly shook the transaction Richter scale.

But sometimes it’s not about making a splash after the splash.

Sometimes it’s about persistence.

And patience.

And possibilities.

The initial knock on the Heat’s roster after that June 22 agreement with the Bucks for Giannis was about a lack of spacing on the perimeter.

If the threat of Hardaway, Thompson and even Wiggins, Portis and Davion Mitchell isn’t enough, it’s not for lack of pedigree.

Then it was about a lack of playmaking, as if Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo and the assist-to-turnover mastery of Mitchell had suddenly lost such selfless superpowers.

More recently, somehow there was a surfacing of questions about the overall defense, as if Antetokounmpo, Adebayo, Wiggins and Mitchell haven’t stood as superlatives in that regard, with Larsson in the process of creating such a resume of his own.

And, yes, questions remain about shot creation, legitimate questions. But there also is the immediate space to add another salary under the hard cap created by the machinations of the Antetokounmpo trade, with doors to open for two more (if Richards is waived ahead of his opening-night guarantee, and if Myron Gardner is waived after his $500,000 guarantee evaporates).

So, yes, work still to be done.

But also with time to get it done.

Which brings it back to persistence, patience and possibilities.

With Antetokounmpo, there was the patience not to overreact to being rebuffed in the bid for the Bucks big man at February’s NBA trade deadline, to then reload with an offer too good to refuse.

With Hardaway, Thompson and even Richards, there was the patience to wait out the market until the right players could be added at the right price.

And with the extensions with Wiggins and Larsson, the possibilities of adding to the mix in coming offseasons, with future payrolls aligned for moves of substance.

Two years ago, Heat media day at Kaseya Center arrived with Jimmy Butler arriving late in what portended rough waters ahead. He now can be found with the Golden State Warriors.

Last year, camp carried the cloud of Tyler Herro’s September foot surgery and the uncertainty of his future as a franchise leading man. He now can be found with the Bucks.

This year, the Heat will arrive at Florida Atlantic University for Tuesday’s opening session of training camp with doubts largely dissipated over the past three months, a roster aligned with Antetokounmpo and Adebayo.

No, not exactly a summer of sizzle after the Antetokounmpo acquisition, but one that showed the value of persistence and patience, as we now get to explore the possibilities.

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