MIAMI — Each season there seems to be that name, the name of the player who could make the Heat roster better, make the roster whole, make the roster championship level.

Last season, it was Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was chased through the final ticks at February’s NBA trade deadline, not to be obtained until the offseason. Before that, it was Damian Lillard, Kevin Durant and a bushel of wishful thinking.

This summer, there were ample would-have, could-have, should-have names mentioned as finishing pieces, most notably LeBron James, before his signing with the 76ers.

The personnel game, of course, is never-ending, at least as long as the perception remains that something better is out there, someone who can turn good to better, or even best.

For this Heat roster, that name could be Kyrie Irving.

Yes, plenty of baggage there, from the politics to the injury history to the concerns about adding a 34-year-old to a roster already with ample 30-somethings.

And yet, when considering where this Antetokounmpo-Bam Adebayo build is most lacking, Irving’s skill set is one that arguably could complete the process set in motion this summer by Pat Riley, Andy Elisburg and the rest of the front office.

Playmaking? Check. Shot creation? Check. Ability to make it work with a superstar? The history is there, be it with LeBron in Cleveland, Luka Doncic in Dallas.

Then there are the factors that could open the door for a potential trade, namely Dallas going young with Cooper Flagg as leading man, and already the start of somewhat of an overhaul with the buyout that allowed Klay Thompson to sign with the Heat.

Yes, the Mavericks are saying all the right things, about having a veteran floor leader to advance the growth and development of a largely youthful roster.

But there also is the reality of Irving having the right to walk after this season, with a player option for 2027-28.

This typically is when such players tend to get shopped from non-contenders, if not now, then by February’s trade deadline.

Yes, it has only been two years since the Mavericks were in the NBA Finals. But the thinking behind bringing in Irving and Thompson was to complement Doncic. Then came the unfathomable Doncic trade to the Lakers by previous Mavericks management. Now there is a Flagg timeline that in no way corresponds to a Kyrie timeline (even as Irving said this past week he hopes to be alongside for Flagg’s growth as a player), something even Mavericks ownership acknowledges.

Which brings it back to the Heat, and the question of whether there is a deal to be had, a deal to be made. (And therein lies the rub.)

By rule, a trade for Irving would have to include at least 75% of returning salary of the $39,491,282 he is due this season, meaning the Heat would have to send out at least $29.6 million in contracts. However, with the Heat hard capped at the first apron of the luxury tax due to the machinations of the acquisition of Antetokounmpo, the Heat currently cannot take back much more than $2 million in salary beyond what they send out.

Also, if sending out multiple players for Irving, the Heat then would have to account for replacement players for the extra roster spots, to get back to the NBA minimum of 14 players under standard contract.

The reality is that with such a top-heavy salary structure, with Antetokounmpo earning $58.5 million this season and Adebayo earning $49.5 million, there are limitations of what the Heat could package.

That math likely would come down to Andrew Wiggins (due $30.2 million this season), Nikola Jovic ($16.2 million), Bobby Portis ($14.5 million) and Davion Mitchell ($12.4 million).

Then there is the logic element from the Dallas perspective.

If getting younger is part of the Mavericks’ thinking, Wiggins, turning 32 in February, hardly makes the most sense.

Ditto with Portis, who also turns 32 in February.

As for Jovic, the Mavericks hardly appeared interested when it came down to a potential trade for Thompson before that buyout, with Jovic only this season beginning his four-year, $62.4 million extension.

As for Mitchell, he is an impending free agent after this season, and therefore a contractual unknown.

So, no, nothing like the package the Heat were able to piece together for Antetokounmpo, with much of the tradable future draft assets also dealt.

The Heat also could trade a conditional first-round pick that would go out either by 2029 or as part of a multi-team pick swap in 2030.

But they can’t deal Pelle Larsson, who could be enticing to an outside team but is the lone Heat player ineligible to be dealt this season, by virtue of the extension signed last month.

The reality is that multiple teams likely would be needed if working under the assumption that Wiggins (and of course Antetokounmpo and Adebayo) would not be part of a pitch for Kyrie.

About the best the Heat could offer based on their current roster — which arguably seemingly would not stand as all that tempting for the Mavericks — would be Mitchell, Jovic, Portis and that complicated/tangled offer of a first-round pick.

A case could be made that Mitchell simply would be replaced by Irving, leaving the Heat upgraded at point guard, even with Dru Smith and two-way player Tre Donaldson in reserve.

As for losing Jovic and Portis (if Giannis even would allow it), it would leave the Heat threadbare in the power rotation behind Antetokounmpo and Adebayo.

Still, if you are building around Antetokounmpo, Adebayo and Irving, you would be in a far better place than with your current starting lineup.

So, yes, Kyrie would make sense for the Heat, even if it would leave Elisburg and his abacus with plenty to maneuver through from a cap standpoint.

It seemingly would make sense for Kyrie, who has spent most of his career as a big-three component.

How much sense for the Mavericks is another story — and a significant story — with far stronger potential pick packages elsewhere.

But with Giannis, the Heat already have seen one team blink, so there’s also that.

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