The Heat off-season preview begins now because that is where it is most important to concentrate. The play-in tournament will end with them qualifying for the playoffs (and losing badly in the first round) or being eliminated. At the end of last season, longtime Miami based talk show host Dan LeBatard presented that the Heat were “at a crossroads” in their long-term plans. Very quietly, that appears to be the biggest headline for the team.
Nick Arison vs. Pat Riley
In July 2025, Dan LeBatard discussed the Heat on his show. The claim presented was that Nick Arison, the CEO of the Heat possibly had a different view of the long-term plans versus Pat Riley’s “win now” philosophy. Nick Arison quietly was promoted to CEO in July 2011. Nick Arison is the son of Mickey Arison. He has “cut his teeth” during his time with the Heat before becoming CEO.
The subject of discussion was on the Heat’s failures to lure a big name free agent to Miami. Also, the blowback of the supposed curse of annually ending up in the play-in tournament. Riley is 80 years old and Arison is around 45 and was a ball boy when Riley was coaching the team. The “better angels of our nature” demands that Riley follow Arison’s lead to maintain consistency, but that is wishful thinking.
Five things for the Heat to do in the off-season
5. Don’t extend Tyler Herro or Norman Powell — Powell and Herro are injury prone and do not defend well. It off-sets their scoring ability. Any extension of those players will drain “time” for the Heat.
4. Find a way to trade Nikola Jovic — the responsibility placed on Jovic with his extension at the start of the year was too much to bear. Jovic is Serbian, but instead of wishing to play like Vlade Divac, he wants to be like Andrea Bargnani or Danilo Galinari.
3. Get another young big man to push Ware — Kel’el Ware is a good big man for the Heat because he has suffered and survived a steep learning curve this season. He needs constant motivation. Vlad Golodin may be the other big to push him but the Heat should look for a veteran big man or a hyper-talented big in the draft.
2. Straighten out any issues in the front office — Whether Pat Riley is at odds with Nick Arison’s view of the future of the franchise or Nick Arison is desperate for Riley to retire, the two men need to find a way to “move the franchise forward.”
1. Examine moving Erik Spoelstra to the front office and naming a successor — Spoelstra’s energy may best be suited to a front office role similar to Brad Stevens in Boston. Chris Quinn has long been considered the main replacement for Coach Spoelstra. It is known amongst most of the franchise that he will be the next coach.
