By admin 
On Friday, July 24, NBA legend LeBron James shocked the sporting world when he announced he was signing with the Philadelphia 76ers.
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The 76ers were among 10 teams that were considered legitimate contenders to sign the GOAT. Others that were involved in the sweepstakes included the Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Denver Nuggets.
The Miami Heat were another team said to be a finalist for James’ services, but like all of these other clubs, they lost out on the sweepstakes when he signed with Philadelphia.
Now that James to the 76ers is official, the Heat need to pivot immediately or else they will quickly get lost in the shuffle of the rapidly improving Eastern Conference.
The Heat Are Not a True NBA Title Contender
Even after acquiring two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo in a blockbuster trade with the Milwaukee Bucks, I do not consider the Heat a true title contender, especially now that they missed out on acquiring James.
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When they traded for Antetokounmpo, the Heat completely gutted their depth, as they sent four roster players plus their first-round pick this year for him and Bobby Portis Jr. With it now being almost a month into free agency, there aren’t a ton of big-name options left for Miami to sign, not to mention that the salary cap is a real issue for the Heat.
Taking a look at Miami’s roster right now, this is what they will go into next season with:
PG: Davion Mitchell
SG: Tim Hardaway Jr.
SF: Andrew Wiggins
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
C: Bam Adebayo
Bench: Bobby Portis Jr., Pelle Larsson, Dru Smith, Myron Gardner, Simone Fontecchio, Nikola Jovic
Sure, that’s a playoff team. But are the Heat really better than the 76ers or New York Knicks, the two co-betting favorites to win the Eastern Conference? No. Not even close.
The good news for Miami is that they have open roster spots and there are still a couple of intriguing free agents on the board they can pivot to now that James has signed in Philadelphia.
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But none of them are as good as James, and as much as Heat president Pat Riley and head coach Erik Spoelstra won’t admit it, losing out on bringing the GOAT back to South Beach is going to go down as a huge swing and a miss for Miami, who truly needed to get James to win the NBA title this year.
Without him, and even with Antetokounmpo on board, they don’t have a chance.
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Options to Replace LeBron James
The Heat were likely counting on James to sign with them, but now that he’s off the board, they need to immediately pivot and find someone else to replace the scoring that he would have brought to the team.
Perhaps the most obvious addition is veteran NBA swingman DeMar DeRozan, who was waived by the Sacramento Kings earlier in the offseason as only $10 million of his $26 million contract was guaranteed. With the Kings in rebuilding mode, it made more sense for them to let DeRozan go and hit the free-agent market.
Yet, three weeks into free agency, DeRozan is still on the market. If I had to guess, he was waiting for James to make his decision before being the next-best option for teams who are looking for a professional scorer, which is what I refer to DeRozan as.
Yes, he’s not good defensively. Yes, he’s getting older. Yes, he can’t shoot from 3-point range.
But DeRozan knows how to drive to the bucket and get a basket when it counts; he’s good at getting to the free-throw line, and he provides veteran leadership. Plus, he’s rarely injured, so you can count on him to play a full slate of games.
Given that DeRozan is likely to only get a veteran’s minimum contract, any contender who missed out on James that needs a scorer is likely to contact him. The Heat are one of those teams, and DeRozan seems like a perfect fit for them at this stage of free agency.
If I were a betting man, and I am, I’d say DeRozan to Miami is almost definitely going to happen.
Other potential options for the Heat include former MVP Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal, and Jonathan Kuminga. But Westbrook and his shooting issues don’t seem like the right fit, Beal is always injured and can’t be counted on, and Kuminga probably wants too much money. So, DeRozan is the guy who makes the most sense.
No, he’s not James. Far from it. But DeRozan is the best guy left on the market who fills the Heat’s need for scoring, availability, and price, so it just seems like a perfect fit for both sides.
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This story was originally published July 25, 2026 at 5:07 AM.