The Miami Heat are one of the most promising teams entering the 2026-27 season, with Heat fans ecstatic to finally enter a new era of Miami Basketball. After acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Miami Heat went from a borderline rebuild into title contention conversation. They have the defense, they have the scoring, but there are a few factors they must improve in order to truly compete.

One of those factors is shooting. As a team led by Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo, although your defense and overall scoring inside of the mid-range is going to be perhaps the best in the NBA, the shooting from beyond the arc is something both players and the Heat franchise themselves have always struggled with.

Last season, Miami ranked 14th in the NBA in 3-pointers made, and 15th in the league in overall shooting percentage, per TeamRankings, a mediocre statistic, but anything below excellent is not good enough for a team that wants to compete for their 4th championship in franchise history.

A positive aspect of this issue is that there are plenty of options to fill in this gap, all sitting right in free agency or on teams that are willing to negotiate a potential deal.

A Quick Overview Of The Miami Heat’s Roster

The Miami Heat, on paper at least, have one of the best frontcourts in the league, led by Olympic Gold Medalist and NBA All-Star Bam Adebayo and the newest Heat member, former NBA MVP and Champion, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Other incredible talents on the roster include former Champions in Andrew Wiggins and Bobby Portis, 2 highly underrated players in Miami.

Giannis, when being introduced as an official member of the Miami Heat, said, “I’ll say one thing: I like challenges. I’ve realized I like living with pressure… If I’m in an environment without pressure and I don’t believe we can achieve something great, I don’t want to be there… What makes me happy is winning and feeling there’s a challenge.”

This not only proved that Giannis feels like Heat Culture is where he feels he can compete again, but it also indicates that he is still hungry for more success. The Miami Heat front office must capitalize on this thirst for victory and surround him and his teammates with more firepower to take on the newly strengthened Eastern Conference.

When talking about upgrading the roster, one key factor the Miami Heat must address is the lack of firepower in the backcourt. Overall, at the guard positions, the Miami Heat are relying on a young, inexperienced Davion Mitchell, showing their thin depth in the backcourt. This is a major issue for the Heat.

The lack of playmaking abilities and overall guard skills that players such as Adebayo and Antetokounmpo thrive on is a major flaw in the Heat’s game plan, with teams being able to easily destroy the Heat’s defective offensive system. Miami needs a better Point Guard not only to unlock their star talent, but also to run the offense smoother and to close out games.

Who Are The Miami Heat Targeting To Fill These Voids?

After missing out on a potential LeBron James reunion, the Miami Heat currently have 4 veterans on their radar, all of whom have expressed interest in some way to play for Miami or leave their respective franchises. All the Heat need to do to finalize their roster is to sign at least 2 of these all-time greats, but who will they choose?

The first of which, and perhaps the most logical, is former 3-Point Champion and 4-time NBA Champion Klay Thompson. Thompson, who is currently playing for the Dallas Mavericks, would be a perfect fit for the Heat, single-handedly filling in the void that they have when it comes to shooting.

Although he is getting older and less effective, in the 2025-26 Season, Klay Thompson averaged 11.7 Points, making 3 3-Pointers a game, shooting an impressive 38.3% from downtown. This is nowhere near prime Klay Thompson, who was rivalling Stephen Curry as the best 3-Point shooter in the world from 2013-2019, but it will do the job for Miami.

The next player on the list, and perhaps the most expensive, is a 36-Year-Old DeMar DeRozan. Despite being one of the oldest players in the NBA with 17 Years of experience, DeRozan remains one of the best scorers, averaging 18.4 Points, breaking a 12-Year 20+ Points Per Game streak he held since 2013.

DeRozan’s ability to take over in the clutch and his knockdown Midrange game is a blessing in disguise for the Miami Heat, taking some of the pressure off Giannis and Bam to perform each and every game. A third player to create a new Big-Three in Miami would increase their odds of a championship overnight.

The final 2 players on the list are slightly older and less effective, but nevertheless are what the Heat are looking for. The first of which is Russell Westbrook. After being waived by the Kings, Westbrook has been linked to the Heat for weeks, but rumours are emerging that the Heat are “hesitant” to sign the former MVP due to locker-room tensions.

The final player that analysts and insiders expect the Heat to sign is Bradley Beal. Beal, who averaged 30+ Points in back-to-back seasons only 5 Years ago, does not playmake too well, but could be the key to a more aggressive playstyle in Miami, and would fit perfectly with Giannis and Bam.

Miami is one of the most storied teams in the NBA, and after missing the Playoffs for the first time since 2018, Pat Riley agreed that he would never rebuild, and once again shocked the world by trading for Giannis. Just like he did back in 2010 and even 2006, the Heat refuse to back down, and maybe this will finally win them that well-deserved 4th title.

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