Since LeBron James left the Miami Heat five years ago, the three-time championship franchise has won a grand total of one playoff series. As I’ve written before, numerous roster moves haven’t panned out for Miami — from signing Chris Bosh to a max deal in 2014 to giving up two first-round draft picks to trade for Goran Dragic and giving Hassan Whiteside a four-year, $98 million deal.
Miami seemed stuck, with few trade assets and several bad contracts — not only Whiteside, but also underperforming veterans Dion Waiters and James Johnson having two years left on their deals.