Sum total of Heat offseason? Riley hints it could be waiting game for 2027

Q: Why is Pat Riley suggesting a waiting game for the Miami Heat's offseason?

Pat Riley believes the team should focus on becoming a cap team by 2027, which may require delaying significant offseason commitments.

Q: What does it mean for the Miami Heat to be a cap team in 2027?

Being a cap team means the Heat would have more flexibility with their salary cap, allowing them to make more strategic roster moves.

Q: Which players might not receive contract extensions this summer?

Players like Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Pelle Larsson could be affected by the Heat's cautious approach to contracts.

Q: What did Pat Riley say about extending contracts for the Miami Heat?

Riley emphasized the need for discipline in extending contracts, suggesting that the team should be careful with big-money commitments this offseason.

MIAMI — And now . . . a waiting game?

Somewhat muted amid Pat Riley’s comments this week about the need for decisive Miami Heat change were cautionary words about a process that also could be deferred, put on hold.

“We’d like to be a cap team,” Riley said of being able to operate with cap space, rather than the limitations of cap exceptions. “I think we’d like to be a cap team in 2027. I think that’s common knowledge.”

Such a commitment, in turn, could lead to fewer commitments this summer, such as extensions windows open for Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Pelle Larsson.

“I think right now we have to show a level of discipline in extending out contracts or big-money contracts,” Riley said. “I think you’ve got to be a little bit careful with that. It’s not an indictment against any of our guys.”

It effectively could leave Erik Spoelstra coaching a roster in limbo, without much in the way of long-term commitments.

To a degree, the Heat have been here before, when there was retrenchment for an extended period in order to reset.

“Just like we planned for four years from 2006 to 2010, and you have to sort of see a little bit into the future with other player contracts,” Riley said.

As in the reset from the franchise’s initial championship to the 2010 free-agency haul of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh.

No, the 2027 free-agency class is nothing like that 2010 class, nor is free agency as weaponized as in that previous era. But a stockpile of cap space also could facilitate trades far more easily than working solely with cap exceptions.

So for now, likely a summer of go big or go home when it comes to a move that would scuttle such 2027 cap space.

“We will always do the very best we can,” Riley said. “If there’s a player that comes on the market and you can negotiate for them, then we’ll always take that approach. It’ll be nothing different than over the last 31 years.”

As in Giannis Antetokounmpo now, if truly made available by the Milwaukee Bucks, or space later.

Among those who can stand available on the 2027 free-agent market are Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Anthony Davis, Donovan Mitchell, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant and Rudy Gobert.

The trend has been that few actually would relocate. But hopium has long been a powerful intoxicant at 601 Biscayne Boulevard.

“You need talent to win in this league,” Riley said. “You need top-end, bucket-getting closers at the end, that transcend some of the other players you might have in the starting lineup. You need those guys.

“We have found that out here, that when we had the very best players or player on the court at the end of the game, we all felt a lot more comfortable and confident that we could win that game. That may not be the case right now.”

And might not be the case for a while.

Which, could, in turn, turn the focus back to youth next season, as the war chest for the 2027 offseason is stocked.

“How do we maximize and create value in our players that we believe in?” Riley said. “Even if it costs you during the regular season, you’ve got to play them through their bad times and you’ve got to play them through their ups and downs.

“I’ve read all the criticism of our young players, but nobody ever really gives them the notion or gives them the space to be young and to make mistakes and not to be who you think they should be in three or four years.”

As it is, the Heat already hinting to the prioritization of the 2027 offseason by the way the four-year extension for Nikola Jovic was written, one that starts with a $16.2 million salary for the versatile big man next season, before dropping to a $14.9 million salary in 2027-28, and then moving back up to $15.1 million in 2028-29 and $16.2 million in 2029-30.

So either dynamic immediate change, or more development next season as the Heat buy time for the 2027 offseason.

“These are players that come in and every one of them, I think Spo and staff has developed all of them in a way that there’s value there,” Riley said. “There is value. I think it’s important to understand that.”