A: Well at least the Heat control full rights to their 2026 first-round pick, which would not have been the case if they were in the lottery in June. Now, they still need to get it right, with their 2027 (lottery-protected) or ’28 first-rounder (unprotected) due to the Hornets from the Terry Rozier trade.

The Heat are operating in something of a middle ground, competitiveness-wise, in their first full season of the post-Jimmy Butler