It may have taken a while, but it appears that Miami Heat president Pat Riley is finally beginning to realize what the team’s fans already had figured out – that their roster is not presently good enough to compete for a championship. Riley’s decision not to go all-in during their pursuit of Kevin Durant pretty much echoed that.

NBA expert Zach Lowe laid it all out on a recent podcast, in which he essentially said that the Heat clearly got to the point where they realized a trio of KD, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro probably wasn’t good enough to compete in the Eastern Conference. It made the potential juice from a trade for KD not worth the squeeze.

If that’s the reason why Riley hesitated in putting all their young pieces and draft capital on the table, it does indicate growth from the front office. It also proves that this franchise may finally be acknowledging that they’re not an aging superstar away from competing in the East, no matter how wide open the conference may be.

The true test for Pat Riley and the front office

Of course, all of that could be swiped away by a completely irresponsible move at the NBA Draft or in free agency. For example, if the Heat were to make a trade for DeMar DeRozan or another veteran who is on a hefty contract that runs beyond the 2025-26 NBA season, while not raising the ceiling for the franchise significantly.

I’m not suggesting that the Heat can’t upgrade their roster by trading for a star or difference-making player this summer, but finding the right target will be of the utmost importance. At this point, if they’re not trading for a player like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Trae Young, Lauri Markkanen, Jaylen Brown, or Ja Morant, there’s little argument for pulling the trigger.

The Heat may be better off pushing back their pursuit of a star player until 2026, which is when they’ll have much more financial freedom and flexibility. Unless, of course, the Heat is acquiring one of those five players mentioned above.

While it may seem as if reality has finally clicked for the front office, we won’t completely know until we see how they operate during the remainder of the offseason. What is the biggest indicator that the front office has finally turned a corner? We should see moves that are not short-sighted and a team looking to expand on their flexibility.

If the Heat continues with that mindset heading into next summer, while also stockpiling assets with smart teardown deals, that means the front office has officially pivoted away from trying to “win now” to a team that understands they’re not close.

The Heat doesn’t have to rebuild. They just have to realize they may have to take a bit of a step back (this upcoming season) to take an even bigger one forward in 2026. Most fans have seen the light. The question is, has the front office truly come to that conclusion?