Miami Heat

Miami Heat

Magic forward Franz Wagner suffered a high ankle sprain Sunday against the New York Knicks, his MRI revealed. An MRI conducted Monday showed that forward Franz Wagner suffered a left high ankle sprain. He sustained the injury during the first quarter of Sunday afternoon's game at New York.His return will depend on how he responds to treatment.

Before the season, I wanted the Heat to play faster. Well, they have done that, and then some. Through 20 games, the Heat are out-pacing the rest of the NBA, by a lot. They are first in PACE at 106.1, nearly two possessions per 48 minutes above the next-highest team (Bulls - 104.4). They are running and gunning by far the most of any Erik Spoelstra-led team behind their new free-flowing offenses that has all but eliminated ball screens from the equation.

On December 15, the Miami Heat's path toward a potential blockbuster trade for Anthony Davis will be much more of a possibility, because that's the date when many of the free agents who signed contracts this past offseason become trade-eligible. AD is already trade-eligible, but the more players that are eligible to be moved will make it much more likely for the Dallas Mavericks to find a possible blockbuster deal. For the Heat, Dru Smith is the only additional player who becomes eligible to be traded.

Following two consecutive home wins for the Miami Heat, they are now heading back on the road- starting with a Friday night Emirates NBA Cup matchup versus the Chicago Bulls. Outside of placement in the NBA Cup standings, this is a crucial game for both teams. The Heat are currently the fifth seed in the East at a 9-6 overall record, but Chicago isn't trailing far behind them with an 8-6 record as the seventh seed.

If the Heat want to make a genuine run to the playoffs this season and be anything but an afterthought in the Eastern Conference, they're going to have to add some size to the equation. Unless, of course, the Heat believes Vlad Goldin could work his way to the point where he could factor into the rotation more during the second half of the season. However, considering he hasn't logged a regular-season minute for the Heat so far this season, that may be a stretch.

Bam's struggles in the fourth quarter And sure, Bam struggle for much of the second half offensively, but I don't think many fans understand the responsibility he held on the other end of the floor. Considering how overmatched the Heat were (from size perspective) in the frontcourt, Bam had his hands full all night long. Even more so consiering Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra decided against playing Kel'el Ware while the game was being decided.

Even though the Heat weren't very successful as a team this preseason, there were some bright spots. The play of Norman Powell was certainly one of them. Powell closed the preseason by averaging 16 points on 45 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent shooting from 3-point range. If nothing else, it does seem as if the Heat will be able to rely on Powell as a strong contributor to the team.

On Tuesday, the point guard has seemingly managed to turn up the volume of such chatter as we head into the regular season. In this online era of the 21st Century, it's common practice for players to air out their grievances on social media. Young appeared to have done just that via his personal X account, as he posted a simple yet thought-provoking three-word message that should have Miami and, frankly, the rest of the league tuning in.

Butler, a member of Atlanta's NBA 2K26 Summer League 2025 team, appeared in 27 games (all starts) for Kentucky during the 2024-25 season, tallying career highs of 11.4 points, 4.3 assists and 2.9 rebounds, in addition to 1.6 steals in 26.0 minutes (.498 FG%, .391 3FG%, .735 FT%). A native of Moreno Valley, California, Butler spent his first four collegiate seasons suiting up for San Diego State (2020-24), leading the Aztecs to the 2023 NCAA National Championship Game.

Bringing back Precious Achiuwa on a one-year non-guaranteed deal might end up being a footnote in the Miami Heat's transaction log. It may also prove once and for all that they have no intention of adding traditional size to the rotation. Yes, Achiuwa is considered a big man. And he could help offset what is, right now, an extremely heavy burden being placed upon Bam Adebayo at the center position.