It doesn’t seem like Charles Barkley is a believer in the 2022-23 Miami Heat.
The Hall of Famer thinks the Heat “need to start over.” He feels that Miami should trade away some players to contending teams and get some young pieces in return.
“It might be time to break the team up and start over,” Barkley said. “They got some contracts that’s like…they’re no good. So, they need to start over. That’s my personal opinion, it’s like, hey, trade some of these guys to contenders or teams that [can] get us some young guys and start over.”
It’s a suggestion that many Heat fans won’t like, especially because of what Miami accomplished last season. Just months ago, the Heat were playing in the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals with a chance to advance to the NBA Finals for the second time in three seasons.
Of course, Miami fell short, but the postseason run had fans believing that the team was just a couple of roster improvements away from becoming a serious title threat.
Unfortunately, those roster improvements didn’t happen in the 2022 offseason, as the Heat didn’t make any major additions. It was a frustrating summer for Miami, and that frustration has only grown during the squad’s 2022-23 campaign so far.
Entering play on Thursday, the Heat are 11-14 on the season. They would barely snag a play-in tournament berth if the season were to end now.
Miami has a truly special player in Jimmy Butler, but it seems like they’re in danger of wasting his Heat career. The six-time All-Star is a phenomenal playoff performer who has carried Miami in multiple postseason runs, but at no point in his Heat career has he had enough help to win the team a title.
Butler is 33 years old, so his production isn’t going to last forever. If the Heat want to win a title with him, they’d be wise to give him some help as soon as possible.
Time will tell if Miami makes some additions before this season’s trade deadline, which is set for Feb. 9. The Heat have been linked to some names, but it may require a truly impactful trade for Miami to have a chance at this season’s championship.
Regardless, the Heat would surely like to exhaust as many options as possible before taking Barkley’s advice to blow up their roster.