Miami Heat Projected Starting Lineup After Jimmy Butler Acquisition

The Miami Heat were not expected to be major players in free agency this offseason, but managed to pull off a couple clever sign-and-trades in order to bring in Jimmy Butler on a max contract and ship Hassan Whiteside off to the Portland Trail Blazers. While the 2018-19 Heat looked rudderless at times, the 2019-20 squad could sneak back into the playoffs.

5. C: Meyers Leonard

Heading to South Beach after sending Whiteside to the Pacific Northwest, Leonard's 5.9 points and 3.8 rebounds won't blow you away, but those numbers should be taken in the proper context. He was not a valued offensive option and lost playing time to Enes Kanter late in the season. At the end of the day, Leonard is a 7-1 center that can shoot threes at a 45% clip, and that's exactly what the Heat need at this juncture.

4. PF: Bam Adebayo

While Adebayo saw a lot of time at the 5 last year, the acquisition of Leonard from Portland in the Whiteside deal could force Spoelstra to make Adebayo the 4 over James Johnson. At this point, he's still more of a rim-runner than anything else, but his ability to muscle his way to the rack is genuinely impressive and the best way for him to keep developing is to get reps in the starting lineup.

3. SF: Justise Winslow

The Heat might have accepted that Winslow will never be a terrific scorer or shooter, but his ability to handle the ball, guard multiple positions, and bang down low should keep him in the starting lineup. With Butler in town, Josh Richardson in Philadelphia, and Goran Dragic nursing an injury, Winslow could be their second-best scorer.

2. SG: Jimmy Butler

While the Heat had a solid infrastructure with Pat Riley and Mickey Arison at the top and Erik Spoelstra on the sideline, their lack of a star -- no, Hassan Whiteside doesn't count --left them only able to tread water in the East. Yes, Butler can be a little prickly and demanding, but he's a premier scorer, defender, and shooter that could instantly galvanize Miami and lead them to the playoffs.

1. PG: Goran Dragic

While Dragic could be on the move soon as part of the cap gymnastics needed to bring in Butler, he is in Miami at the time of writing. While injuries limited him to 36 games in 2018, his season averages were exactly the same as his career averages of 13.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. If he stays in Miami, the Heat will head into the season with an above-average point guard.