The Miami Heat lost more than its first game in the Play-In Tournament on Wednesday night. According to multiple reports, Jimmy Butler is expected to miss multiple weeks due to an MCL injury in his right knee. Butler injured his knee at the end of the first quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Miami Heat lost more than its first game in the Play-In Tournament on Wednesday night. According to multiple reports, Jimmy Butler is expected to miss multiple weeks due to an MCL injury in his right knee. Butler injured his knee at the end of the first quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers.

@justinchannel7

Celtics and Heat, Game 5 This poem is about the Boston Celtics’ victory over the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics came out strong and never looked back, thanks to a strong performance from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The Heat were left to say “We’ll see you in Game 6,” but the Celtics will be confident after their win. #poetry #basketball #nba #celtics #heat #game5 #easternconferencefinals

♬ original sound – Just In! – Just In!

Now, the Heat will return to Miami and face the Chicago Bulls in a must-win game. However, the majority of the damage is complete. With a possible matchup looming against the Boston Celtics with no Butler, Miami’s current build is likely facing its demise.

Jimmy Butler injury forces Miami Heat into impossible position in playoffs

Before analyzing the future of the Heat’s current roster, the team still has one more game against Chicago on Friday night. Yet, the challenge of defending breakout guard Coby White and company may be too much for an injury-depleted Heat team.

Butler will not play, while Terry Rozier, Miami’s most consistent scorer, has an uncertain status with a neck injury. Duncan Robinson was made available for the game in Philadelphia but never touched the floor with a wrap around his back.

This doesn’t even include Josh Richardson, who underwent shoulder surgery in March. Needless to say, the Heat are severely undermanned, and if the Bulls don’t send them into the offseason on Friday, the Celtics will likely land the knockout punch in the first round.

Tyler Herro, who shot 9-of-27 from the floor on Wednesday, and Bam Adebayo will be tasked with leading the Heat moving forward. Outside of Herro and Adebayo, there isn’t much left. Caleb Martin and Kevin Love are the only significant contributors from last year’s playoff run.

Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Haywood Highsmith, and Delon Wright can make an impact, but without several key players, a team’s depth can only be tested so much. Either way, it’s a disappointing end, whether it’s Friday night or a likely exist in the first round against Boston.

So, what’s next for this current Heat build? With the offseason approaching, it seems pretty likely the NBA world will find out sooner rather than later.

Miami Heat’s current build should end after 2024 playoffs, what could be next?

Butler, Adebayo, and Herro have been the core players of the Heat since the 2019-’20 NBA season. Herro has survived several trade rumors, while the rest of the roster has been a revolving door for role players. However, it seems likely that an era of Heat basketball is near.

It started with the Portland Trail Blazers’ stubbornness in trade discussions for Damian Lillard and ended with no backup plan. In all reality, Herro and former Heat player Kyle Lowry never should’ve entered the year on the roster with the rumors floating around during the offseason.

So, what will likely be the first step? Including Herro in a trade package that brings back a piece that fits Butler’s timeline. It has been rumored for several years, but Pat Riley and company need to make a move now. Their hands are being forced with a likely early end to the season.

Could Lillard return to the drawing board? Will anyone else become available? Those questions will come into the picture when the NBA season is over, but it’s something to watch. Robinson and Herro carry a combined $48 million cap hit next year, and they seem to be the two most likely trade candidates.

As for free agents, Martin, Love, Richardson, and Wright lead the way. In all likelihood, Richardson will return after his injury, and Love will stick around as the veteran presence. With other roster movement likely on the way, it paves a path for another new crop of role player.

This current Heat build made two NBA Finals and came up just short twice. It was due to unfortunate injuries along the way. Adebayo’s shoulder, Goran Dragic’s foot in 2020, Butler’s ankle in 2023, and now an MCL injury that likely sends Miami into a retool.

Make no mistake. Butler, Adebayo, and Rozier represent a very solid core of three players. Combine them with the return for Herro, and something special could be brewing in Miami. Rozier’s neck injury came at the worst possible time, so the world didn’t see him continue his excellent play since being acquired.

No matter what happens on Friday night, win or lose, the Heat are destined for a new era of basketball. It could be as simple as trading Herro or something even more drastic with the motto, “Everyone except Bam.” Yet, we won’t find out until June.

The image of Butler holding his knee at the end of the first quarter is much more than a lost opportunity in the playoffs. It could be the lasting image of the current Heat build that many have grown to love and hate over the last five years.