NBA Season Preview 2018-19: 5 teams that this season will make or break

HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 15: Jimmy Butler #23 of the Minnesota Timberwolves reacts in the second half during Game One of the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on April 15, 2018 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

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4. Miami Heat

Halfway through the 2016-17 season, the Miami Heat looked dead in the water.

At 11-30, the Heat had the second-worst record in the NBA, ahead of only the 8-31 Brooklyn Nets. They were a whopping 9.5 games behind the eighth-seeded Washington Wizards, which seemed to set the stage for a trade deadline sell-off. Instead, the Heat ripped off 13 straight victories to get back within spitting distance of .500, and they finished the year at 41-41, missing out on the playoffs only due to a tiebreaker.

Emboldened by their second-half surge, team president Pat Riley splurged during free agency, handing out four-year contracts to James Johnson ($60 million), Dion Waiters ($52 million) and free-agent signee Kelly Olynyk ($50 million). However, that spending spree only amounted to 44 regular-season wins and a five-game first-round playoff knockout at the hands of the upstart Philadelphia 76ers.

Disgruntled center Hassan Whiteside is Miami’s most obvious trade candidate, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald has reported for months that some within the organization would like him gone. Riley has worked this offseason to repair the relationship between Whiteside and head coach Erik Spoelstra, according to Shandel Richardson of the Sun Sentinel, but the big man’s diminished trade value is the primary reason he’s still in Miami.

Whiteside ($27.1 million), Tyler Johnson ($19.2 million) and Goran Dragic ($19.2 million) each have player options for the 2019-20 season, but if all three opt in, the Heat will be flirting with luxury-tax territory. They’re already above the $123.7 million tax threshold this season, which could encourage them to shake up their roster ahead of the trade deadline if they get off to a slow start. If they plan to give Justise Winslow an extension or re-sign him as a restricted free agent next summer, they’ll all but certainly look to shed salary elsewhere.

They’ll struggle to find takers for Whiteside and Johnson without coughing up assets, but Dragic could be a potential trade target for teams in need of point guard help. (The Phoenix Suns or Orlando Magic, perhaps?) Outside of Josh Richardson and Bam Adebayo, the Heat may be willing to dangle any of their other players to see what they could fetch.