Miami Heat's Offseason Checklist: The Case for Ben Simmons

The Miami Heat have spent the past week methodically crossing items off the offseason checklist. Shooting? Klay Thompson. Size? Nick Richards.

One question still hangs over everything.

Who actually runs this offense when Davion Mitchell sits down?

Mitchell is penciled in as the starting point guard, but behind him the depth chart bends out of shape quickly. Dru Smith is an option, yet Tim Hardaway Jr., Thompson and Pelle Larsson are wired to play off the ball. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo can trigger sets from the frontcourt, but there’s still no second proven ball-handler who can calm a possession, get the team organized and live with the ball in his hands.

That’s where the Ben Simmons conversation starts to make sense.

A Gamble That Fits Miami’s DNA

Simmons, 30, is trying to drag his career out of the deep freeze after sitting out last season. Sacramento Kings general manager Scott Perry flew to Florida this week to watch the former No. 1 pick work out, according to Sactown Sports 1140’s Carmichael Dave. The radio host later relayed that someone in the gym said Simmons “looked fantastic.”

For Miami, that’s the sort of line that usually triggers a closer look.

On a veteran minimum deal, Simmons would be a classic Heat move: a calculated swing on a distressed asset with pedigree. Miami has built plenty of rosters on exactly that kind of bet.

This isn’t about resurrecting the three-time All-Star from his Philadelphia days. That player is gone, and expecting him back would be a mistake. The Heat wouldn’t be signing a franchise engine.

They’d be signing a specialist.

Defend. Rebound. Create.

At 6-foot-10, Simmons still offers a rare blend of size and vision. In his last NBA season, 2024-25, he averaged 5.0 points, 5.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds over 51 games split between the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers. The scoring fell off. The playmaking instincts never really did.

His shooting issues, the flaw that helped drag his career off course, haven’t vanished. Any team that brings him in has to build lineups with that in mind. Long stretches with Simmons, Antetokounmpo and Adebayo sharing the floor could suffocate spacing and clog the paint.

But the Heat have quietly armed themselves to fight that problem.

Thompson’s arrival gives Erik Spoelstra one of the most dangerous shooters the league has seen. Hardaway, Andrew Wiggins and Simone Fontecchio stretch defenses from the perimeter. Richards gives Miami a true backup center behind Adebayo, so Simmons doesn’t have to moonlight as a small-ball 5 just to get minutes.

That opens the door to a cleaner role: second-unit initiator, point forward, switch-everything defender. Exactly the kind of job description this roster still lacks.

Richards Signed, Priorities Shift

Richards’ signing doesn’t just add size. It changes the calculus on Miami’s final roster spot.

Before he arrived, another big man sat near the top of the wish list. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported that the Heat intended to use their 14th spot on a power forward or center, with Richards among the names drawing serious interest.

That box is ticked now.

Spot No. 15 can be something else.

Around Antetokounmpo and Adebayo, Miami has already reshaped its identity. Thompson brings championship equity and elite shooting. Richards brings rim protection and rebounding. What’s left is a clear, specific hole: a player who can take the ball, steady the offense and create shots for others when Mitchell rests or slides off the ball.

Simmons fits that description. He also comes with flashing warning lights.

Back problems derailed his career and kept him off the floor. He hasn’t played an NBA game since 2025. He told Men’s Health that nerve pain helped push him to step away before he began this latest comeback attempt over the summer. Any team that signs him is betting not just on talent, but on a body that has betrayed him before.

There’s also the matter of competition. If his Florida workout really was as sharp as advertised, Sacramento won’t be the only team circling. The Kings are hunting for a veteran guard behind rookie Darius Acuff Jr., and they can dangle a clearer path to minutes than Miami can.

What the Heat can offer looks different.

A defined role on a contender. A coaching staff that has built a reputation on squeezing value out of unconventional pieces. A roster that, thanks to Richards, no longer needs Simmons to solve multiple problems at once.

For the veteran minimum, his mix of size, defense and playmaking is the kind of upside swing that usually gets Miami’s attention.

Now the question is simple: do the Heat trust their culture enough to bet it can bring Ben Simmons back to life?