Miami Heat's Roster Decisions: Could Ben Simmons Be the Key?
The Miami Heat have spent the past week crossing items off a contender’s shopping list.
Klay Thompson arrived to fix the shooting. Nick Richards came in to give them a true backup center. One roster spot remains, and it points to the question that won’t go away:
Who actually runs this team when Davion Mitchell sits?
Mitchell is penciled in as the starting point guard, but behind him the depth chart bends out of shape quickly. Dru Smith can handle some of the load. Tim Hardaway Jr., Thompson and Pelle Larsson are wired to play off the ball. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo can initiate from the frontcourt, but Miami still lacks a reliable backcourt organizer — someone who can calm a possession, see the floor and get the right player the right shot.
That’s where Ben Simmons suddenly becomes more than a curiosity.
A Gamble That Fits Miami’s Identity
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, who later relayed that an attendee said Simmons “looked fantastic.”
For Miami, that’s the kind of report that usually triggers a closer look. On a veteran minimum contract, this is exactly the calculated swing the Heat have lived on for years.
No one in the building would be expecting the three-time All-Star version from his Philadelphia days. That player is gone. The need is simpler now, and more specific.
- Defend.
- Rebound.
- Create.
At 6-foot-10, Simmons still offers one of the strangest skill sets on the market. In his last NBA season in 2024-25, split between the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers, he averaged 5.0 points, 5.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 51 games. The scoring dried up, but the vision and feel for the game never fully disappeared.
The problem, of course, hasn’t changed. His shooting limitations helped drive his decline and would demand careful lineup choices from Erik Spoelstra. Put Simmons on the floor with Antetokounmpo and Adebayo for long stretches, and the spacing could vanish in a hurry.
Miami’s recent moves at least give Spoelstra a way to fight back against that.
Thompson brings one of the purest jump shots the league has ever seen. Hardaway, Andrew Wiggins and Simone Fontecchio add more perimeter threats. Richards’ arrival means the Heat finally have a traditional center behind Adebayo, so Simmons doesn’t have to moonlight as a small-ball 5 just to get minutes.
Use him differently, and there’s a path.
Spoelstra could turn Simmons into a second-unit initiator, a point forward who pushes in transition and guards multiple positions. He could be the connector piece for bench-heavy lineups, the one who turns stops into easy points before the defense gets set.
That’s a role this roster still doesn’t own.
Richards Signed, Priorities Shift
Richards’ signing quietly changed the calculus on Miami’s 15th and final roster slot.
Before he came aboard, another big man sat at the top of the wish list. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported that Miami wanted to use its 14th spot on a power forward or center, with Richards among the names drawing real interest.
That box is checked now.
With the frontcourt reinforced, Miami can afford to think differently about the last place on the team sheet. Around Antetokounmpo and Adebayo, the roster has already undergone a major renovation. Thompson brings championship scars and elite shooting. Richards adds size and rebounding. The glaring hole that remains is a steady hand who can handle the ball and create for others when Mitchell isn’t on the floor.
Simmons fits that description, but he also brings baggage.
Back issues wrecked his trajectory and have kept him off an NBA court since 2025. He told Men’s Health that nerve pain played a major role in his decision to step away before launching this latest comeback attempt over the summer. Any team signing him is betting on both his body and his mindset holding up over the grind of a season.
If his Florida workout truly impressed, Miami won’t be alone in weighing that bet. Sacramento is hunting for veteran guard help behind rookie Darius Acuff Jr., a situation that could offer Simmons a clearer path to minutes and perhaps a larger role.
Miami can counter with something else entirely.
A defined supporting job on a team that expects to play into May. A coaching staff that has built a reputation on extracting value from unconventional players. And, thanks to the addition of Richards, enough roster balance to justify one more roll of the dice.
For the veteran minimum, Simmons’ blend of size, defense and playmaking is exactly the kind of upside play the Heat usually explore before they close the book on an offseason.
The only real question is whether they’re ready to let one of the league’s great what-ifs try to rewrite his story on South Beach.
