Heat 2024-25 Betting Preview: Prediction, Roster Projection

The Miami Heat are 15 months removed from an NBA Finals appearance, but they appear to be more of a long shot ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.

NBA futures odds are available at the online sportsbook, including Miami Heat odds for NBA champion, division winner, and player awards.

Heat Futures Odds

Win Total: 44.5
Southeast Division: +165
Eastern Conference: +2500
NBA Championship: +5000

The NBA odds market won’t overlook Heat culture, but this team’s stock has dropped a bit.

Miami is +5000 to win the NBA Finals after being +3000 last preseason. The Heat have the longest preseason value to win the East since being +2200 in 2019-20 when they reached the NBA Finals.

The Heat’s win total also dropped by one after winning 46 games last year.

Heat Offseason Moves

The Heat experienced plenty of roster turnover this offseason, though they didn’t lose much in actual production.

Additions

Departures

The Heat could regret losing Caleb Martin, who signed a reasonable deal with the Philadelphia 76ers. Martin averaged 10.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game for Miami last year.

Miami selected Kel’el Ware in the first round of this year’s NBA Draft. Ware, a big man from Indiana, flashed his potential during the NBA Summer League.

Heat 2024 Betting Prediction

Prediction: Heat to Make Play-In Tournament (-110)

The Heat have become used to being in the Play-In Tournament, appearing in each of the past two years.

Miami, as the No. 8 seed, made it all the way to the NBA Finals in 2023, losing to the Denver Nuggets. The Heat lost to the eventual champion Boston Celtics in the opening round last year as the No. 8 seed.

While I’m tempted to take the plus-money price on Miami to miss the playoffs, there are too many tanking teams in the Eastern Conference to feel confident in that wager.

The safer play is the -110 value on the Heat to reach the Play-In Tournament. The East is more formidable at the top, but there are enough weaker squads to keep the Heat from falling too far down the standings.

2024-25 NBA Team Previews & Predictions