Miami Heat

Heat open as big underdogs to win 2015-16 NBA title

Published Jun. 17, 2015 2:10 p.m. ET

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It seems that bookmakers might not have a ton of confidence in the Miami Heat's ability to restock and return to championship contention next season.

Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel reports that two different sites have opened with the Heat well back of the betting pack for the 2016 NBA title. Bovada has the Heat listed at 33-to-1 to win it all next season, while Pregame has Miami even further back at 50-to-1.

That discrepancy can reflect a lot of different things, of course, but it seems logical to credit (or blame) it at least in part on the uncertainty in Miami this summer. Dwyane Wade using the past tense to describe his time with the Heat last night certainly didn't help. And there's the question of bringing back Goran Dragic for next season -- and the resulting changes in Miami's strategy and tactics that would come with a commitment to Dragic. Health questions could unfortunately linger for the Heat, too, and there's no guarantee Hassan Whiteside will duplicate his breakout performance from last season.

If everything falls into place, Miami could be a force to be reckoned with next season. But there are a lot of pieces of this puzzle.

(h/t Sun Sentinel)

Photo Credit: Steve Mitchell/USA Today Sports