Miami’s decision to re-sign veteran point guard Beno Udrih reiterated the fact that the team is now Goran Dragic‘s following Dwyane Wade‘s departure from Miami to Chicago.

So far this off-season, in addition to Wade leaving, the Heat have lost Joe Johnson to the Jazz, Luol Deng to the Lakers, Gerald Green to the Celtics, and Amar’e Stoudemire to retirement. Miami has brought in a different crop of players to replace those veterans for the team’s 2016-2017 roster.

The Heat have added Dion Waiters, Derrick Williams, Willie Reed, Luke Babbitt, Wayne Ellington, and James Johnson, while retaining Hassan Whiteside, Tyler Johnson, Beno Udrih, and Udonis Haslem.

With the Heat’s new roster, the team is much younger than they were in 2015-2016. The team also promises to be a better three-point shooting team than last years, and one that can get out in the open court and run while playing at a much faster pace.

While Goran Dragic and Dwyane Wade got a long well, their two playing styles didn’t mesh well. Wade, who will be 35 in January, is now a crafty veteran versus the athletic highlight machine he once was. Dragic, who will be 31 in May, is able to succeed when there is open spacing on the court for him to operate – much different from Wade’s half court style.

When Dwyane Wade wasn’t on the floor, Dragic averaged 19 points, 6.8 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra made the decision to play to Goran Dragic’s strengths after Chris Bosh went down with a blood clot in his leg in February. The difference in Dragic’s numbers was evident:

The Heat dished out $98 million to Hassan Whiteside, and many expect that Whiteside will be able to emerge as the face of the franchise. For now, the Miami Heat are giving Goran Dragic every way possible to live up to his $85 million, and seeing what they have in the 30-year-old Slovenia guard the next three years.

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