Jan 29, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole (13) drives to the basket as Toronto Raptors guard Davion Mitchell (45) defends in the first quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Despite being ranked ninth in the NBA for defense, the Miami Heat have been inconsistent in getting defensive stops for prolonged game stretches.

These defensive lapses shouldn't happen much more because of the new defensive additions they acquired before the trade deadline.

Andrew Wiggins and Kyle Anderson were the main players the Heat received when they traded Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors. Davion Mitchell was a solid addition they made the following day in a trade with the Toronto Raptors. All three are excellent defensive options Erik Spoelstra can use in his schemes.

At the Heat's introductory press conference, Mitchell discussed how each player's cooperation with each other could potentially boost the team's defense.

"I'm excited," Mitchell said. "You got Bam behind you. Kel'el Ware, I kinda spent some time with him pre-draft. I was at the same gym with him, and I seen how hard he works. You got everyone just playing hard, and that's just the culture here. Then you have us three, Wiggins and Kyle Anderson, who show some length, can move their feet, and cover for one another. So I'm excited for what we can do."

HEAT VS NETS TAKEAWAYS: REINFORCEMENTS ARE ON THE WAY AFTER BLOWOUT LOSS

The Miami Heat (25-25) were outscored 31-9 in the fourth quarter as they blew their lead against the Brooklyn Nets (18-34) 102-86.

Here's a look at four major takeaways from the matchup:

1. Bam Adebayo was the only Heat player who didn't struggle offensively.

Adebayo finished with 18 points, eight rebounds, and one assist on 50 percent shooting and 33.3 percent from three-point range. He was the only player on the team who shot above 40 percent. However, he was also plagued by fourth-quarter struggles as he failed to do much to close the game out.

2. Tyler Herro had an extremely inefficient night.

Herro finished with 15 points, four rebounds, and six assists on 27.3 percent shooting and 18.2 percent from three-point range. Outside of the first quarter, where he had four of his six assists, he failed to get in a rhythm for the rest of the game. He also had four turnovers. This was after his previous two games, where Herro had seven and six turnovers.

3. Terry Rozier led both teams in scoring.

Rozier finished with 20 points, four rebounds, and two assists on 40 percent shooting and 50 percent from three-point range. He started the first half on fire with 15 points on over 50 percent shooting, but he was dreadful in the fourth as all but one of his tough shots failed to fall. He was the second player on the team besides Adebayo to shoot at least 40 percent from the field and the only player to shoot 50 percent from the perimeter. The Heat would've been blown out long before the fourth without him.

4. Kel'el Ware showed room for improvement with his rim finishing.

Ware finished with 10 points, 14 rebounds, and four assists on 33.3 percent shooting and missed both of his three-point attempts. Ware failed to convert on any of his layups outside his four dunks, mostly from lob passes. He needs to work on keeping the ball high when he's in the paint. As soon as he drops the ball towards his waist, defenders collapsed on him all game. Defensively, Ware's 7-foot size was a deterrent for the Nets in the first half but not much in the second. He finished with one block and one steal.

Despite the historic run from Jimmy Butler's tenure on the Miami Heat, they can finally breathe a sigh of relief with the ugly ending of their partnership.

Butler was traded to the Golden State Warriors for Andrew Wiggins, a protected first-round pick, Dennis Schroder, and Kyle Anderson.

Although Schroder is no longer there, it was a solid haul for the Heat, considering they no longer have to deal with an empty roster spot as Butler was still suspended. In return, they got Andrew Wiggins and a draft pick after being pretty successful with their last three first-rounders.

ESPN analyst Shams Charania spoke on Andrew Wiggins being a great fit for the Heat and what they need to replace several aspects Butler provided for them -- all without being a distraction to the team.

"I think a lot of people in Miami today are exhaling that this is over, and they can move on with their season," Charania said. "This had become a cloud on their season. Of course, Jimmy Butler was able to get exactly what he wanted out of this two month saga. But the Heat, they were ready to move on. In Andrew Wiggins, this is really a perfect fit for them at that wing spot. You think about him defensively. He's a real two-way player for them."