Q: Interesting look at next summer’s free agency in that piece you did, but it also shows that Pat Riley is trying to replicate 2010 and the Big Three, which doesn’t happen anymore. That is why you have to prioritize the draft more than this team does. – Eli.
A: Actually, going to disagree. While I pointed out in my column that players don’t get to free agency as often as in the past, mostly due to extensions too lucrative to bypass, the reality is that the two players highlighted in that piece both were acquired in trades – Luka Doncic by the Lakers, De’Aaron Fox by the Spurs. So I think what it shows is that rather than waiting for free agency, the key might be trading for players ahead of their contract years, making them comfortable, and then getting them under longer-term deals. Further, you then also are creating capital going forward for trades. For example, while De’Aaron Fox now has his money, it’s not as if the Spurs can’t flip him elsewhere down the line, just as the Lakers flipped Anthony Davis for Luka. Prudent trades, as much as prudent drafting, might be the way to go going forward. In that regard, might the Heat have been better off extending Jimmy Butler in order to have a potentially tradeable asset? The answer there likely will center on whether Andrew Wiggins turns into a tradeable asset. The Heat have done well on the trade market. Now they might have to do better.
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Q: Kel’el Ware needs to play 32 minutes with his full energy and powers while he’s on the floor. None of that lackadaisical b.s. he did versus Cleveland, standing upright and letting Jarrett Allen steal the ball for a fastbreak. Fully engaged – mentally and physically. This is the biggest Heat X-factor. If Ware plays to his full potential, I won’t even care if Bam Adebayo improves, because he won’t have to. A fully engaged and active Ware honestly could very well be our highest upside and best player. – Swann.
A: Not willing to go as far as “best player” while Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and even Norman Powell and Andrew Wiggins are on the roster. But the most impactful upside? Sure, willing to meet you there. But the question is whether the motor is there? Kel’el Ware is willing to work when pushed and challenged (as his final summer-league appearances showed), does all that is asked. But in the moments of truth, is there enough within to self-energize? Sometimes it just isn’t a player’s personality. With Kel’el Ware, that’s the starting point for the next step.
Q: It’s time to tank. – Richard.
A: Asking the Heat to tank would be like asking the Heat to score more touchdowns, hit more home runs, or convert more free kicks. It won’t happen, because it’s not how they play the game.