South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Heat perspectives and the frenzy of NBA free agency
So many names, so many signings, so many thoughts, so many Heat perspectives.
Sorting the opening week of NBA free-agent signings through a Heat prism.
Victor Oladipo: Minimum contracts rarely come with significant backstories, but the inking of Oladipo was part of something bigger.
At the March NBA trading deadline, the Heat put themselves in play for Oladipo, Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker while insisting that Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro would not be put into play.
Five months later, the Heat have Oladipo, Lowry and Tucker under contract . . . and Robinson and Herro, as well.
For the Heat, again something out of nothing, nearly as impressive as adding Jimmy Butler during the 2019 offseason in the void of cap space.
Kendrick Nunn: This is the duality of the Heat developmental program.
On one hand, the Heat helped resurrect Nunn’s career when they signed him on the final day of the 2018-19 season and developed him into a player who would become 2020 runner-up to Ja Morant for Rookie of the Year.
On the other hand, it’s as if he never truly was allowed to establish a foothold, the Heat continually prioritizing the potential of Herro over the reliable consistency of Nunn.
Now, having moved on, the reality is that Nunn well could wind up shuffled out of Los Angeles’ mix in light of the Lakers also adding Malik Monk, Wayne Ellington, Kent Bazemore, Trevor Ariza and Carmelo Anthony.
At least there is the consolation of his two-year, $10 million contract, albeit a figure Nunn had expected to be at least double.
Andre Iguodala: A return to the Golden State Warriors always made too much sense for it to end any other way for Iguodala, essentially getting to achieve Dwyane Wade-like closure with a franchise where he helped produce championship success.
Iguodala’s tenure with the Heat felt like a rental from the moment he was acquired, with the payoff of a significant contribution in the run to within two victories of the 2020 NBA title.
Hassan Whiteside: At the $98 million height of his Heat career, Whiteside openly questioned the consensus on Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert as the superior candidate for NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
That had Gobert taking to Twitter with, “You can have good stats but hurt your team… numbers do lie sometimes.”
To that comment, Evan Fournier, Gobert’s teammate on the French national team, piped with, “Blancote’?? LOL.” The translation is self-evident, as was antipathy that continued with Whiteside’s move to the Western Conference as a Gobert opponent.
Then, this past week, Whiteside signed at the NBA minimum to serve as a backup in Utah to . . . Gobert.
Another irony? Being signed by a team that features Wade as a part owner. To say Whiteside drove Wade to distraction at times would be an understatement.
John Collins: The former Cardinal Newman standout from West Palm Beach dared the Atlanta Hawks to blink, turning down a four-year, $90 million extension ahead of this past season.
They did, with Collins receiving a five-year, $125 million deal in the wake of the Hawks’ run to the Eastern Conference finals.
He bet on himself, and won.
DeMar DeRozan: The Heat were linked to the veteran guard early in free agency. But three years at $85 million?
Yes, the Bulls have been aggressive the past five months in adding Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball and DeRozan to the mix with Zach LaVine and Patrick Williams, but to what end?
The DeRozan contract is a reminder that while some players might be willing to sacrifice salary, that willingness has limits.
Bobby Portis: When it comes to the notion of one that got way, this could stand as the closest Heat example this time around, with the Heat being able to outbid Milwaukee (with Portis lacking Bird Rights with the capped-out Bucks).
Portis, with his range/ rebounding recipe, seemingly set up as more of a fit alongside Bam Adebayo than P.J. Tucker or Markieff Morris, but elected to go for a two-year, $9 million deal from the Bucks that eventually will take him into Bird Rights.
Kelly Olynyk: Sometimes it’s simply about the money, so from the West-worst Houston Rockets to the East-worst Detroit Pistons it was, to the tune of $37 million over three years.
The upshot is that the former Heat center got paid and well could be targeted by contenders come the 2022 trading deadline.
Kemba Walker: There is a playoff history between the Heat and Walker that started with the Charlotte Hornets and continued with the Boston Celtics. Now, thanks to a buyout from the Oklahoma City Thunder, there stands Walker with the New York Knicks, further seasoning an already spicy rivalry.
Considering the Knicks finished a game ahead of the Heat last season, the temperature between the teams figures to further simmer.