IN THE LANE

TUCKER TIME: When it comes to negotiations, sometimes you have to shake your head and move on. Yes, P.J. Tucker was instrumental in the Heat’s push within one victory of the NBA Finals. And, yes, for years he arguably has been underpaid. But because of their position in regard to the NBA hard cap, the Heat’s best offer came in at a starting point of

$8.4 million for 2022-23. The 76ers offered their mid-level exception of

$10.5 million. The absence of state tax in Florida would have made the difference negligible in value of the total three-year packages. Didn’t matter. Tucker wanted his first career eight-figure salary. The $10 million mark meant everything to the 37-year-old veteran, having not earned more than $8.3 million in any previous season. The Heat quite literally got caught up in a numbers game, or, more precisely, a numeral game. He was beloved by his Heat teammates, and felt the same in return. He continually praised the coaching staff for expanding his role. But he couldn’t get his $10 million salary. So he left.

UNEVEN RIDE: In the end, it proved to be an uneven ride for Lonnie Walker with the Spurs, never truly able to gain a foothold after being selected out of the University of Miami at No. 18 in 2018. So on to the Los Angeles Lakers it is, on a one-year, $6.5 million deal at the taxpayer mid-level exception. The writing for Walker basically was on the wall after San Antonio drafted Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley, with the trade of Murray making it clear the Spurs wanted to refresh (and tank?) everything. Of Walker, Spurs General Manager Brian Wright said, “I think the way the draft played out kind of changed the trajectory of our roster and made the opportunities a little bit different than maybe they would have been had the draft gone a different way.”

NEXT STEP: Former Heat center Nemanja Bjelica long has marched to his own drummer, so perhaps it is not surprising that in the wake of contributing to the Golden State Warriors’ 2022 NBA championship he nonetheless bypassed his NBA free agency to return to play in Turkey. Recall, in 2018 he left the Timberwolves to sign with the 76ers in free agency, backed out to play in Europe, and then changed his mind and took a three-year deal with the Sacramento Kings. Eventually, he was dealt from the Kings to the Heat, where he (and the Heat) flamed out in the 2021 first round.

LESS TRAVELED: When it comes to the Heat’s summer roster, no one has taken a path less traveled (or more traveled) than Kyle Allman Jr. Undrafted out of Cal State Fullerton in 2019, the 6-foot-4 guard played 2019-20 in Greece, 2020-21 in Latvia, and this past season in France. He is scheduled to play with the Heat in both the California Classic and Las Vegas summer leagues.