Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
As options shrink, Heat may need to think big
LAS VEGAS — As the NBA marketplace sizes up, the need for middle men dwindles.
For a team such as the Miami Heat, it could mean more triple post play.
Included in the league’s latest round of moves, the Dallas Mavericks finalized their $22.9 million, oneyear agreement with former Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, the Washington Wizards completed their two-year agreement with Dwight Howard, the Portland Trail Blazers settled on a four-year, $48 million deal with Jusuf Nurkic and the Golden State Warriors formally took DeMarcus Cousins off the market.
Teams in need of big men no longer are quite as abundant, if even existent.
Against that backdrop, the Heat continue on with Hassan Whiteside, Kelly Olynyk and Bam Adebayo in their rotation at center.
If there is an option of alleviating the glut, it is not quite as apparent.
“You have more teams looking to move off big men than teams looking to add,” an NBA Eastern Conference executive said Saturday at the NBA Summer League, requesting anonymity while discussing another team’s situation. “And you have to look at it as, ‘Do you need to make a move?’ It’s still early. These things have a way of working themselves out.”
All three of the Heat’s big men have been active of late, Olynyk playing for the Canadian national team during its latest round of World Cup qualifying, Adebayo again being cast as a featured attraction during summer league and Whiteside making it clear through social media that he is working hard both in the weight room and on the court.
Part of the Heat’s approach during summer league has been casting Adebayo in a role somewhat similar to that of power forward James Johnson, although not with quite as much of a 3-point bent. That could alleviate some of the scramble for minutes in the middle.
But unless there is a trade that suddenly surfaces, many of the potential landing spots are no longer fertile ground for big men. Even the Oklahoma Thunder appear more likely to buy out or waive Carmelo Anthony than put him into a trade, amid their severe luxury-tax concerns. As it is, the Thunder added Nerlens Noel behind Steven Adams, with little need for any other big man.
While the Heat have not addressed whether they are attempting to thin their rotation at center, the market for big men has lagged for several free-agent options, such as Brook Lopez, Montrezl Harrell, Greg Monroe and Alex Len, players who now would appear to be available at a discount.
The Heat are not the only team in the downsizing NBA with more centers than minutes to go around.
The Orlando Magic, for example, still have to work out a way to create minutes for first-round pick Mo Bamba, with Nikola Vucevic and Bismack Biyombo on their roster.
Several teams, in fact, are carrying third centers that easily could be moved, such as the Chicago Bulls with Robin Lopez or Omer Asik, the Atlanta Hawks with Miles Plumlee, the Charlotte Hornets with Timofey Mozgov, as well as the New York Knicks with awayfrom-the-team Joakim Noah.
Among teams that possibly could move for depth at center are the Brooklyn Nets, beyond Jarrett Allen; the Los Angeles Lakers, beyond JaVale McGee; the Detroit Pistons beyond Andre Drummond; the San Antonio Spurs, beyond Pau Gasol, and the Houston Rockets under the longshot chance of losing Clint Capela as a restricted free agent. In almost all those cases, there are power forwards who could slide over in today’s small-ball NBA.