Will Heat’s trade door be swinging open?

Probably not for some time as December has typically been quiet

MIAMI — The myth of the NBA is that Dec. 15 is the formal start of the trading period. The logic goes that since that is the first date players signed in the offseason can be dealt, it expands the permutations and lubricates the process.

It certainly is a process that could use some greasing: The NBA’s most recent deal came July 16, when the Houston Rockets finalized the trade of Chris Paul to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Russell Westbrook. In the five months since? Crickets.

Only Dec. 15 as a trigger date simply has not been the case in recent seasons, and next weekend might well preserve the status quo until some time closer to the Feb. 6 trading deadline.

Last season, the only trade in the immediate wake of Dec. 15 was the Dec. 17 deal that sent Trevor Ariza from the Washington Wizards to the Phoenix Suns for Austin Rivers and Kelly Oubre. Little of consequence followed until the New York Knicks shipped center Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 31.

The year before, the first trade after Dec. 15, 2017, did not come until Jan. 29, when the Los Angeles Clippers pulled the blockbuster that sent Blake Griffin to the Detroit Pistons.

Taken further, in 2016 there was not a single trade between Nov. 1 and Jan. 6.

And in 2015, the only trade between Nov. 10 and Jan. 12 was the middling Dec. 24 deal that sent Ish Smith from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Philadelphia 76ers for a pair of secondround picks.

In other words, Dec. 15 is not exactly Christmas in the NBA.

Then there is the Heat’s parallel patient approach.

For all the dealing Pat Riley has done over his two-plus decades with the Heat, and even dating to the inception of the franchise 32 years ago, the Heat have never made a trade in December.

Could there be a makeover on the Heat bench soon?

Ever.

Last season, Riley and the Heat waited until the Feb. 7 trading deadline, when there was the luxury-tax dump of Tyler Johnson and Wayne Ellington.

As it is, Jimmy Butler is the lone player on the Heat roster impacted by next weekend. Dec. 15 is the first date he can be dealt (he won’t). He has a 15% trade kicker to further mitigate the possibility (which isn’t a possibility).

Otherwise, every other player on the roster already has been trade-eligible, although forward Udonis Haslem, because of his one-year contract and Bird Rights, has the ability to veto any deal.

As to what could be in play for the Heat in upcoming weeks, there are a few considerations.

Dion Waiters, James Johnson: The barking has been limited from the doghouse, but the Heat gladly would offload either or both. The question becomes the degree of sweetener they would be willing to offer. As it is, both contracts expire before the 2021 offseason, the next time the Heat are expected to require cap space.

Kelly Olynyk: Olynyk has the ability after the season to opt out of the $13.2 million final season on his contract and become a free agent in July. A deal before the trading deadline could net the Heat something tangible in return. It could simply come down to how essential he is viewed in the rotation.

Meyers Leonard: Earning $11.3 million in the final season on his contract, Leonard could be swapped for a player earning less on the final year of a contract in order for the Heat to escape the luxury tax. Again, it could hinge on how vital he is viewed for 2019-20 success.

Goran Dragic: Also on an expiring contract, at $19.2 million, Dragic could be flipped for a future asset if the Heat believe they otherwise would lose him in free agency. That could make these upcoming games with Dragic sidelined with his groin injury as a test run.

Derrick Jones Jr.: This could come down to what the Heat do with Chris Silva. If Silva is, as expected, converted to a low-cost, long-term contract from his twoway deal, it could make Jones expendable in advance of his 2020 free agency, with the Heat unlikely to make a significant offer. If dealt, Jones would be accompanied by his Bird Rights, which could prove incentivizing for a pursuer.

Justise Winslow: At $13 million each of the next three seasons, with a team option for 2021-22, he stands with one of the more attractive contracts on the roster, potentially making him the ultimate sweetener in a trade. Unless, of course, the Heat view him as indispensable.

IN THE LANE

ANTI-CULTURE: It’s not that Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse is against establishing team culture. It’s just that he doesn’t necessarily view it in the cult-like way that some around the Heat do. Nurse explained when the Heat visited Toronto. “I think a lot of people like to talk about that, right?” Nurse said. “I don’t know. I’m not all that big on that word. I’m not going to sit here and say, ‘Oh, we got to create a culture.’ I think we certainly believe in work ethic; we certainly believe in being prepared. We believe in player development, team basketball and playing defense. Those are some things that I guess would say defines who you are, which would be the definition of that word. But I’d just rather feel it is kind of how we go about our business.”

ROOKIE PERSPECTIVE: In a pair of pieces assessing the 2019 draft for The Athletic, former Memphis Grizzlies executive John Hollinger offered his assessment on a pair of Heat rookies. Of No. 13 pick Tyler Herro, he wrote, “Looks at worst as a threatening bench sniper and possibly much more… . Nitpicking, you’d like to see more off-the-ball juice and fewer turnovers, and for him to embrace the fact that 3s are worth more than 2s (a third of his shots are midrange 2s). Can hebea Klay Thompson down the road? Probably not, but he’s one of the few guys in this draft where you can talk yourself into such outcomes.” Of undrafted Chris Silva, Hollinger wrote, “Thus far Silva’s game has mostly been about chaos — he’s averaging 19.6 boards and 3.5 blocks per 100 possessions — but there’s a chance there’s more hiding here. Silva has only attempted six shots beyond 10 feet, but he shot 75 percent from the line for his college career and in his final college season converted 23-of-46 from 3.”

ABSENT MALICE: Boston guard Jaylen Brown said there was no ill intent when he blew a kiss in the direction of Heat center Kelly Olynyk during the Celtics’ blowout victory Wednesday night. He said it merely was having fun with a former teammate. “That was for Kelly,” Brown said. “I don’t know if he was over there. That’s my guy. That was all love right there. I was showing some love. He said I was going to miss [him], so I sent some love over to him.” Brown said it was not the first time he offered such lip service. “People say I’m a non-shooter when I make it,” he said. “I guess that’s my gift over to them.”

SOCIAL STATEMENT: Lost in the Golden State Warriors’ tumble to the bottom of the NBA was the statement made a week ago by coach Steve Kerr, who honored Trayvon Martin’s family during the Warriors’ lone visit of the season to AmericanAirlines Arena. Kerr wore an “I am Trayvon Martin” wristband and provided tickets for the family, meeting after the game with Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton. Martin, 17, was shot and killed eight years ago in Sanford while unarmed. Kerr is a strident gun-control advocate. His father was shot to death in Lebanon in 1984.

WARDROBE STATEMENT: Former Heat assistant and now-dismissed New York Knicks coach David Fizdale said there was particular meaning behind the blue FDNY sweatshirt he had been wearing while on the job in New York. Fizdale said he received it visiting a firehouse where a college friend’s brother worked. “They’re the epitome of service. When we’re running away from a burning building, what do they do? They’re running in,” he related, according to the New York Post. In some ways, Fizdale at least now gets to escape the dumpster fire that is the Knicks.

NUMBER

Assists by former Heat center Hassan Whiteside in the Portland Trail Blazers’ Wednesday victory over the Sacramento Kings. “I love that backdoor pass,” he told NBCSports Portland. “I should have gone to Princeton. I don’t mind passing. I’m going to get better. I’m going to get better at making decisions.” Whiteside had 56 total assists in 72 games last season with the Heat.

LYNNE SLADKY/AP