South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Heat face an intriguing offseason
Robinson, Herro figure to get big paydays
Last weekend was about free agency. The coming week will be about the starting of training camp. Such is the tornado of an offseason on steroids.
There can be no exhale, just a second wind to get back up to speed.
So what to make of how the Miami Heat emerged from free agency? Three thoughts:
• It is becoming increasingly evident that there may not be a specific, quote, unquote Jimmy Butler Team with the Heat, a roster with constant complements, the way the Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh had Mike Miller, Mario Chalmers, Udonis Haslem, James Jones and other enduring elements.
For Butler, his Heat tenure began with the possibilities of Justise Winslow, James Johnson, and Dion Waiters alongside.
Then it was the season-ending rotation with heavy doses of Jae Crowder and Andre Iguodala.
Now there are the potential fits of Precious Achiuwa, Avery Bradley and Maurice Harkless.
And, all the while, there is the front-office goal of adding another leading man, be it the Giannis Antetokounmpo infatuation or an elite free agent or trade acquisition.
In the end, the most stable roster of Butler’s career might have been his initial roster with the Chicago Bulls and developing alongside Luol Deng, Taj Gibson, Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose.
• For as expertly as the Heat have crafted their salary-cap sheet, including the nominal cap hold for next summer’s free agency with Duncan Robinson (either
$2.1 million or $4.7 million if he, as expected, meets “starter criteria”), the bill assuredly is coming due with the 3-point revelation.
Even in a depressed freeagency market, the value placed on shooting was sobering, with Joe Harris receiving $75 million over four years from the Brooklyn Nets, Davis Bertans $80 million over five years from the Washington Wizards, Danilo Gallinari $61.5 million over three years from the Atlanta Hawks and Bogdan Bogdanovic $72 million over four years from the Hawks.
And that is where it will get interesting for Pat Riley and Andy Elisburg next summer.
Already, the Heat have Butler on their 2021-22 books at $36 million, Bam Adebayo at at least $28.1 million (and possibly $33.7 million if he makes one of the All-NBA teams or is named Defensive Player of the Year), with the hopes of luring an elite talent to play alongside those two.
So with Robinson seemingly in line for upward of $18 million, it not only would create a roster overwhelmingly top heavy, but perhaps one awkwardly positioned for Tyler Herro’s 2023 free agency.
• So where do the Heat’s moves leave the team, with Achiuwa, Bradley and Harkless in, and Crowder, Derrick Jones Jr. and Solomon Hill out?
Largely where they stood last season, with a shot to fight for homecourt advantage in the first round in the Eastern Conference and then steel themselves for something more significant in the playoffs, which yet could potentially offer Bubble 2.0.
The Milwaukee Bucks, whether with an extended Antetokounmpo or not, will again push for regular-season supremacy, if only to re-instill confidence with Giannis.
The Brooklyn Nets have waited more than a year for this Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving moment.
The Boston Celtics still have Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker (Better than Butler, Bam and Goran Dragic?).
And the Toronto Raptors made a sneaky good signing in Aron Baynes after losing Serge Ibaka and the remnants of Marc Gasol.
Yes, Herro’s game is on the rise, and Achiuwa could provide a welcome boost of youthful athleticism to a team that could be returning with a playoff hangover.
But what ultimately could redefine this season’s Heat from the team that wrapped things up at Disney on Oct.
11 is the complete Andre Iguodala, an element yet to be fully integrated into mix. Last season, it was almost as if Crowder was playing the role of Iguodala. This season, there is no such alternative.