What’s To Come
For possibly the first time in his career, Ellington will go into the offseason with a tremendous amount of leverage and the Miami Heat will have a decision to make as to where he fits in their future plans.
His value to the current iteration of the Heat is well-defined. He is immensely valuable for them offensively and when he is shooting to his averages, their offense reaches a different level as the need to honor the 3-point threat also opens up other opportunities for his teammates.
The Heat’s top two-man lineups in net rating (with over 150 minutes played together) feature five combinations of Ellington, including some of the highest offensive ratings.
All of this speaks to his value moving forward with the Heat, especially if this team is going to remain intact for another year or two, as these contracts continue to play out. But the Heat have a financial problem in that they don’t have a ton of flexibility to pay him more than he’s making currently.
If another team happens to swoop in with a larger offer than what the Heat can, it would be irresponsible for Ellington to not give it any consideration. He’s a player who has meandered through the league, often making much closer to the league minimum than a max deal. If he were to get an offer of something closer to $10 million per year, which is certainly possible if the fit is right, the Heat can’t match that type of money and risk losing him.
Next: Miami Heat Bam Adebayo: Then, now and what's to come
Ultimately, Ellington’s future will come down to what he’s looking for, but for the first time in his career, he holds leverage and can choose the best situation for himself moving forward.