Julius Randle could be the latest Miami Heat free agent acquisition.
Déjà vu.
The Miami Heat are hoping for a reoccurrence of off-season surprises to quiet the questions of which direction management really wants to take the team. However, it is not likely to come in the form of everyone’s 2010 dreams.
Instead, fans can look for change more along the lines of the summer of 2003.
For those who do not remember, the Heat crafted a plan where they signed Elton Brand to an $84 million offer sheet. When the Los Angeles Clippers matched, they swooped in and signed Lamar Odom to one, knowing that Los Angeles would not want to match another.
Things will not happen in exactly the same way, but Miami should still look to pick from the Staples Center tree. With the target being Julius Randle.
It cannot be emphasized enough that team president Pat Riley chose to include a line in his post-season presser about the potential goal of aiming for a player in his 20’s that the team could develop. And Randle fits that mold.
By all accounts the lefty, power forward not only took a leap statistically, he took one in maturity. For example, not causing turmoil in the locker room as he shifted between the bench (33) and the starting lineup (49). All while averaging a career-high in points, with 16.1 a game.
Miami was given a taste of this when Randle averaged 25.0 points and 9.0 rebounds against them in two games this season.
To get a little more in depth, Randle scored 68.7 percent of his points in the restricted area, as opposed to Hassan Whiteside’s 69.4 percent. A slight drop off, but his ability to score from two-point range with zero dribbles (75.2 percent) and efficiency (62.2 percent) to bail out a play with three or more is higher than James Johnson’s (67.4 and 57.5, respectively).
Numbers like that would be a key component in moving Johnson back to the bench.
But is it beyond Miami’s means?
Everyone knows the team is cash strapped and in dire need of Riley’s genius, with a taste of general manager Andy Elisburg’s money management magic. It also does not help that although being able to compete is high on Randle’s list, there is no way the fourth-year player is settling for the mid-level exception.
Hope is two-fold though.
The Los Angeles Lakers want to clear cap space, in case they can pull off signing one of the summer’s big fish. Which could open the door to them relinquishing their rights to first refusal, rendering Randle unrestricted.
This could create a sign-and-trade opportunity for a team like the Dallas Mavericks, who supposedly have eyes for Whiteside, if a few pieces are added in to make the money match and ease the burden of the $52.5 million remaining on his contract.
If that scenario is too clean, the Lakers could always create a three-way, sign-and-trade with Miami and Dallas, that is mutually beneficial to all of their needs.
Next: DeAndre Jordan and the Miami Heat: A perfect fit?
There will always be doubts when it comes to the Heat’s salary cap situation, but there are definitely ways for Riley to make things happen.