Miami Heat swingman Josh Richardson embraces a LeBron James return.
Wednesday, June 13, 2018 was supposed to be a monumental day.
No, not for you, me, or the Miami Heat (ok, maybe for you, I don’t know). Not even for Hassan Whiteside, who spent his birthday relatively low-key given, his usual social media outbursts.
As reported by the well known sources named “rumor” and “hearsay,” Wednesday’s importance lay in LeBron James’ alleged meeting with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Putting the basketball-verse on hold is a difficult feat, but James managed to do so.
Little news broke as the media and fans waited with bated breath of the latest leak or update from James’ enclave. Most (or least) notably, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski’s reports uneventfully started and stopped with the appointment of the Toronto Raptors’ Nick Nurse to the franchise’s head coach.
Whether James’ Decision Part II has taken place behind closed doors is yet to be seen, but the rumors have only further fueled speculation around his next chapter. Notably, Josh Richardson threw his pair of pennies into the blogosphere, welcoming a James return with open arms.
Josh Richardson, on LeBron: "We have great pieces to offer [for him] to play around."
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) June 13, 2018
It goes without question that Miami would welcome James back into the folds. However, the salary cap drives a wedge between the Heat’s intentions and actions. James was the second highest paid player in the association last season, earning $33 million in his deal with Cleveland.
Miami can’t afford James’ expected price tag without some roster remodeling. Unless Heat owner Mickey Arison expects an incredibly good season for Carnival Cruises, the Heat aren’t in a position to dip into the luxury tax to sign James to a relatively unproven team.
Assuming James is interested in another rendezvous in South Beach at something near the $35 million he would earn in Cleveland in 2018-19, cuts would be a must.
Wayne Ellington is as good as gone, as his 3-point specialty will likely net him the biggest contract of his career thus far. In the event of a Heat-Cavs sign-and-trade, Miami’s $35 million package for James could include as little as Goran Dragic and James Johnson or as much as Dion Waiters, Kelly Olynyk, Justise Winslow and Richardson himself.
Numbers aside, a reunion with James is a bold step into a mixed bag. Charles Barkley commented on the disruption James would cause to joining a young Philadelphia 76ers team, and something of the sort could be said for Miami.
"“He’s not coming to the Sixers,” Barkley said. “He’s not coming to the Sixers because he needs the ball, Simmons needs the ball and Embiid needs the ball. That would make Simmons useless.”"
Surely Winslow, Richardson and even Bam Adebayo could learn immensely under James tutelage, though the knowledge may come at the expense of real-world situations. Entering his 16th season, James is still very much his team’s No. 1. Having the Heat core take a backseat only jeopardizes the team if and when James decides to dip.
As the progenitors of James’ first NBA title, James will be forever linked to Miami until he signs elsewhere.
The high from 2010 to 2014 is akin to the bifocaled bibliophile taking off her/his/their glasses and becoming the star of the show. James’ greatness was always ready to party, and Miami was the push to get him on the dancefloor.
Next: Miami Heat: The Justise Winslow/Kawhi Leonard comparison
Gutting the team for another thrill ride could breed long term success, but could easily land Miami back on the starting block when the “Decision, Part III” rears its ugly head.