Miami Heat: Declining a Ryan Anderson trade was a smart move

The Miami Heat recently took a pass on adding Ryan Anderson to the 2018-19 roster.

Every time a hypothetical trade is floated through the NBA’s collective membrane, one question is more important than any other.

“Who says no?”

Though it’s become a bit of a meme across the internet – The Portland Trail Blazers trade Damian Lillard to the Sacramento Kings for Zach Randolph, Willy Cauley Stein and an In-N-Out Double-Double, who says no? – figuring out which side of a deal is unlikely to work is, in theory, a healthy exercise.

Thankfully, when it came to trading James Johnson and Tyler Johnson to the Houston Rockets for Ryan Anderson, the Miami Heat spoke up.

They said no.

The Rockets are in what is possibly the most entertaining pickle of any NBA team next season. They will field three of (arguably) the top-100 basketballers to ever Grace the NBA.

Yet somehow, they got worse.

Adding Carmelo Anthony to the core of Chris Paul and James Harden is noteworthy for all the wrong reasons. Anthony is neither the hyper-athletic defender, nor the knock down 3-point shooter that the Rockets need to find success in the loaded Western Conference.

Having lost both Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute in free agency, Houston is returning to the 2018-19 season with an exterior that appears as sleek as a Tesla, but has the gas mileage of a Hummer H2.

So it’s understandable that general manager Daryl Morey and company would try and swap out Anderson for a pair of younger, more defensively-minded players.

For Morey, trading to the Eastern Conference makes sense.

The Heat are not in direct competition with the Rockets and are thereby more likely to indulge a deal. And, as a bonus, Anderson directly addresses the streaky 3-point shooting Miami wrestled with last season.

Additionally, Anderson was just one of five Rockets players last season to hit at least seven 3’s in a game.

For comparison, the same could be said about only two Heat players last year: Wayne Ellington and Josh Richardson.

In the end, no amount of coaxing persuaded the Heat into a trade.

Similar to the Anthony acquisition, for Miami to pick up Anderson would be a lateral move at best, only further contributing to Miami’s future discussions on how to improve their roster.

The Heat’s biggest weakness moving forward is their slate of salaries.

Much of Miami’s core is signed to the team through the 2020 season at least. On that front, Anderson would have been merely a sidestep. He’s on the books through the 2020 season, making $41 million until his free agency, at age 32.

Even if Anderson had a stellar, All-Star caliber season with Miami, having to deal with another contract that rivals Hassan Whiteside’s would surely send the Heat fanbase into despair.

Though Tyler Johnson is set to make a few dollars short of Anderson next season, thanks to his 2016 deal, he excels in at least one area Anderson can’t: age. At just 26, Miami can still hope to move Johnson if they so choose, relying on the upside of age and future potential to boost his trade value.

Anderson however, has largely shown exactly the type of player he can be: a stretch-four who won’t win his team any defensive accolades.

But more important than salary reasons, declining the Anderson trade makes sense on the court as well. For the second time in two seasons, Miami is faced with the dilemma of deciding how to proceed with Luke Babbitt.

Babbitt is built in the same vein as Anderson. His 3-point specialty is his greatest attribute, helping to jumpstart Miami’s scoring in dire situations.

Still, the Heat have yet to re-sign Babbitt this summer, despite re-acquiring him at the trade deadline from the Atlanta Hawks.

Babbitt, who made just $1.9 million with Miami last season, is essentially the bargain bin version of Anderson. And given that Anderson’s 26.1 minutes per game he averaged with Houston would likely be reduced in Miami, his massive salary combined with limited run is the exact opposite of what the Heat need.

Though the Miami Heat haven’t improved on paper this offseason, they’ve stuck to the strategy that brought them success last season.

Re-signing Ellington brings back one of the greatest shooters in Heat history, while a handful of players received surgery or treatment to ensure they are 100 percent for the season’s start.

Anderson may have been a gamble and a potential shakeup, but Miami’s current trajectory is better off without rolling the dice.