Who will be sold from Miami’s, culture?
To restock the war chest, Riley needs to push eject on some of his favorite projects who have come to embody The Culture, which range from Ellington, Rodney McGruder, James Johnson, even Goran Dragic. These players can help contending teams, but they can’t turn a team into a contender.
On the heels of LeBron James leaving for Cleveland and Dwyane Wade leaving for Chicago, Riley’s approach in 2017 was an understandable one. His mistake was overvaluing his own players, and believing they could attract a star in a trade the same way he was able to swing the Shaquille O’Neal deal more than a decade prior. James Johnson was not Lamar Odom. Waiters was not Eddie Jones.
Instead of paying pennies on the dollar for a star, now Riley may have to sell his stock before it hits rock bottom. Some say the NBA Draft is a gamble. So, too, is free agency. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. Riley lost. It’s time to reshuffle and play again.
With the trade deadline approaching, front offices are making countless calls to other front offices. Maybe something will get done. Probably it won’t. To paraphrase, as one league executive told The Athletic’s (subscription required) Sam Amick, you don’t get trade deals done without a lot of “yes” and “no’s.”
As cap expert and NBA insider Keith Smith explained on a recent episode of my podcast Locked On Heat, trust is a major factor in these talks, and certain executives have “go-to guys” with whom they’re comfortable. That includes Riley and Andy Elisburg.
Of the 30 NBA teams, the Heat have dealt with 10 of them since the end of the Big Three era in the summer of 2014, to varying degrees.
Here are those teams and why making deals with friends via the NBA lunch table may be the best idea moving forward. Hey Danny, how much for that snack pack? We have a nickel and a banana.