Could memories of Chris Bosh scare the Miami Heat away from presenting Brandon Ingram an offer sheet in the summer of 2020?
In a little less than two weeks, Chris Bosh will become the fourth Miami Heat player to have his jersey drawn into the American Airlines Arena rafters. A ceremony that will remind management and fans of what was and what could have been, and possibly what they need to avoid in the future.
By now everyone has heard the seemingly absurd proclamations of Heat president Pat Riley in regards to the summer of 2020. Not only has he spent time trying to convince anyone listening that Miami could be a destination for two elite free agents, but he has done so without acknowledging the hole in his plan.
Forget the fact that the team lacks the funds to afford a pair of max contracts, because moves can be made to address that. The bigger issue is the lack of star power in the class Riley is targeting.
As far as impact players go, Miami’s best and worst bet would be to aim at restricted free agents, with the hopes of prying one away with the type of contract that netted them Lamar Odom in 2003.
In all honesty, even pulling that off would take some magic. However, taking a shot at Brandon Ingram would not have been an ideal plan.
For starters, Ingram’s name had been in trade rumors—for Anthony Davis—and word broke last week about he and his team’s alleged discomfort with the Los Angeles Lakers thereafter. That makes him the prime player to attempt to steal out of New Orleans, Los Angeles any other town where he ended up.
If the dysfunction was not enticing enough, seeing a post-All-Star game average 27.8 points per game on 57 percent shooting should have peaked Riley’s interest to the point of putting out feelers. After all, getting in the ears of disgruntled athletes is what he does best.
It all sounded like a plan until Ingram’s season was shut down due to a diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis in his right arm. This is where the doubt starts to creep in.
Serena Williams was able to get back to an elite level following her blood clot issues and they allegedly have a better outlook when in the upper extremities. But was being burned by the loss of Bosh–to a similar situation–a deterrent?
Especially with the unfortunate luxury of knowing that even if Ingram has a fantastic season, the clots could return for a second and third time (as they did with Bosh).
An overreaction on either side could rock the Miami Heat to the point where they could thrive in a market that may be scared to pull the trigger on Ingram a year after his diagnosis or put them in the same situation that they are in now. Basically, caught scrambling in a house of mediocre after the loss of a building block.
A tough decision will be made, and Riley’s future should depend on which way it turns.