Miami Heat: Kendrick Nunn’s value has always been the real question

The Miami Heat won their first playoff game on Tuesday, but at the cost of Kendrick Nunn’s playing time. What does this say about his fate in Miami?

The Miami Heat got off to a good start in the 2020 NBA playoffs on Tuesday. Knocking off the Pacers, as they did for the most part during this past regular season, they got themselves going in the direction that you always want to see yourself going during this time of year, a winning one.

With that being said though, the rotations didn’t look as we had become accustomed to seeing them throughout the regular season. Not only did Goran Dragic start, thus leaving Kendrick Nunn to come off of the pine, but Nunn actually never got up off of the pine.

He didn’t play a single minute in the Miami Heat’s first playoff game. That was a shocker.

Or was it? No, really it was, but let’s look at a few things on the topic.

For so long, we have heard all of #HeatTwitter and other notable voices in the community fawn over what or who the Miami Heat could land moving forward. Oftentimes, those transactions tended to include Tyler Herro and/or Duncan Robinson.

First off, when you find A-1 talent, you don’t look to move it and that goes double if you’re Pat Riley. While Nunn is a good talent, he is rather one-dimensional as a below the three-point line scorer, for the most part.

You say that, as Duncan Robinson is a specialist, but what he specializes in is so valuable that you don’t mind him not having a ton of versatility to his game right now. Tyler Herro is a chameleon though.

The Miami Heat might make a move this offseason. While Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson have been the names, Kendrick Nunn has always been the odd guy out for me.

If you need him to spot up for open shots, he’s capable. If you need him to create for himself off the bounce, he is capable.

If you need him to create off the bounce for his teammates, he can do that too. What all of this highlights is the fact that Kendrick Nunn isn’t as multiple as Tyler Herro(or as big as he is for that matter) while he doesn’t do anything as well as Duncan shoots the ball from three.

What that all was to say is this and as I have thought all year while listening to everyone else trip over themselves one minute about a guy and rush to trade him the next, Kendrick Nunn is the guy to be moved if there is a Miami Heat young guy moved in the offseason.

While I had literally been hesitating to write it, saving for the late season or playoff outburst by Nunn, I essentially wrote it indirectly in other ways. While not directly saying that “Nunn should be moved”, I’ve written here on several different occasions that neither Tyler nor Duncan should go. That’s pretty self-explanatory, just up to the reader to read between the lines.

So, again, this notion was validated on Tuesday. Kendrick Nunn has a role for this team if he is to accept it when called on, but as far as what we saw most of the regular season with him as the starting two-guard, that isn’t his role anymore.

It probably won’t ever be again for this Miami Heat team. That isn’t his fault or all his fault though. There are simply better players than him at his position and that happens sometimes.

That’s why the real question, all along, should have been “how valuable is Kendrick Nunn plus any assets the Miami Heat might available”. That’s the only question that needs to be asked about any potential Miami Heat transactions this offseason.