The Miami Heat offseason is already off to a pretty wild start. If the rumors are true, things are about to get a lot more hectic.
Damian Lillard wanted Jason Kidd, but Kidd did not want the Portland Trailblazers. Kawhi Leonard allegedly wanted Jimmy Butler, but settled for Paul George.
Heat fans want either, but are widely expected to end up with someone like Kyle Lowry. But, can a case be made for someone else to man Miami’s floor general duties?
There are numerous Lowry to the Heat ties that should obviously be acknowledged before the ball gets rolling on any arguments. Yes, he is a close friend of Butler and the godfather of his young child.
It is also correct that Pat Riley has been chasing Lowry’s services ever since the 2006 NBA Draft. And most or least importantly, according to who you ask, the 35-year-old point guard fits Butler’s basketball timeline.
On the same accord, that 35-year-old was quoted as saying that money and years talk. That is a man coming off of making $30.5 million last season.
What would two years cost?
Kyle Lowry has been the frontrunner to fill the Miami Heat’s point guard void this offseason, but could a New Orleans free agent provide a better fit?
Some would wonder why that is even a question when the league just witnessed the Chris Paul model. Lowry is the same age as Paul when he landed in Phoenix and has had to battle through injuries as of late as well.
He also has the cache and personality that allows him to demand the best out of the Heat’s core of Butler and Bam Adebayo. However, this does not guarantee that aging veteran magic will happen again.
Enter restricted free agent Lonzo Ball.
There are many people pulling for the addition of Ball over Lowry for numerous reasons. For starters, Ball is 11 years younger than Lowry.
With that would come the expectation of getting the Heat on the run on a nightly basis for easy buckets. Help starting the break would also come from Ball’s ability to attack the boards (4.8 per game) and get in the passing lanes for steals (1.5 per game).
The Miami Heat might be better off with Lonzo Ball, but could they cooperate with his team to get him there?
Ball is also a wizard with the ball, which equates to Adebayo and Butler getting easier off-ball buckets. The burden to create will dissipate, for them, if coach Erik Spoelstra fully entrusts him to not be passive with the offense.
What Ball lacks in Miami basketball grit can be made up in skill if Spoelstra can unlock it. The skill that he was projected to have coming out of high school.
Teamed with the pressure that LaMelo Ball’s Rookie of the Year season put on him to get back to his old form. Not the shooting form.
Even that is new, as seen in the video posted by Overtime, which may boost his three-point shooting percentage from last year (37.8) a little more. These are positives all around.
Yet, regardless of a down season for Lowry, he still bested Ball in points, rebounds, assists, and shooting from everywhere on the court except the midrange. Part of that could be attributed to Zion Williamson not only being on the floor, but being very hands on with the basketball.
As would Butler and Adebayo though. Factor in blocks and steals, and Ball may seem like he has a slight edge.
Until a look at Lowry’s defensive rating (113.0) shows that he and Ball (113.7) may be closer to the same.
Eye tests and stat comparisons are great, but Ball does not have a chance against Riley’s perceived disdain for his management group at Klutch Sports. So, can a case really be made?