The Miami Heat are surely getting themselves ready to, potentially, make a deep playoff run in the upcoming 2022 NBA Playoffs.
With the NBA Play-In portion of the show getting ready to tip-off on Tuesday, matchups between the Brooklyn Nets and the Cavaliers in the East, followed by a Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves matchup in the West, things are starting to really ramp up for the real season after the regular season.
With all that at the forefront though, this also means that the time is soon come when certain decisions will have to be made.
That includes guys like, say, Victor Oladipo.
Returning to form this season after a series of knee injuries over the past few years, he has had two of his better games in those same years over the past few weeks.
He, first, went off in Toronto for the Miami Heat near the end of the regular season, before exploding for a 40 point near triple-double in their final contest of the season.
Oladipo showed you that he, totally, still has the goods.
Miami Heat: Retention Of Victor Oladipo’s Bird Rights Colossal
While you would think that the Miami Heat’s playoff rotations are all but set at this point, that really isn’t the biggest concern when it comes to him.
With what he’s also shown at this point though, you have to be thinking about keeping him in the mix beyond this year, right? Well, that’s why the next detail is important.
Oladipo will eye 2022 free agency to return to the market and sign a big contract once he's fully healthy. Miami will retain Oladipo's Bird Rights, allowing them to find the means to sign him again next offseason. https://t.co/IRPUndKXgj
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 4, 2021
As reported back in August when the news was first reported, the Miami Heat will retain Dipo’s “Bird Rights”.
Here’s why that means something.
Another collective bargaining tool, it will allow the Miami Heat to bring Oladipo back into the fold by going over the cap at no penalty—if that’s what it means or has to be done to bring him back.
That, not only, gives them major freedom to continue to tinker, make improvements, or keep what they’ve built to be around him, but it also gives them a major leg up or incentive to bring him back.
This is key for the Heat moving forward.
Miami Heat: It Gives Them A Leg Up On Anybody To Sign The Again-Electric Wing
This is important as they move forward beyond this year for a few reasons but for one more than any others, from an overall perspective, is more crucial than others. Here is the thought process here.
With what Victor Oladipo has shown, having Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and P.J. Tucker together in the mix for, at least, one more year, they are right back to being a top-finishing regular-season team next year. That also means being right back to being a top-seeded playoff team next year as well.
We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves, as their is a current playoff run to be concerned with, however, you had to mention it. Why?
Well, because after seeing Vic go nuts the other day in Amway Center just across the state of Florida, everyone had to have been thinking it.
We sure were and again, while this season’s business of winning a title is what’s most important at the moment, it feels good to know that they should be at the top of the clubhouse to be Dipo’s home squad again beyond this season.