The Miami Heat always seem to find their way into the middle of trade rumors surrounding a star player. The most recent star that has drawn attention is the infamous Kyrie Irving.
Though initial reports stated that Irving and the Nets have not been able to agree on his future in terms of his contract, the latest report indicates that Irving and the Nets will work things out.
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving is opting into his $37 million player option for the 2022-23 season, @TheAthletic @Stadium has learned. Irving is bypassing on multiple opt-in and trade scenarios to fulfill his four-year commitment to the Nets and Kevin Durant.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 27, 2022
To satisfy the desires of their superstar in Kevin Durant, the Brooklyn Nets should be overjoyed that Kyrie Irving will end up returning.
However, the Heat were a team of Kyrie’s interest before he chose to opt into this season.
They had the pieces to make the move and likely would have been able to make an offer that would have enticed the Nets if they had chosen to do so.
The Heat would have needed to acquire Irving through a sign-and-trade deal, but the question was always should they. They, reportedly, didn’t even have an interest in Irving though, and here’s why that was probably the best thing for them.
Miami Heat: Why They Judged Things Correctly With Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving is a sensationally talented athlete. He is arguably the most exciting player to watch in the NBA.
The Kyrie Case
With his amazing handle and crafty finishing, he would certainly have brought more attention to the Miami Heat. That and a dynamic offensive force that can get a bucket at will.
There is a reason Irving is a former Rookie of the Year, NBA champion, and a seven-time NBA All-Star. Kyrie can do it all offensively.
He is an extremely efficient shooter and when he’s hot, he is one of the hardest players in the league to stop.
Kyrie is one of nine players in the 50-40-90 club—that is 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three, and 90 percent from the free-throw line.
Obviously, that is a very difficult accomplishment to achieve, but he achieved it because he is a great scorer from all areas on the floor.
Kyrie Irving could have brought many of his strengths to the Miami Heat, such as being a third legitimate star in his prime to go along with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Three is a magic number.
To have three stars at or around their peak would leave defenses guessing. If you try to stop one player, you would still have two more to worry about.
Surround that with the great coaching and defensive prowess of the Miami Heat, which leaves you with a championship contender.
His great scoring and ability to create his own shot from all three levels of scoring would have massively benefitted others, especially Jimmy Butler.
He would have less pressure on him to score, while he would have an easier time attacking the basket and getting to the line. However, the other side still exists.
Miami Heat: Kyrie Irving Is A Great Player, But Is He Worth The Extra Stuff?
There is no denying the talent of Kyrie Irving, but you also cannot ignore the drama and problems he causes for your team.
The Case Against Kyrie
The biggest issue has been his availability for games. Most recently, his COVID-19 vaccine status left Irving out for the first half of the season.
It left the Nets searching for answers throughout the season. A team that once hoped to compete for a title was wondering what their roster would look like in the playoffs.
Eventually, some of the COVID mandates were lifted and the Nets were able to introduce Irving into the lineup at home. However, the damage was already done and the Nets were swept in the first round by the Celtics.
Last year was not the only time where Kyrie’s tendency to miss games has caused problems for his teams. He has missed games for many other reasons.
The Heat battled through last season with several injuries throughout their roster to start with. They couldn’t afford a lack of consistency when it comes to Kyrie Irving’s availability, especially considering the next part.
The second issue is how he would affect the Heat roster on the floor each night. Since he is a superstar and has a big contract, the Heat would need to give up a lot to add Kyrie to the team.
Usually, when a superstar becomes available, you should do whatever it takes to add that player. But with all the question marks surrounding Kyrie Irving, should the Heat have targeted him and risked losing the depth that would be playing for them on a guaranteed consistent basis?
In addition to risking depth, the Heat would have also risked getting worse defensively. Kyrie has never been a great defender.
The Heat already have weaker defenders on their team like Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro. Although it would have probably meant sacrificing them to land Irving, they still, perhaps, would have gotten worse.
The Heat might’ve even needed to throw in another player like Kyle Lowry, who is a good defender and helps the Heat win in many different ways. The third part of the case against Kyrie is the way he affects others off the floor.
He has had some issues with coaching. Whether it was saying that he didn’t need a coach or holding his own practices, Kyrie Irving has made some questionable decisions when it comes to respecting his head coach.
Although Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra would never put up with something like that, it is not something you want to see out of a star player if you are thinking about trading for him. The major theme with Kyrie Irving is his unpredictability.
At one point, he threatened to retire if he were ever traded from the Nets. Although he later denied those comments, you never know.
You can’t predict Kyrie Irving. The closest you can come to doing so is to imagine the most outlandish thing possible— to which he might do something similar.
Miami Heat: The Verdict Is Actually An Easy One And They Played It Correctly
Kyrie Irving was one of the best players that the Heat could have traded for this offseason. However, it was all too risky to deal for him at this point.
Although there were few games in which the whole team played together, it is clear that the team has built chemistry together. Adding a player like Kyrie Irving has historically damaged that.
Kyrie does not fit with the Heat Culture either. The Heat are filled top to bottom with the hardest working players in the NBA.
They pride themselves on defense. If a player is a weaker defender, they make the extra effort to get in the gym and find every way possible to help the team.
The Heat have a young core that can only get better next year. Trading that away for a player that can’t even be relied upon to be available to play would not have made sense for Miami at this time.
Ultimately the Miami Heat organization has some big decisions to make this offseason. They always seem to make the right decision that is best for their future.
In this case, Kyrie Irving was probably not the best decision, even if he is a top-fifteen player in the league. And that’s just why the Heat judged this one correctly—at least, at the moment.