The Miami Heat are finally free from the throws of the NBA Trade Market.
Now, every single team in the league has a decision to make when it comes to any transaction, acquisition, or situation that they may find themselves in or trying to become a part of, so nobody is going to throw them a pity party for the Heat at the end of this Kevin Durant fiasco.
But in keeping with the honesty, it also must be mentioned that almost every single team in the league would have lined up to fork over their resources for a chance to bring Kevin Durant to their team. In continuing with the all-inclusive theme though, one has to assume that means that most teams can now breathe a certain sigh of relief.
While they would have loved to acquire the massive superstar, being able to move on with another clear purpose in mind is almost as valuable at this point. With that, the Miami Heat must finally begin to make the final touches to a roster that made it all the way to a tough Game 7 defeat in the Eastern Conference Finals last year.
The Miami Heat were right to play the Kevin Durant situation as they did. Now though, they must show more patience and not force a deal just to make one.
Not having P.J. Tucker in the mix anymore though, they must do what they can to ensure they have several options to try there or the depth, at least, to get what they need in a committee approach from that spot in the lineup.
But how will they go about making some of these things happen is the key question?
While there are many mechanisms that guys like Pat Riley and the bunch could trigger, there are a few that they shouldn’t even dare to look at. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald encapsulated it perfectly here.
If I'm the Heat, I'm still not trading a first rounder for any of the available PFs. Wait and make move before trade deadline. You might need that first rounder for a star who wants to be traded here. None of available PFs worth dealing Herro.
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) August 23, 2022
Jackson is exactly right. Not only shouldn’t they be willing to deal a first-rounder or Tyler Herro at the moment, if at all, but they should definitely look to wait and ride it out at this point.
Enduring the entire summer that was the Wrath Of KD, the Miami Heat shouldn’t force a deal right now. With more potential acquisitions or targets sure to reveal themselves in the early portions of the season or closer to the trade dealine, one way or another, there will be plenty of opportunities then.
So, as for now, they should just get the guys ready to go that they have and that includes every single one of them along the roster—from Darius Days to Udonis Haslem, at least until they can sure up their forward depth a bit more.