The Miami Heat seem to always see their names thrown in the mix when it comes to trade rumors and player acquisitions. It’s been something that’s been a trend for a long time.
While the reason for that has a lot to do with Pat Riley and the allure of Miami, the Heat are typically a winning organization. There is also the fact that when you consider all of this, throwing their name out there is a great piece of leverage for whomever the party of concern is at the time.
For instance, when a player is mentioned with the Miami Heat in reference to a potential partnership being formed between the two, the other suitors quickly step up—because they know that it’s always a threat when the Heat and Pat Riley are involved.
In a lot of cases, the best guess is to assume the player or his representation used that to get the preferred team to move quicker or something else associated with a preferred deal.
Miami Heat: Dealing With A Battle Between Perception And Reality
That isn’t always the case though, as that probably wasn’t the case with Kevin Durant or Donovan Mitchell, if there was any interest in the latter from them in the first place, as it has been reported that there wasn’t any.
However, trusted Miami Heat reporter, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, had a take that insinuated that there was, indeed, an interest there. On top of that, the message in Winderman’s take is one that deserves a few thoughts as well.
Here is the quote.
"Riley refused to sell his soul to Danny Ainge with the type of package the Cleveland Cavaliers paid the Utah Jazz for Mitchell. So here stand the Heat again, at the intersection of another one perceived to have gotten away, similar to the perception of the Gordon Hayward chase, the visions of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the previous pursuit of Durant or even an earlier one for LaMarcus Aldridge."
The part that really sticks out is that part about a “perception” and Winderman is spot on in his word choice. Let’s take a closer look.
Miami Heat: Landing A Star Moves The Needle, But Not Overpaying Works Too
The Miami Heat weren’t able to land either rumored major target this summer, but it’s not because they didn’t act. According to all reports, they were in on the big guys this summer.
Though the perception is that they didn’t do enough, that isn’t the reality.
The reality is that they weren’t going to overpay and in some instances, that is ok. Generally and as alluded to by Winderman, the package for Mitchell wasn’t worth it.
For Durant, trading for him would have been worth the overpay, had they not had to include Bam Adebayo. But most like to believe that they would have.
But again, what it really boils down to is perception. They didn’t do a deal, but they didn’t overpay to get a guy that might result in a situation that still isn’t good enough to win big.
They have the pieces, the players, and the minds making the decisions to get it done in another way. And there just has to be a trust that Pat Riley and company will do just that.