Losing Andrew Wiggins and Norman Powell for nothing during the offseason could end up being a huge disaster for the Miami Heat. And, quietly, it's a much bigger possibility than many appear willing to admit.
Wiggins and Powell could both hit free agency this summer, and the Heat knows that risk. It's one they fully embraced when the NBA Trade Deadline came and went, and Miami decided to keep both of them on their roster.
While it makes sense that the Heat wanted to keep both Wiggins and Powell for the stretch run, in hopes of making another unlikely playoff run, it also comes with a depressing side that the Heat have known for far too long.
The Heat must live with their decisions
Whether the Heat makes some noise in the Eastern Conference playoffs or not, Wiggins and Powell could both have the opportunity to explore other options this summer, and Miami may not have much control over those decisions.
Wiggins has a player option, and the Heat are basically betting against him opting out of the final year of his deal. But that's far from a guarantee, considering Wiggins is having a superb season with the Heat, and there's a good likelihood that he could command a multi-year deal during the offseason.
There have already been strong whispers about that possibility.
On the other hand, Powell is a much greater risk for the Heat. He's an outright unrestricted free agent this summer, and while he's said all the right things about potentially signing an extension with the Heat, there's still a very real chance Miami may not be all that willing to give him the offer that he's going to be looking for.
And after breaking through and officially making his first All-Star team, you'd have to imagine that Powell will certainly have a few options besides the Heat. And that's even under the assumption that Miami would want to re-sign Powell when they still have a humungous decision to make on Tyler Herro's future.
What does this all mean? Well, in short, the Heat have a complicated offseason to navigate through, and that's on top of their superstar pursuit that they intend on resuming in a few months.
In the end, there's a chance that the Heat could be without a superstar and lose out on both Wiggins and Powell. If that's the way the offseason would play out, it would be a disastrous outcome for Miami.
And, quietly, things may already be setting up for that doomsday scenario.