The Miami Heat strongly pursuing a deal for Bradley Beal never made much sense. And now that the dust has begun to settle after his two-year deal to re-sign with the LA Clippers, it does feel as if the Heat were used as a leverage ploy.
And NBA analyst Yossi Gozlan seems to agree. Looking back, especially after the move for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Beal to the Heat never made the most basketball sense.
"Yossi Gozlan says his alarms went off the moment Bradley Beal opted out — he tweeted immediately that Beal was eligible to re-sign with the Clippers for two years and $13.2M, because there was no market explanation for opting out after a hip injury and a poor season. He wonders whether reported Heat interest was genuine or a distraction."
Bradley Beal was not the right fit for the Heat
Sure, and to a certain extent, there's a path to getting into a line of thinking that Miami could use Beal's playmaking and shooting on the wing. However, the injuries are a big red flag. And for a Heat team that just moved on from players who had many of those durability issues, it never made sense for them to jump right back into that boat with Beal.
In fact, Pat Riley said in his end-of-the-season press conference that durability was one of the first things he looks at when considering adding a player to the Heat's roster. Beal, despite his natural talent and ability, has consistently struggled to remain healthy over the last few years.
That doesn't speak to his talent, but the plain truth is that he's struggled mightily with his health. Even the idea of taking a flyer on Beal, that, objectively speaking, never sat right.
The final nail in the coffin of the idea that Beal was probably using the Heat as leverage was driven home when those contract numbers were reported. Beal re-signed with the Clippers on a two-year, $13.2 million deal.
Bradley Beal was never a real option for the Heat
Even if Miami was slightly intrigued by the idea of signing Beal, it was never going to be for more than the veteran's minimum. Beal signed for almost double that in his per-year average with the Clippers.
The Heat were never considered because their interest was not genuine. I'm sure the front office kicked around the idea of what adding Beal would look like, but I can't imagine those conversations went very far.
Especially when it was revealed what Beal was likely looking for in contract terms.
Beal was probably never going to sign with the Heat, and that may end up being in the best interest of both sides. Beal got his security with LA, and the Heat is hoping to get their player in the future by keeping that roster spot open.
Add us as a preferred source on Google