A doomsday scenario could be about to play out for the Miami Heat at the NBA Trade Deadline, in which they'd miss out on both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ja Morant, and they'd only have themselves to blame. By somewhat irresponsibly putting all their eggs in the Giannis basket, the Heat could be left without a dance partner at the trade deadline if they don't pivot at the right time.
And that would only further hurt this team's chances of reemerging as a contender in the foreseeable future. Perhaps most importantly, it will put their fans in an even bigger state of depression.
Late Wednesday night, the Golden State Warriors decided to make their pivot, trading Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis. The early reporting is that the Warriors didn't believe the Bucks were trading Giannis at the deadline, so they aborted their pursuit of the superstar forward.
It could be time for the Heat to do the same.
Is it time for the Heat to pivot away from Giannis?
But if they don't before it's too late, this trade deadline would set up to be another dud for the Heat. And for a team that desperately needs a change, that would be a huge disaster.
Over the last 31 games, the Heat is 13-18 and has no real identity. Erik Spoelstra does not have a real grip on the rotation, and Tyler Herro has only been healthy for a handful of games. Their young core has been improved, but there's still no clarity on what it is.
It's been a pretty useless "gap" year for Miami overall. The Heat are in the Play-In Tournament mix, but they're only fooling themselves if they believe they're going to be any type of threat in a playoff series.
The Heat needs a change. The coach realizes that. The front office knows it. And the fans are begging for it.
But if the Heat continues to wait on Giannis irresponsibly, and he doesn't get traded, that will only open the door for another team to swoop in on Morant, who presumably has been considered Miami's "backup plan."
It's not a "great" backup plan for Miami, but it's not a terrible one. It would inject this roster with elite talent and potential, and would bring some excitement back to the fan base. Even if Giannis doesn't come, it would be a win in the eyes of many fans.
But the longer the Heat wait on Giannis, the greater the possibility becomes that the Memphis Grizzlies trade Morant elsewhere. And that move would potentially leave the Heat without a viable backup plan in place.
It's certainly a difficult juggling act that the Heat must master over the next few hours, but that's the name of the game. The Heat have chosen to take this extremely risky approach, and there's a chance it all blows up in their face.
If the NBA Trade Deadline comes and goes, and the Heat's roster looks the same as it does now, that would be the ultimate doomsday scenario for this franchise. And I'm not sure how they can sell that to this fan base.