For the Miami Heat, there's one contract extension decision that should be a no-brainer. Before the October 20 deadline, the Heat needs to do what it can to lock up Nikola Jovic to a contract extension.
If the Heat believes Jovic is ready to take the next leap in his development, it's time to prove that with their checkbook. Considering the Heat has decided to hold him out of multiple trade talks in the past, it's pretty clear the team believes he's a key part of the future.
Assuming that to be the case, not giving him a contract extension now could prove to be very costly for the team in the long run.
If the vibes surrounding Jovic at media day were any indication, it's clear that not only is Jovic expecting a bigger role with the team this season, but also that the team is expecting much from him, too.
Perhaps the biggest sign of good news for the Heat was that Jovic stated that he'd welcome an extension before the season. If the Heat could sign him now, it could prove to be the steal of the summer for the franchise, especially if he does make the leap in his development that the team may be anticipating.
All eyes are still on Tyler Herro
Of course, you can't help but wonder if the Heat may be prioritizing a decision on Herro's decision first. If that were the case, it wouldn't be that shocking.
The Heat could probably work both at the same time, but the team probably wants to get a good handle on what will take place with Herro before moving forward with any other big moves. In many ways, the injury to Herro may have completely altered the timelines for both players.
But the more and more the Heat may think about it, the clearer it gets that signing Jovic to an extension now may be in the best interest of the franchise - no matter what may end up happening on the Herro front.
If Jovic takes another developmental jump, waiting until after the season to sign him to an extension could prove to be more costly. That's why taking the gamble on signing him now could be worth it for Miami. And if Jovic is indeed open to a deal now, there shouldn't be much holding back from agreeing to an extension now.
While the Herro decision comes with much more complexities, the Jovic one shouldn't.