The Miami Heat have reportedly emerged as an "attractive option" to Ja Morant as he potentially seeks a trade away from the Memphis Grizzlies. As the Heat consider their options and whatever trade offers may come, they must be very careful to avoid making one critical mistake: making role players off-limits in their dealings.
We have seen this movie before. In the past, Miami has reportedly turned down deals for bigger-name players because they highly valued a player who clearly wasn't as valued by other teams. The Heat believe in their players, and that's often a good thing. But they can't nix a deal due to over-valuing certain guys.
Take this past summer for example. Miami was in the mix for Kevin Durant, but they couldn't make a deal with Phoenix. We later learned that the front office was unwilling to include Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic and Haywood Highsmith in potential trade packages. With all due respect to those guys, you can't pass up on a talent like Durant just to keep them around.
The Heat can't be unreasonable with who is "untouchable"
It's understandable to want to keep your young core intact if you truly have a vision. But you have to draw the line at some point. When big-name players that are truly needle-movers are available, throwing around the word "untouchable" concerning your own role players just feels irresponsible.
At the same time, this principle may not apply to Ja as much as it did with Durant. KD is still one of the greatest scorers in the NBA, meanwhile Morant has seen a steady decline in production ever since his lengthy suspension two seasons ago. The Heat can't break the bank for him, but they also don't want to go too far in the other direction and ruin a potential deal by overvaluing their own players.
Miami wants to be disciplined, but this intention can turn into stubbornness pretty quickly. If Morant is someone the front office believes can actually change the ceiling of this team, they can’t let the deal die over a fringe piece that Memphis views as replaceable.
The Heat don’t need to rush into anything, but they also can’t afford to overplay their hand. If Ja is the target, Miami has to stay flexible and realistic. Otherwise, this risks becoming another situation where they finish in second place, watch a star land elsewhere, and talk themselves into why standing pat was the right move all while ending up in the play-in again.