It's understandable that the Miami Heat may want to, at the very least, explore an early contract extension for Pelle Larsson. But after watching how that all fell apart with Nikola Jovic after his early extension, they can't possibly put themselves in the same position to make that same mistake with Larsson.
Even though there's an argument to be made that Larsson is already a much better player than Jovic was at this point last season, and the idea that he may have a much higher ceiling, the Heat no longer has that luxury to take that type of gamble.
Especially after the big move to land Giannis Antetokounmpo early this summer. The last thing the Heat needs is to irresponsibly give away another lucrative contract. The Heat may internally still have hope that they can resurrect Jovic's career, but externally, his extension looks like a massive mistake.
Sure, Jovic has the potential to flip the narrative, but there's no question that his contract extension certainly limited what they could and couldn't do around Giannis this summer.
It's certainly something for the Heat to keep an eye on as they entertain the idea of what Larsson's future could look like in Miami.
The Heat have one season to figure out Pelle Larsson's future
When the new league year began on July 6, Larsson became eligible for a massive four-year, $93 million contract extension. If he and the Heat can't find a middle ground on an extension by July 1, Larsson will have the ability to test restricted free agency.
In theory, that may not be all that bad for the Heat, especially considering they'll have the chance to match any offer sheet that he'd have interest in signing, but Miami has generally avoided the restricted free agency route.
As is the case for most teams across the league, the preference is to sign your free agents early in an attempt to avoid that entire process. Plus, if you can sign your free agent early, there's a better chance you can nab them at somewhat of a discount.
As much as it makes sense, the Heat can't extend Pelle Larsson
That would be the thinking behind inking Larsson to an early extension. Because if the Heat believe that Larsson has another level he can hit in his development, it would benefit them to try and sign their young wing to an early extension.
But, again, it's much more difficult (and more risky) to go down that same route after it backfired with Jovic.
And the Heat are now reaping the consequences of their past mistakes, which will ultimately prevent them from responsibly signing Larsson to an early extension. They just can't take that risk in good faith, especially considering how much is at stake with the Giannis era underway.
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