Miami Heat fans shouldn't get too attached to Kel'el Ware as one of the team's brightest young talents. That's because the big-picture plan for Ware may not be what fans think it is; sure, it's to develop him into a good player, but it's with the intent to trade him, and not keep him.
It's the painfully obvious plan the Heat have, but will never admit. That's the way the Heat has operated for a long time, and Ware is just the next piece of the puzzle.
If Ware could help the Heat reach their next goal, that'd be considered a huge win toward their ultimate blueprint to land a star player. Despite the struggles that they've had on that front over the last few years, even with Jimmy Butler on the roster, that hasn't changed.
That's the Heat's priority, and they're not going to let anything stand in the way of accomplishing that. Whether that will take one year or three years, it would be shocking if Miami pivoted away from that in any way.
The Heat's goal is clear - and Ware could play a big role
The honest truth is that Ware is almost certainly going to play a big part in how successful the Heat is in finally landing a star player. Just think back to this past offseason. One of the reported "sticking" points in trade discussions for Kevin Durant between the Heat and Phoenix Suns revolved around the inclusion of Ware.
Ultimately, the Heat probably made the right decision to keep Ware out of those trade talks. However, as much as they may have been right in their stance not to trade Ware for any other in-their-prime star that becomes available, the Heat are unlikely to have that same luxury, especially if they're serious about closing a deal.
In fact, if Ware does blossom into the player that many believe he can be, there's a chance that he becomes one of the main pieces in the Heat's eventual package for a star player.
I'm not saying that the Heat are going to be able to build a package around Ware as the primary piece to land a star, but he could very well play a key role as a sweetener in the future - similar to the way he would've been viewed in a Heat offer for KD.
The bottom line is that it's truly in the best interest of the Heat to try and develop Ware into the best player possible. But, at least for now, they may be looking to flip him as part of a package for a star player in the future, and the Heat may not necessarily be in it for the long haul with Ware. And that's OK; that's just the nature of the business.