As Miami Heat fans continue to try to piece together a brutal NBA Trade Deadline day, that may have only been the tip of the iceberg after the organization's "10 commandments" were revealed by one beat writer. In fact, I'd argue that fans should be more furious about that than anything that happened on deadline day.
Per Heat insider Barry Jackson, here are the full "10 commandments" that the organization considers part of its core philosophy:
1. Never trade good players for future draft picks
2. Never give up on a season
3. Do not accept taking a step back with the hope that it could lead to better days ahead
4. Go all in for an all-time great player but be very selective about pursuing other good players
5. Do not make a trade simply for the sake of making a trade
6. Don’t give up on a roster prematurely
7. Don’t try to sell high on players
8. Bam Adebayo is essentially untouchable
9. Maintain roster/payroll flexibility if possible
10. Don’t worry about losing a free agent for nothing
In trying to explain what happened on deadline day, Jackson notes that the Heat used these guidelines to dignify their deadline activity, or lack thereof.
The Heat's front office is living in the past
There are so many places to start when it comes to what's wrong or outdated with the way the front office operates, but these "10 commandments" do help explain a lot of how the front office has operated of late.
It's not necessarily an excuse, but and indictment.
So let's go one by one.
Never trade good players for future draft picks is one of the big reasons why they couldn't close on the deal for Donovan Mitchell a few years ago, why they fell short in their pursuit of Kevin Durant during the summer, and why they didn't have enough to make the Milwaukee Bucks trade Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Quite frankly, this one goes hand in hand with Don’t worry about losing a free agent for nothing. In the modern era of team building, losing free agents for nothing and refusing to trade good players for future draft picks is why teams never end up with great players.
Free agency is pretty much dead, and star players are no longer acquired through that avenue. Instead, they're added via the draft or draft capital. Refusing to trade good players for future draft picks, when necessary, especially when there's a chance they could lose those good players for nothing in free agency, is just not the way the league works anymore.
The Heat should wave the white flag occasionally
Another big issue that the Heat have had that has hurt them is the inability to willingly take a step back in hopes of taking two forward in the future. There are times when teams need to "give up on a season" as an attempt to prepare for what's next.
The Heat refuse to do that.
Looking at the current standings in the NBA, there's not a team in the top 4 of each conference standings that didn't do that at one point in the near past. They "gave up on seasons" to put themselves in a better position for the future.
Miami doesn't believe in that, and it's kept this team from truly being great.
Since LeBron James left Miami, the Heat have been a pretty bad front office. If they didn't "luck" into Jimmy Butler in 2019, who burned every other bridge across the league, who knows where this franchise would be. If you take those Jimmy years away, the Heat would have one playoff victory in seven years.
I get it, you can't just "take away" the Jimmy years. However, when grading the front office, it's hard to give them much credit for that acquisition. Especially after he became a player not many teams wanted to be in business with.
Nevertheless, the bottom line is this: the Heat are still operating by antiquated standards, and it's beginning to hurt their ability to build a championship team again. And that, more than anything, is what fans should be most furious about.