Now that the Miami Heat has Giannis Antetokounmpo in tow, it's only natural to start envisioning what else this front office may have up its sleeve this offseason. But it's not exactly that simple.
In fact, the Heat's next big offseason move entirely hinges on one decision from Andrew Wiggins. The veteran wing has a player option decision to make before Monday, June 29, and that will completely impact how the rest of the summer plays out for the Heat.
The Heat's next move will depend on what happens with Andrew Wiggins
After the Giannis trade, the Heat is currently hard-capped. That means they don't have as much financial flexibility as they had before the trade. However, if Wiggins were to opt out and sign back with the Heat (or walk away) for a lesser average per year salary, it could help Miami stay below the first apron of the salary cap threshold.
In short, that would give the Heat's front office much more room (and flexibility) to operate in free agency next week.
After the Giannis trade, that's the next shoe to drop. At least at this point, there are no guarantees with Wiggins either way. Even after the Giannis trade, I'm sure the Heat would love to retain Wiggins. The good news is that there's a belief that will happen, whether it's Wiggins opting into the final year of his contract in Miami or opting out and coming back at a much more team-friendly deal.
For now, all the front office can do is wait and prepare.
The Heat's front office will be prepared either way
Knowing how the Heat operates, you can bet that they have options for whatever Wiggins decides to do. And while it hasn't necessarily been reported publicly, there's also a chance that the front office has a good indication of what that decision might be.
After all, a well-run organization like the Heat doesn't just fall into a Giannis situation and go through the motions to try and figure out what's next. Considering the Heat have been working on this deal for the better part of the last six months, there have almost certainly been precaution after precaution put in place.
They're just waiting to execute.
And the first step of that implementation process will take place once it's known what exactly Wiggins and his camp elect to do. At this point, it's probably a good bet that Wiggins will be back with the Heat.
That much has become somewhat of a known commodity since the end of the season. The interest is certainly there. The big question, especially for the Heat, revolves around how exactly that will happen and whether the money will work out for both sides.
Finally, over the next couple of days, the Heat's front office is going to get some much-needed clarity on that front. Perhaps most importantly, it will effectively map out the next big move for Miami after Giannis.
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