LeBron James may not be coming, but the offseason has still been a massive success for the Miami Heat. There's nothing that is going to change that.
Would it have been nice for the Heat to have added LeBron after the big splash for Giannis Antetokounmpo? Absolutely. However, Heat fans shouldn't be greedy. Heading into the offseason, many viewed this summer as their Giannis-or-bust moment.
Either the Heat were going to have to find a way to land Giannis, or big changes were needed. They would be demanded. But that didn't happen, thankfully.
The Heat accomplished their big goal for the offseason
Perhaps against all odds, Miami did find a path to Giannis. LeBron would've been the cherry on top for the offseason, but this offseason was never about that. It was about landing the superstar that would help the Heat break out of mediocrity and make way for a new era for the franchise.
That was accomplished. And, because it was, this offseason is already considered a success.
That doesn't mean the job of the front office is over, but it does buy them a bit more grace from the fan base. And when that was at an all-time low, that's almost as big a transaction as landing Giannis itself.
Let's put it this way. The Heat entered the offseason with great desperation. Whether they were willing to admit it or not, if the Heat had missed out on Giannis, it would've forced them to reevaluate every process of team building.
The way they view star hunting, free agency, and even their consistent desire to build out a philosophy on trading for centerpieces. Everything would've been put under a microscope. And while there's an argument to be made that it should still be the case, there has been a shift in the atmosphere for the franchise.
You can feel it in the media, within the fan base, and you're going to sense it with the way Erik Spoelstra speaks.
It's almost as if a huge weight has completely fallen off the team's shoulders.
The Giannis effect for Miami has been greater than most will admit
That's the Giannis effect. It's why superstars tend to solve everything.
There are certainly still issues that need to be ironed out before the start of this season, but even with LeBron choosing to go back home, that's not something that is going to put a damper on what this organization has already accomplished this season.
In fact, I would go as far as to say that the Heat are largely just going to shrug off LeBron's decision to move - and probably quickly.
That's not an indictment on LeBron at this stage of his career, either. It just speaks to the fact of how big a move it was for the Heat to acquire Giannis earlier this offseason.
Miami has been one of the big winners of the offseason, and the fact that LeBron's decision won't change that one iota says it all.
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