Whether LeBron James comes or not, the Miami Heat will still have their work cut out for them in filling out the rest of the roster around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
In the event that LeBron doesn't come, the team's options will get much bleaker. Especially if it its indeed accurate that Russell Westbrook would emerge as a real candidate to sign with the Heat.
That's nothing against Westbrook, but more so the idea that the Heat would be forced to try and stick ill-fitting pieces to try and make this year-one roster around Giannis work.
Russell Westbrook would be an odd fit next to Giannis and Bam
In theory, Westbrook would be a difficult fit next to Giannis and Bam. Because of his lack of shooting prowess, the Heat would truly be testing Erik Spoelstra's ability to find the necessary spacing with his scheme, or with the limited shooting already on this roster.
Even though he's still been quite productive at this point in his career, the type of ball-dominant player that he's been would immediately clash with Giannis. Maybe there's a scenario where he can be a jolt off the bench for Miami, but even that has been risky for teams that have taken that gamble over the last few years.
Unfortunately, and especially after waiting out this entire process for LeBron, the Heat may not have many other options.
And that's part of the problem for Miami.
Waiting on LeBron may end up hurting the Heat in the long run
The Heat has been waiting for LeBron to make a decision; at least to a certain extent, it's prevented them from being overly aggressive on other fronts. I don't think we can sit here and say that the Heat haven't been held back, even if it is to a certain extent, because of their decision to wait on LeBron.
It's absolutely the right move. But that doesn't mean it hasn't come without its risks.
The bottom line is that if the Heat does end up missing out on LeBron, they will find themselves in a tough spot trying to fill out the rest of this roster. Mind you, these are not just roster spots that need to be filled as training camp bodies or emergency options.
Many of these spots that the Heat need to fill out will almost certainly play at least some role for the team this season. That's why going from LeBron to Westbrook would be considered a huge drop-off for Miami.
But even if there's just a small chance that the Heat could convince LeBron to come back to Miami, it will probably be worth it either way. That said, it's certainly a risk that could end up blowing up in their face, and with relying on Westbrook as a contributor more than they would like to this upcoming season.
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