Looking back, the Miami Heat couldn't have managed the Nikola Jovic decision any worse than they did over the last eight months. It's a gamble that they took, and one that the team likely has quickly grown to regret.
The once-celebrated move to re-sign Jovic early could not look any worse than it does now, roughly one full season after the Heat's decision.
Before the start of the season, it appeared as if the Heat were making the right decision. Especially with the way Jovic looked over the summer in the EuroBasket Tournament, it was believed that he was just beginning to play the best basketball of his career.
The Heat miscalculation on Nikola Jovic
With one year left on his contract, the Heat believed that signing him before he made the inevitable leap to stardom would be a great forward-thinking move. Of course, the only problem with that is that the developmental jump never arrived.
But it's not just that Jovic's big leap never came. What made this decision go from bad to worse is the fact that Jovic took a step back.
It got so bad for Jovic this season in Miami that he fell out of the rotation entirely for Erik Spoelstra. Aside from the injury issues, Jovic was fighting for minutes even when he was healthy.
Considering the Heat were hoping that Jovic was going to emerge as one of the team's most important and versatile players, it's easy to see why this entire situation has been incredibly frustrating.
What was supposed to be a breakout year for Jovic quickly turned into a nightmarish season. If you remove his rookie season (which was pretty much a red-shirt year), Jovic posted career lows in minutes, points, field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, free-throw percentage, rebounds, and turnovers per game.
All in all, it was a complete disaster year four for Jovic.
What is Nikola Jovic's future with the Heat?
Considering the investment that the Heat just made on Jovic (4 years, $60-plus million), there's an argument to be made that he's immediately on one of the worst contracts in the league. The worst part about it for the Heat is that the extension hasn't even kicked in yet.
Of course, one bad season is not going to push the Heat to completely give up on Jovic (unless there's a chance to lump him into a bigger trade this offseason), but there's no question that his future with the team is suddenly up in the air.
It's hard to predict what's next for both the Heat and Jovic, but it's pretty absurd how quickly the narrative has shifted for both sides. And, at this point, it's an understatement to suggest that Miami has grown to regret its gamble on Jovic.
One that was pretty popular and appeared like a smart move just a few months ago.
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