There's nothing that's going to get in the way of the Miami Heat landing Ja Morant, if that's truly what Pat Riley wants. Not even the possibility of a negative past relationship between Morant and Noah LaRoche.
NBA insider Jake Fischer made that much clear when he noted that Riley wouldn't let a past relationship between LaRoche and Morant get in the way of the Heat landing the star guard. Of course, that's if Riley really wants Morant.
And that's the biggest question that needs to be answered.
The Heat want Ja Morant, but at their cost
With everything that has been reported, it's pretty clear that the Heat does have some level of interest in Morant. How could they not? He's an extremely talented guard and is still just 26 years old. However, as is often the case for the Heat, the price has to be right.
After all, let's remember that Miami is still clinging to its pipe dream scenario of trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo, which has begun to catch some momentum over the last few months.
While there is still plenty of uncertainty on that front, I can't imagine that Miami would want to do anything that could cost them a real shot at Giannis - and that includes making a premature trade that would burn some of their valuable assets.
But if the Heat could land Morant without trading a first-round pick, or any of their premier young prospects, then it's all game.
Whether that scenario will present itself or not remains to be seen, but that's certainly what Riley is hoping for. And if that possibility does arrive, Riley is not going to decline such a move just because of LaRoche, who isn't even a full-time member on the Heat's staff.
LaRoche has certainly had a huge influence on Erik Spoelstra's new offense in Miami, but he's served as more of a consultant for the Heat. Interestingly enough, over the last few games, we've seen the Heat's offense already begin to adjust on the fly.
Miami is running slightly more pick-and-roll action of late, in hopes of jump-starting Bam Adebayo, who has found himself in a huge slump over the past couple of weeks.
If the Heat were to acquire Morant, you'd imagine that Miami would need to tweak the offensive philosophy even more. After all, with a talent like Morant, you'd want the ball in his hands.
The verdict still remains out on Morant, but if the Heat does pursue a trade for him, it's pretty safe to assume that the team's current offensive scheme won't play a huge factor in that decision at all.