As Kasparas Jakucionis continues to emerge for the Miami Heat, it could open the door to cutting ties with both Norman Powell and Tyler Herro this summer. As unlikely as it may sound, it could emerge as an option that the Heat's front office may strongly consider.
Especially if the Heat will be looking for avenues to acquire a superstar talent, there's reason to believe that Miami may have to resort to cutting serious salary this offseason. With both Powell's and Herro's futures up in the air, they could find themselves on the outside looking in this summer.
Powell will hit the free-agency market this offseason, and Herro has just one year on his deal. If Powell finds a bigger payday or better opportunity elsewhere, it wouldn't be all that surprising to see him walk.
Similarly, if Miami doesn't have interest in giving Herro an extension he'll likely be seeking, there's reason to believe both sides would be better off with a trade.
As odd as it may seem at the moment, there is a chance both Powell and Herro could find themselves in completely different jerseys this fall.
And if that were to happen, you'd have to imagine that Jakucionis would be one of the bigger reasons why.
The emergence of Kasparas Jakucionis
Even though his rookie year got off to a slow start, it's hard to deny that Jakucionis has quickly begun to emerge in a big way for the Heat. It's hard to see that if you aren't paying closer attention to the Heat on a night-to-night basis, but there are a few things that have changed quickly for Jakucionis.
For one, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra is trusting the rookie more. You can see that in the minutes distribution over the course of the season. Second, his offensive efficiency is improving even as he's gotten more of an opportunity. And third, his teammates are publicly offering him praise.
That doesn't just happen for rookies. That goes to show that not only is there visible development in Jakucionis' game over the last couple of months, but he's also putting in the work behind the scenes that has garnered attention from both his coaches and teammates.
Over his last six games, Jakucionis is averaging 11 points and five assists on 51 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent shooting from 3-point range. He's filled in nicely for both Herro and Powell, who have been in and out with injuries all season long.
Again, I don't think Jakucionis is at the point where he could effectively "replace" Powell or Herro at this point, but he could give the Heat some added flexibility that I'm not sure they believed they had just a few months ago.