It was whispered and speculated about all this past season, but Kel'el Ware finally said the quiet part out loud about his odd fit with Erik Spoelstra and the Miami Heat. Now that he's been traded, it's pretty clear that parting ways with the Heat was best for both sides.
In what could be described as his parting words in reflection of his two seasons with the Heat, Ware didn't hold back. In short, he basically said that he's more set up for success in Milwaukee than he ever was in Miami.
And, in a way, he's not wrong.
Kel'el Ware finally says the obvious about his time with the Heat
"I kind of figured the trade was going to happen... His decision was his decision on how he played me. Now I have more of a chance to flourish."
In fairness, Ware did admit that he was able to grow in Miami. But the headliner is the first couple of sentences. Ware clearly didn't see eye to eye with Spo, especially in how his role and minutes continued to fluctuate this past season, and he now believes he's in a better place to reach his ceiling.
Time will ultimately tell whether Ware is proven to be right, but there's no question that Spo and Ware just didn't click. That can't be debated.
Even though Spo did have moments where he did praise Ware throughout this past season, they never seemed to fully be on the same page aside from a few stretches here and there.
Both the Heat and Ware might be better off without each other
Objectively speaking, there's reason to believe that both Ware and the Heat may be better off taking these separate routes.
In Milwaukee, Ware will be more of a focal point of the franchise and be in an organization that fully embraces development, and Miami finally gets a roster that can compete now. At the end of the day, that's what the Heat values most - winning. For as talented a player as Ware is, he needs time to develop.
The Heat, especially Spo, were looking to win now. Even though Miami is considered one of the better developmental organizations in the league, it's been difficult for Spo at times to balance those two goals.
It came to the point this past season where the Heat needed to choose a path. Either they needed to cash in their assets to build out more of a win-now roster around Bam Adebayo, or dive completely into developing their young core, including Ware.
Now, the Heat have clearly made their decision, and it's probably the best for both sides. And now that both Ware and the Heat have moved on, it's only natural for the obvious to finally be said out loud.
And Ware didn't waste much time in doing so.
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