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New price tag for Jonathan Kuminga makes Heat's chances crystal clear

The Heat's interest in Jonathan Kuminga may have faded for one clear reason.
Michael Saenz
Michael Saenz

All U Can Heat

Denver Nuggets v Golden State Warriors / Thearon W. Henderson/GettyImages

Despite the consistent noise surrounding the possibility of it, it does appear as if the Miami Heat's chances of landing Jonathan Kuminga are now pretty bleak. That became abundantly clear when it was reported that the Golden State Warriors were looking for a young, promising player and a future first-round pick in exchange for Kuminga.

At the start of NBA Free Agency, the noise surrounding the Heat's interest in Kuminga was palpable. With all the smoke surrounding the possibility, it felt a matter of "when" and not "if." However, it might have quickly changed.

For now, it doesn't appear as if the Heat is making much effort in pursuing Kuminga. I'm sure there were conversations at some point with the Warriors and/or Kuminga's camp, but at least for now, it doesn't appear as if the Heat are actively pursuing the young wing. And, to be quite honest, it may be for the best.

The Heat shouldn't make any rash moves for Kuminga

Even though adding a young player as talented as Kuminga does seem like an understandable gamble for the Heat, it may not be worth parting ways with the assets they'd have to include in a deal. To make this deal happen, the Heat would probably need to trade Andrew Wiggins and/or Terry Rozier to a third team while also sending one of their young players (probably Nikola Jovic or Jaime Jaquez Jr.) and a first-round pick to the Warriors.

Doing all that without the guarantee of Kuminga being good is too much risk for the Heat. Between the assets they'd have to part ways with and the guaranteed money they'd have to give Kuminga, it's simply not worth the risk. I also believe the fan base would agree.

Unless something drastically changes (perhaps Golden State's asking price), it'd be pretty shocking to see the Heat suddenly change their approach to Kuminga. Exploring the possibility of such a move was certainly understandable early on in the process. However, if the Warriors are playing hardball with opposing teams, it's simply not worth the hassle.

Would adding Kuminga have added an interesting layer to the Heat's future? Sure. Sometimes, the juice is not worth the squeeze. For the Heat, the gamble on Kuminga, with everything that's been reported, falls into that line of thinking.

If fans are expecting Miami to make some change or upgrade to their roster, it doesn't appear as if it will include Kuminga. And that's probably a smart move for the Heat.

Michael Saenz

Michael Saenz

Michael Saenz is the site expert at All U Can Heat. He has been writing about the NBA since 2012 for sites across the FanSided network. In the past, he has been featured on other outlets such as Bleacher Report and Sports Illustrated. He has also spent time covering high school and college football, basketball, volleyball, and soccer for local newspapers in Texas. During his free time, he enjoys hiking, camping, and the occasional beach day.