The Miami Heat are clearly excited about Pelle Larsson's potential as he prepares for his third season in the league. So much so that they gifted him an early contract extension that will pay him roughly $15 million per season over the next four years.
But even as the Larsson extension is being pretty unanimously well received, it only makes the Nikola Jovic contract extension look that much worse.
And it's not even just the fact that the Heat agreed to pay Jovic two million more, which may be a problem in itself. It's the idea that their gamble on Jovic last summer looks completely unnecessary now, after the continued development of Larsson.
Not to mention that it puts even more pressure on the Heat's most recent "down payment" on Larsson.
The Nikola Jovic move puts even more pressure on Pelle Larsson's after his extension
Despite the fact that the Heat feel really good about where Larsson is (and where he's heading) in his development, it will open the potential for back-to-back bad decisions from the Heat.
For example, if Larsson does take a step back this season, similar to the way Jovic did last year, where does this team go from here? Considering the way Larsson has looked this summer, it's hard to envision that happening.
But there is a chance that, if Larsson doesn't pan out for the Heat, Miami will have upwards of $30 million in dead money in the future. That's certainly not the hope, but that's a very real possibility now after the Larsson gamble and the Jovic disaster.
I'm sure the Heat's front office is not looking at these two moves with a glass half full, but it's on the table as a possibility.
And the Jovic whiff is the biggest reason why there was so much uncertainty about a potential Larsson extension now. In the end, the front office clearly believed it was the right move to make despite the Jovic situation.
Time will tell how this specific move will age, but there's no question it makes the Jovic decision look even more unnecessary. But the Heat always knew that was a danger with that gamble.
I suppose there's still a chance that Jovic can have a bounce-back year and change this entire narrative, but there's no question that, at least for today, after the Larsson extension, the decision to give him an extension last summer looks even worse.
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