Is there a deal to be made?
If you’ve never been to LVSL, think of it as the NBA’s annual convention. Almost everyone who works in or around the league is there taking in the games, grabbing happy-hour cocktails and chopping it up.
It’s also a place where business gets done. There are face-to-face meetings among executives to talk through roster needs and trade ideas after the first wave of the offseason.
As John Hollinger, a former Memphis Grizzlies front office exec, recently wrote for the Athletic, “There are two common windows for offseason trades. The first is to set up things for free agency, just ahead of July 1 … the second window is right now in mid-July. With free agency largely completed, teams are exhaling for a minute and taking stock, re-evaluating and addressing roster issues both large and small.”
Utah Jazz head honcho Danny Ainge is expected to discuss deals for All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen in Las Vegas. It wouldn’t be surprising if representatives from the New Orleans Pelicans, Portland Trail Blazers, Washington Wizards, Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors had sit-downs about their players, too.
The Heat typically travel a sizeable faction to Vegas that includes Pat Riley, Adam Simon and Andy Elisburg, among others (Erik Spoelstra will be preparing for his trip to Paris for the Olympics but could make an appearance). It’s been a quiet offseason so far for the Heat, but perhaps some face time and neon lights can help grease the wheels on a meaningful move.