There are whispers that the Miami Heat could end up waiving recently acquired forward Simone Fontecchio in an attempt to get under the tax before the start of the season. It's a move that, looking back, would make the Duncan Robinson sign-and-trade move appear that much more puzzling.
Adding more complexity to the situation, it wouldn't be as simple as waiving Fontecchio if you're the Heat. No, they'd have to utilize the stretch-and-waive provision, which allows a team to release a player while also spreading the remaining salary over multiple years for salary cap purposes. Essentially, the Heat would get the salary cap relief they want for this season, but this move would result in "dead money" over the next few years.
In many ways, this is a completely unnecessary move that could've been avoided altogether had they been able to make a more calculated decision back when they acquired him via Robinson.
Revisiting the Duncan Robinson trade
At the time, I couldn't imagine the Heat envisioned they were going to acquire Norman Powell from the LA Clippers, which adds another complicated layer to all of this, but it never made the most sense for Miami to add a player like Fontecchio in the Robinson deal in the first place.
Once it became clear the Heat were going to lose Robinson, they would've been better off acquiring a second-round pick or two as compensation over a player who, at best, would emerge as a fringe contributor to the rotation.
Now, he could end up being a cap casualty.
A decision is coming soon
Either way, a decision on Fontecchio is expected soon. The NBA's waive-and-stretch provision deadline is August 29, at the end of this month. I'd imagine the Heat are currently working the phones to try and trade Terry Rozier, but that's clearly not very likely at this point.
The belief is that using the stretch provision to waive Fontecchio is viewed as a last-resort option for the team. Nevertheless, it's another lesson that the Heat can - or should - learn from.
If the Heat isn't confident that they'll be able to make a trade to get them under the tax at some point this season, it appears they're going to move forward with this decision involving Fontecchio.
But, for now, we're going to continue to see the Heat use a wait-and-see approach. If they do end up moving on from Fontecchio, it will be remembered as a pretty head-scratching, and completely unnecessary, acquisition.